Making a DIY squishy is easy. Making one that feels good to squeeze is the tricky part, here’s what changes the texture.
You know that little urge to squeeze something soft just because your hand wants to?
That is basically the appeal of a squishy.
A squishy is a soft, squeezable object designed to deform when you press it and then move back toward its original shape after you let go.
The familiar slow-rising squishies sold in shops are often made from specially formulated polyurethane foam, which is why they can stay compressed for a moment before gradually puffing back into shape.
But “squishy” doesn’t mean there is only one way to make one.
Some modern squishy toys use foam, while others use flexible shells with different fillings or materials. That is why two things can both be called squishies and still feel completely different in your hand.
And this should be considered when you’re making one yourself.
A homemade squishy does not have to perfectly copy the slow-rise toy you would buy from a store.
The idea is to create something that compresses pleasantly, holds its shape well enough to squeeze, and is made with materials you can actually work with at home.
In this tutorial, we’ll make a homemade version with that satisfying squeeze in mind, not just something that looks like a squishy but feels nothing like one.
The trick is in what you put inside, how loosely you fill it, and how well you build the outer shape. Get those details right, and your homemade squishy becomes much more enjoyable to use.
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Want a Soft Squeeze or a Slow Rise? Know This First
Before you start cutting, stuffing, or sealing anything, decide what you actually want your squishy to feel like.
A soft squeeze and a slow rise are not quite the same thing.
The classic slow-rising squishies sold in stores are usually made from soft, flexible polyurethane foam with an open-cell structure.
When you squeeze the foam, air is pushed out through its tiny interconnected cells. When you release it, the material gradually recovers and air moves back through the structure, which is what gives you that familiar slow return.
A homemade squishy made from a paper shell and loose filling works differently. The paper gives it its shape, while the filling compresses and shifts when you squeeze it.
It can feel soft and pleasantly squeezable, but it should not be presented as the same thing as a commercial slow-rise foam squishy.
That difference is worth knowing before you begin. Otherwise, you can follow a tutorial perfectly, squeeze your finished project, and wonder why it springs back or feels more like a soft stuffed pouch than the slow-rising toy you had in mind.
If you want a soft, simple homemade squeeze
A paper squishy is a good place to start. It is easy to shape, decorate, fill, and adjust without needing specialized foam. The filling also gives you some control over how firm or soft the finished piece feels.
If you want that classic slow-rise effect
You need a material capable of producing that behavior. Soft open-cell polyurethane foam is much closer to the construction used in traditional slow-rise squishies.
An ordinary household sponge may be soft and squeezable, but soft does not automatically mean slow-rising. The foam’s structure and formulation affect how quickly it recovers.
For this tutorial, we’re going to focus on a homemade squishy that is practical to make and genuinely enjoyable to squeeze, rather than pretending that a few household materials can perfectly reproduce a factory-made slow-rise foam toy.
That distinction will also help you choose your materials more intelligently, and troubleshoot the texture later if your first attempt feels too hard, too flat, or too quick to spring back.
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The Homemade Version To Start With: A Paper Squishy
If this is your first homemade squishy, a paper squishy is one of the simplest places to start. You don’t need special foam or complicated equipment.
Instead, you’ll make a lightweight outer shell from paper, seal it with tape, and add a soft filling inside.
The result won’t have the same slow-rise action as a commercial foam squishy. Think of it as a soft, squeezable paper craft that you can shape and decorate however you like.
What You’ll Need
- Paper or light cardstock: This becomes the outer shell. Regular printer paper is easy to cut and work with, while light cardstock gives the finished shape a little more structure.
- Pencil: For sketching your design before you cut it out.
- Markers, colored pencils, or crayons: Use whatever you already have to decorate your squishy.
- Scissors: For cutting out the shape.
- Clear tape: This seals the paper shell and keeps the filling inside.
- Soft filling: Polyester fiberfill is the best option of the three discussed here, but tissue paper can work when you don’t have fiberfill.
Which Filling Should You Use?
The filling isn’t just there to make the squishy look full. It determines how much the inside gives when you squeeze it, so your choice can make the finished piece feel noticeably different.
Polyester fiberfill is the option I’d choose first. It is lightweight, soft, and easy to pull apart into small pieces. That makes it easier to spread the filling through the shape without creating one hard lump.
Tissue paper is a convenient alternative because most people can find it easily. Tear it into small pieces rather than pushing in one large wad. It can give you a soft, lightweight filling, but repeated squeezing can flatten and compact it over time.
Crumpled paper will work if you have nothing else, but expect a firmer result. Paper holds its crumpled form more readily than loose fiberfill, so the finished squishy is likely to feel more stuffed than plush.
You also don’t need to fill the shell until it is completely packed. A little empty space is useful.
The filling needs room to move and compress when you squeeze the shape. If you force too much material inside, you can end up with a firm squishy and put unnecessary pressure on the taped seams.
For a first attempt, use polyester fiberfill if you have it. If you don’t, tissue paper is a reasonable substitute. Start with a small amount, test the squeeze, and add more only if the shape needs it.
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Choose a Shape That Gives the Filling Room to Move
A DIY squishy works best when the parts of the design have enough space to hold the filling.
Think about making a chicken-shaped squishy.
You might draw a large, round body with two thin legs and a long, narrow tail. Once you add the filling, the body can become soft and puffy because there is plenty of space inside it.
The thin legs and tail are different. They have such a small amount of space that very little filling can fit inside them.
That means you can end up with a squishy that feels full in the middle but flat at the edges.
This is why broad, simple shapes are easier for a first attempt. If you want an animal, for example, a round animal face will be much easier to make evenly squeezable than a full-body animal with skinny legs, ears, arms, and a tail.
You don’t have to avoid animal shapes or details. Just look at each part of the outline and ask:
“Can this section actually hold enough filling to feel soft when I squeeze it?”
If the answer is no, make that part wider.
For example, turn a skinny tail into a short, rounded tail. Make tiny ears wider instead of drawing them as sharp points. Give arms and legs enough thickness to hold some filling rather than making them look like thin lines.
This also explains why simple shapes often make better first squishies. A large heart, cloud, strawberry, mushroom, or round animal face gives the filling one generous area to occupy.
You can still add all the details you want with your markers—the important part is that the outer shape has enough usable space inside it.
You’re essentially designing two things at once: the picture the reader will see and the space the filling will occupy.
Design the second one well, and the finished squishy has a much better chance of feeling evenly soft instead of puffy in one place and flat in another.
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Build the Paper Shell
The paper shell is the part that gives your DIY squishy its shape and keeps the filling contained.
You want it sealed well enough to handle squeezing, but you also need to leave one opening so you can add the filling.
Start by drawing your chosen shape twice, keeping the two outlines as close in size as possible. If one piece is much larger than the other, the edges will be harder to line up when you start sealing them.
Decorate the front pieces before putting the shell together. Markers, colored pencils, or crayons work well for simple designs. Once you’re happy with the artwork, cut both shapes out carefully.
Place the two paper shapes together with the decorated sides facing outward. Then start joining the edges with clear tape.
Don’t try to fill the squishy yet. Seal most of the edge first, leaving a small opening at one point. A spot along the bottom or side is usually easier to work with than a narrow corner.
The tape needs to overlap the paper on both sides of the seam.
Think of the tape as creating a flexible boundary around the shape rather than simply covering the edge. Press it down firmly, especially around curves and corners, so there aren’t obvious gaps where the filling could escape.
At this stage, you should have a hollow paper shape with one small opening.
That opening is important. If you seal the entire shape now, you’ll have nowhere to add your filling. If you leave too much open, you’ll have a larger section to close later and may find it harder to keep the filling from spilling out.
So don’t rush to make the shell completely airtight.
Seal enough of the edge to create a sturdy pocket, leave one manageable opening, and then you’re ready to decide how much filling to put inside.
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Fill It for the Texture You Want
The amount of filling you use changes how your DIY squishy feels.
A shell packed tightly with filling will resist your fingers, while a lightly filled one will collapse more easily when you squeeze it.
Start with less filling than you think you need. Push a small amount through the opening and spread it gently into the main part of the shape. Then squeeze the outside of the shell.
If the paper shape collapses easily and feels almost empty, add a little more. Squeeze it again and keep adjusting until the inside feels soft without becoming tightly packed.
For example, imagine you’re making a round strawberry.
If you stuff it until there is no empty space left, pressing the middle will make the filling push firmly against the paper. Instead of feeling soft and yielding, the strawberry can feel more like a tightly stuffed cushion.
With a smaller amount of loose filling, your fingers can compress the filling more easily. That gives you a softer squeeze.
The type of filling matters too:
- Polyester fiberfill gives a light, fluffy feel and can be pulled apart before adding it, which makes it easier to distribute through the shape.
- Tissue paper is easy to find and adjust, but it can become more compact after repeated squeezing.
- Crumpled paper creates a firmer result because the paper is already compressed into pieces.
Don’t judge the amount by how full the shape looks from the outside.
Test the squeeze instead. If one side feels noticeably harder than another, open the filling area and redistribute the material rather than simply adding more.
There’s also no need to force filling into every tiny corner of the design. A narrow section that cannot hold much filling may naturally feel flatter than the main body.
That’s another reason the broad, simple shapes recommended earlier are easier to work with.
The goal is not to make the shell as full as possible. You’re looking for the point where the filling gives the shape enough volume without taking away its ability to compress.
The Squeeze Test: How to Tell When You’ve Filled It Enough
There is no magic amount of filling that works for every shape. A small heart and a large animal face will need different amounts, and even the same shape can feel completely different depending on how tightly you pack it.
The easiest way to judge the filling is to stop adding material and squeeze the shape before you seal the opening.
Press the middle with your fingers and pay attention to what happens.
If it barely gives, you’ve probably overfilled it. The paper will feel tight, and your fingers will meet a firm mass almost immediately. Adding more filling won’t make it softer; it will make the inside even more resistant to compression.
If the shape collapses completely and feels almost empty, it probably needs a little more filling. Add a small amount, spread it through the shape, and test it again.
What you’re looking for is the middle ground: the shape should have enough filling to hold its form, but still have room to compress when you press it.
Here’s a useful test. Squeeze the center, then release it. If the filling has simply been pushed to one side, use your fingers to redistribute it and test again.
If one area feels hard while another feels empty, don’t automatically add more. The problem may be uneven distribution, not too little filling.
For example, imagine a heart-shaped squishy. You might add enough fiberfill to make the heart look nicely rounded, but if most of it has collected in the bottom point, the top may feel flat while the bottom feels hard.
Pull some of the filling apart and spread it more evenly instead of stuffing additional material inside.
Also check the seams while you squeeze. If the taped edges start pulling apart or the paper becomes heavily stretched, that’s a sign you’ve put too much pressure on the shell.
Remove some filling rather than trying to reinforce an overpacked shape with more tape.
The goal isn’t to make the squishy as full as possible. The goal is to give the filling enough room to compress.
Once you can press the shape comfortably, feel some resistance without hitting a tightly packed mass, and see that the filling is reasonably even throughout, you have a good point to stop and seal the opening.
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Video credit: Temu
Why Your DIY Squishy Might Feel Too Hard
A homemade squishy can look perfectly fine and still feel disappointing when you squeeze it.
If yours feels hard instead of soft and yielding, don’t immediately assume you need a different filling. The problem is often how the filling is sitting inside the shell.
You used too much filling
This is the most obvious place to start.
When the filling is packed tightly, there is very little room left for it to compress. Your fingers press against the paper and quickly meet a firm mass underneath.
Take some filling out and test the shape again. You may be surprised by how much softer it becomes with less material inside.
You packed the filling into a ball
Loose fiberfill and tissue can be soft on their own but much firmer when compressed into a dense lump.
If you pushed the filling through the opening as one large wad, pull it apart before putting it back inside. Smaller, loose pieces are easier to spread throughout the shape.
The filling is collecting in one area
Squeeze the squishy in different places. If one part feels very firm while another part feels almost empty, the problem may be uneven filling rather than too much filling.
For example, a heart might have most of its filling sitting in the wide upper section while the point remains nearly empty. Instead of adding more, move some of the existing filling toward the empty area.
Your shape is too narrow
Sometimes the filling isn’t the problem at all.
A very thin tail, ear, leg, or pointed section simply doesn’t provide much space for the filling to compress. That section can feel firm because your fingers are pressing against the paper almost immediately.
This is one reason broad, rounded designs are easier to make into a consistently soft squishy.
You’re expecting a paper squishy to behave like slow-rise foam
This is an important distinction.
A paper shell filled with fiberfill or tissue can give you a soft, squeezable texture, but it won’t automatically develop the slow, gradual recovery of a commercial slow-rise foam squishy.
So if yours compresses and then quickly returns toward its original shape, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve made it incorrectly. You’re working with a different construction and a different material.
The useful question is not, “Why doesn’t this feel exactly like the one from the store?”
It’s “Does the filling compress comfortably, is it distributed evenly, and does the shell hold together when I squeeze it?”
If those three things are working, you’ve solved the main problems that make a homemade squishy feel hard or unpleasant to use.
What Not to Put Inside a Homemade Squishy
The inside of a homemade squishy can be tempting to experiment with.
You may see tutorials suggesting water beads, gel, liquids, food, or other materials that seem like they would create an interesting texture.
The problem is that a material can feel interesting when you first squeeze it and still be a poor choice for something that will be handled, compressed, and squeezed repeatedly.
For a simple paper squishy, stick with clean, dry, lightweight filling rather than anything wet, perishable, or loose enough to create a safety problem if the shell breaks.
Skip Water Beads and Loose Beads
Water beads and other small loose pieces are not a good filling for a homemade squeeze toy.
If the paper shell or tape seam breaks, those pieces can escape. Water beads are also a particular concern around young children because of their ability to expand after being swallowed.
There is little reason to introduce that risk when fiberfill or tissue can give you a soft filling without loose expanding pieces.
Don’t Add Liquids or Homemade Gel
A liquid-filled squishy might sound appealing because it would create a completely different squeezing sensation. But a paper-and-tape shell isn’t a reliable container for liquid.
One small leak can soak the paper, loosen the tape, and turn a craft project into a sticky mess. A damaged liquid-filled toy can also leave its contents on hands, furniture, or other surfaces.
The same caution applies to homemade gels. If the material can leak when the shell is punctured, it isn’t a good choice for this project.
Keep Food Out of It
Food may seem harmless, but putting something edible inside a sealed craft creates problems you don’t have with dry craft filling. It can attract insects, develop an unpleasant smell, or spoil if moisture gets inside.
Once food is trapped inside a taped paper shell, you also have no practical way to inspect or clean it.
Avoid Anything You Wouldn’t Want Loose on the Floor
This is a useful rule when choosing an experimental filling: if the material would be difficult or unsafe to clean up after a seam tears, don’t put it inside the squishy in the first place.
That rules out things such as powders, liquids, tiny loose pieces, and other materials that can scatter, leak, or create a bigger problem when the shell eventually wears out.
For this project, simple is better. Polyester fiberfill, tissue, or another clean, dry, lightweight material gives you plenty of room to experiment with texture without turning the inside of your squishy into a potential hazard.
And inspect the finished squishy from time to time.
If the paper tears, the tape starts coming loose, or the filling begins escaping, stop using it rather than continuing to squeeze it until the shell fails completely.
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How to Make Your DIY Squishy Last Longer
A paper squishy isn’t going to last forever, especially when it’s being squeezed repeatedly.
The paper, tape, and filling all take some wear each time you press and release it. Still, a few simple habits can keep it in good shape for longer.
Keep it away from heat and moisture. Paper can soften or warp when it gets wet, while heat can affect adhesives and make the taped seams less reliable. Store it somewhere dry rather than leaving it in a hot car, near a heater, or in a damp area.
Don’t squeeze the same spot aggressively every time. Repeated pressure on one small area can eventually weaken the tape or flatten the filling. A gentle squeeze is enough to test the texture without constantly stressing one seam.
Check the taped edges occasionally. If you notice a corner lifting or a section of tape beginning to peel, repair it before the opening gets larger. Once the filling starts escaping, the shape becomes harder to fix neatly.
Pay attention to the filling. Fiberfill can lose some of its loft after repeated compression, while tissue or crumpled paper may become increasingly compact. That’s normal wear rather than a sign that you made the squishy incorrectly.
And don’t keep using it once the shell is badly damaged. If the paper has torn or the filling is coming out, it’s better to discard it than keep squeezing a damaged homemade toy.
The goal isn’t to make a paper squishy indestructible. It’s to avoid the small problems, peeling seams, flattened filling, moisture, and excessive pressure, that can shorten its useful life.
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What You Can Realistically Expect From a Homemade Squishy
A homemade DIY squishy can be soft, squeezable, and satisfying to press, but it is important to understand what you have actually made.
A paper shell filled with polyester fiberfill or tissue is not the same thing as a commercial slow-rise squishy.
Store-bought slow-rise squishies are commonly made from specialized foam that compresses in a particular way and gradually returns toward its original shape.
Your homemade version uses a paper shell and loose filling, so its texture and recovery will be different.
You may notice that your squishy:
- compresses easily when you press it
- feels softer or firmer depending on how much filling you used
- changes shape temporarily while you’re squeezing it
- returns toward its original shape relatively quickly rather than slowly rising
- feels different in different areas if the filling isn’t evenly distributed
None of those differences automatically mean the project failed.
In fact, the filling is one of the things that makes this kind of homemade squishy interesting. You can make the same paper shape twice and get noticeably different results simply by changing the amount and type of filling.
A lightly filled heart might collapse easily between your fingers. The same heart packed more firmly might hold its shape better but feel more resistant when squeezed. Fiberfill can give you a softer, fluffier feel, while crumpled paper will generally make the inside feel firmer.
So don’t use “Does this feel exactly like a store-bought squishy?” as your test.
A better test is:
Does it have enough filling to hold its shape, enough space to compress when squeezed, and a shell that stays securely closed?
If the answer is yes, you’ve achieved what this homemade method is designed to do.
And that’s the real advantage of making one yourself: you can control the shape, filling, and firmness instead of buying a finished texture you can’t change.
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Conclusion
Making a DIY squishy isn’t about perfectly copying the one you can buy in a store. It’s about learning how the shape, filling, and amount of stuffing change the way it feels in your hand.
Start with a simple shape, adjust the filling instead of automatically adding more, and test the squeeze before you seal it completely. Once you understand how those choices affect the texture, you can create different shapes and experiment with firmer or softer results.
Pick a shape you like, make your first one, and see how the texture changes when you adjust the filling.
