- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 3.9 × 3.8 in (9.9 × 9.6 cm)
Nothing beats a golden stack of three fluffy pancakes topped with melting butter, glossy maple syrup drips, and a blushing kawaii face with a tiny pink heart. You can craft your very own pancake paper squishy in about 30 minutes using just paper, tape, and soft stuffing. Grab the free printable PDF in US Letter or A4, which includes 3 versions: full color, a coloring page, and a blank outline. Pair it with our waffle paper squishy to serve up a complete paper breakfast!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your pancake stack template at 100% scale on plain printer paper, making sure to turn off the “fit to page” setting. Check that the test line in the top corner measures exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color your golden pancakes, yellow butter pat, and amber syrup drips now, then let any marker ink dry completely.
2Tape the pieces
Lay strips of wide clear packing tape over just the two pancake illustrations rather than the whole sheet. Smooth each strip from the middle outward without pulling, since stretched tape creates wrinkles later. This glossy coat protects the sweet face and makes your finished breakfast stack shiny, strong, and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out the front and the back right along the solid black outer line, keeping the narrow white border intact. Take your time steering the scissors around the butter bump at the top and the wavy indentations between the three stacked pancakes.
4Add a tape border to the back
Lay the back pancake piece printed side down onto strips of sticky-side-up tape. Cut the tape so it extends about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge, then snip into this border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper. These little flaps will wrap cleanly around the curved pancake sides and hold your squishy together.
5Join front and back
Put the front piece on top of the back piece with their white unprinted sides together. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly around the wavy stack. Leave a 4 cm (1½ inch) gap open—just where the pink line in the picture shows—so you have a gap for the stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear your plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them inside through the gap. Fill the far corners first, poking bits into the butter pat at the top and the wide bottom pancake before filling the center. Stop when the stack feels soft and puffy, as too much stuffing makes the seams pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the gap and tape it shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger all the way along the curved pancake edges and the top butter bump to press the tape down well.
8Squish!
Done! Squeeze your fluffy pancake stack and watch the golden layers puff right back up. Want a slow-rising squishy? Gently prick one tiny pinhole into the back of the squishy.
Free Pancake Stack Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–5). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- Wrinkled tape on the stack. Wide packing tape can crease across the wide pancake belly if stretched. Use shorter strips and lay them down gently without pulling.
- Seam splits at the indents. The curved dips between the three pancakes take extra pressure when squeezed. If an edge splits open, place a new short strip of clear tape across the seam, overlapping the old tape.
- Preventing dark brown marker smears. Deep syrup browns and dark outlines take a moment to dry on plain paper. Let markers dry fully before taping so the colors do not smear across the pale golden pancakes, while printer ink is fine right away.
- Fixing a stiff pancake stack. If your pancake pillow feels hard instead of soft, it has too much stuffing inside. Open the gap, take some filling out, and tape it shut again.
Questions
How do I make a bakery paper squishy set?
Print this pancake stack alongside a cinnamon roll squishy or a sweet donut design on plain 80–100 gsm (20–24 lb) paper. Keep the print scale at 100% for every sheet so your breakfast and bakery treats match in size.
Can I use glue instead of tape?
Not for the edges. Glue does not stick to tape-covered paper, so the curved pancake seams would pop open when squeezed. The snipped tape border folded over the edge holds best.
What paper works best for a waffle or pancake squishy?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best for breakfast squishies. Cardstock makes the pancake stack stiff and it will not squish as nicely.
What can I stuff my squishy with?
You can use plastic grocery bags for a crinkly and light feel, or cotton balls and fiberfill to make the stack soft. Small pieces of memory foam also work well for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I make this template bigger or make it with a group?
Yes! To make it bigger, print the page at a larger scale like 120% with the front and back together on the same sheet so they match. For a class or group, print 1 sheet per person, cut tape strips in advance, and plan about 30 minutes while kids color and you help with taping.
More paper squishies to make
Pin this tutorial
Save it to your craft board so you can find the free template again.