Amigurumi pattern: Strongman roly-poly toy

When I was little I loved making my own toys! At home we had a series of amazing books with many tutorials to make interactive toys, puppets and games with recycled materials. I don’t know how those books disappeared, but I still remember their look, their colors and even their smell!

So I decided to make a crochet wobbly man. It couldn’t be that difficult, right? No, it really wasn’t! It’s super easy and fun! And today I’m going to teach you how to make your own amigurumi roly-poly toy. The one I designed looks like a circus strongman, but I encourage you to let your imagination fly and create many different characters. Let’s fill the world with dancing handmade toys!

It is ideal for children, pets and even as a toy for yourself! I can’t stop making it wobble as I type!

 Watch the roly-poly in action!

Below you’ll find the free crochet pattern with step-by-step pictures and a link to the video-tutorial in Spanish. I’m dubbing most of my videos into English, but it’s going to take a while to have them all done. Here you can find the amigurumi tutorials in English that I already have and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel to get notifications any time a new video is added. Also, you’ll find many written amigurumi patterns in English on my blog.

And now, go get your hook!

Materials needed

If you are using a lead ball with a hole, put it inside the toy and sew it to the bottom, right in the middle, on top of the magic ring. 

If you are using a big marble, as it doesn’t have a hole, you will need to stick it with superglue to the same spot as described. Before it dries out completely, make sure the ball is well centered so when the toy is standing, it doesn’t tilt and stays straight. 

Once it’s dry, surround the ball with fiberfill. From now on, stuff as you crochet.

– Draw a mustache on a piece of cardboard and cut it out. Use it as a stencil and draw its outline on a piece of black felt using a chalk pencil or textile marker and cut it out.

– Take some red felt and cut a little oval to make the toy’s nose.

– Stick or sew the mustache and the nose to the face. If the toy is going to be used by very young children or pets, I recommend embroidering them instead.

And that’s it, crafter! If you make the roly-poly and you want to show it to the world on Instagram, use the hashtag #amirolypoly and tag me @crafteandoqueesgerundio. I’d love to see the result!

Ah, and next week we’ll make another handmade toy using also a heavy ball. Can you imagine what it is? 

Let’s play!!!!