How to Crochet a Mini Koala Gummy Bear Keychain for Beginners

If you’ve ever scrolled through craft social media and spotted those impossibly cute little crochet keychains dangling from someone’s bag, you already know the appeal. There’s something deeply satisfying about making a tiny, squishy, handmade charm that you can carry with you everywhere. The mini koala gummy bear keychain combines two things the internet collectively adores — adorable koalas and the nostalgic charm of gummy bears — into one pocket-sized project that’s surprisingly beginner-friendly.

This guide will walk you through every step, from gathering your supplies to attaching the keychain hardware at the end. Even if you’ve never crocheted anything in your life, by the time you finish reading, you’ll have everything you need to make your first one. And fair warning: you probably won’t stop at just one.

What Is Amigurumi and Why It’s Perfect for Beginners

Before we dive into the pattern itself, it helps to understand the style of crochet you’ll be using. This project falls under amigurumi, a Japanese word that loosely translates to “knitted stuffed toy.” Amigurumi uses tight, small stitches worked in continuous rounds to create three-dimensional stuffed figures. Unlike traditional crochet where you might make a flat blanket or a granny square, amigurumi produces little sculptural shapes.

The reason amigurumi is so beginner-friendly is that it relies almost entirely on one stitch: the single crochet. You don’t need to learn complicated stitch patterns or read complex charts. The magic comes from increases (adding stitches to make a shape wider) and decreases (reducing stitches to make a shape narrower). That’s it. Once you understand those two concepts, you can make almost anything in the amigurumi world.

The koala gummy bear keychain is a great starting project because it’s small, uses minimal yarn, and can be completed in an hour or two once you get comfortable with the process.

Supplies You’ll Need

Getting your supplies together before you start will make the whole experience smoother. Here’s what you’ll need for this project.

Yarn: For this keychain, you want a light worsted weight (also called size 4) or DK weight (size 3) yarn. Light blue, pale green, or a translucent-looking pastel color works beautifully to mimic the look of a real gummy bear. For the koala features, you’ll need a small amount of dark gray, black, or brown yarn for the ears and facial details, though you can also use embroidery thread or felt.

Crochet Hook: A 2.5mm or 3.0mm hook is ideal for this project. Using a smaller hook than what the yarn label recommends creates a tighter fabric so the stuffing doesn’t show through.

Stuffing: Polyfill stuffing is the standard choice. You only need a pinch for something this small — a single bag of stuffing will last you dozens of these projects.

Safety Eyes: For the koala’s eyes, 4mm or 5mm black safety eyes are perfect. These are little plastic eyes with a washer back that locks them in place. If you’re making this for a small child, skip the safety eyes and embroider the eyes with black yarn instead to avoid any choking hazard.

Stitch Marker: A simple safety pin or a proper stitch marker clip to mark the beginning of each round. This sounds minor, but it will save your sanity.

Yarn Needle (Tapestry Needle): You’ll use this to weave in ends and sew pieces together.

Scissors: A small, sharp pair.

Keychain Hardware: A split ring keychain finding (the metal ring that looks like a small key ring) and optionally a small lobster claw clasp. These are easy to find at craft stores or online in bulk packs.

Optional — Small Piece of Felt or Embroidery Thread: For adding a nose or ear details in a contrasting color.

Understanding the Basic Stitches

If you’re a complete beginner, take a few minutes to practice these stitches before starting the actual project. They’re the only techniques you’ll need.

Magic Ring (also called Magic Circle): This is how you start almost every amigurumi piece. Instead of chaining and joining, you make an adjustable loop, work your first round of stitches into it, and then pull the tail tight to close the center hole. There are plenty of video tutorials online if the written description doesn’t click immediately — it’s one of those things that’s easier to watch once than to read about ten times.

Single Crochet (sc): Insert your hook into the stitch, pull up a loop (you now have two loops on your hook), then yarn over and pull through both loops. One single crochet made.

Increase (inc): Work two single crochets into the same stitch. This adds one stitch to your count and makes the round wider.

Invisible Decrease (invdec): This is the preferred decrease for amigurumi because it looks neater than a standard decrease. Insert your hook through the front loops only of the next two stitches, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through both loops. One stitch has become one stitch — you’ve decreased by one.

Slip Stitch (sl st): Insert your hook, yarn over, and pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook. This is used to finish off pieces.

That’s genuinely all you need for this entire project. Once you’ve practiced those five techniques, you’re ready.

The Pattern: Mini Koala Gummy Bear Keychain

This pattern creates a gummy bear shaped body with koala-specific features: rounded ears with a slightly different texture, a large flat nose, and the characteristic koala facial structure. The finished piece is roughly 3 to 4 centimeters tall, which is the perfect keychain size.

The pattern uses US crochet terminology throughout.

The Gummy Bear Body

Start with your main color yarn (your chosen gummy bear color).

Round 1: Make a magic ring, work 6 sc into the ring, pull tight. (6 stitches)

Round 2: Inc in each stitch around. (12 stitches)

Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 stitches)

Round 4: Sc 2, inc repeat around. (24 stitches)

Round 5: Sc in each stitch around. (24 stitches)

Round 6: Sc in each stitch around. (24 stitches)

At this point, if you’re using safety eyes, attach them now between rounds 3 and 4, with about 4 to 5 stitches between them. Once the safety eyes are in and locked, you can’t easily remove them, so take a moment to check their placement before securing the washers.

Round 7: Sc 2, invdec repeat around. (18 stitches)

Round 8: Sc in each stitch around. (18 stitches) — this is the neck area, and it naturally pulls slightly inward, which creates the gummy bear’s characteristic neck indent.

Round 9: Sc 2, inc repeat around. (24 stitches) — this widens back out for the head.

Round 10: Sc in each stitch around. (24 stitches)

Round 11: Sc in each stitch around. (24 stitches)

Round 12: Sc 2, invdec repeat around. (18 stitches)

Now stuff the piece firmly with polyfill. You want it plump and round, not lumpy. Add stuffing gradually and keep checking the shape from the outside.

Round 13: Sc 1, invdec repeat around. (12 stitches)

Add a little more stuffing if needed before the hole closes too much.

Round 14: Invdec around. (6 stitches)

Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Use your yarn needle to thread the tail through the front loops of each remaining stitch and pull tight to close. Weave in the end.

The Arms (Make Two)

Round 1: Magic ring, 6 sc. (6 stitches)

Round 2: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (9 stitches)

Rounds 3–5: Sc in each stitch around. (9 stitches)

Close and leave a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff the arms — flat, floppy little arms look cuter and feel more authentic to the gummy bear shape.

The Legs (Make Two)

Round 1: Magic ring, 6 sc. (6 stitches)

Round 2: Inc in each stitch around. (12 stitches)

Rounds 3–5: Sc in each stitch around. (12 stitches)

Round 6: Sc 1, invdec repeat around. (8 stitches)

Stuff lightly. Close and leave a long tail for sewing.

The Koala Ears (Make Two)

This is where the koala personality comes in. For a classic koala look, the ears are round, slightly fluffy, and often have a lighter center. You can make them entirely in your main color, or make the inner ear in a lighter or contrasting color.

Outer Ear:
Round 1: Magic ring, 6 sc. (6 stitches)
Round 2: Inc in each stitch around. (12 stitches)
Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 stitches)

Slip stitch to finish, leave a tail for sewing. Do not stuff.

Inner Ear (optional, for detail):
Using a lighter color, make a magic ring with 6 sc, then inc around for 12 stitches. Fasten off and sew or glue this smaller circle onto the center of the outer ear before attaching to the head.

The Koala Nose

The koala’s most distinctive feature is its large, flat, leathery nose. You can create this a few different ways. The simplest is to cut a small oval from dark gray or black felt and sew or glue it onto the face. Alternatively, you can crochet a tiny flat oval:

Row 1: Chain 4, sc in the 2nd chain from hook and the next 2 chains. (3 stitches)
Row 2: Chain 1, turn, inc, sc 1, inc. (5 stitches)
Row 3: Chain 1, turn, sc across. (5 stitches)

Fasten off, leave a tail, and sew the nose onto the face centered slightly below the eyes.

Assembling Your Koala Gummy Bear

Assembly is where your little gummy bear comes to life, and it’s also where patience matters most. Rushing this step is the most common reason beginner projects look a bit off — taking an extra few minutes here makes a huge difference.

Attaching the Ears: Pin the ears to the top of the head before sewing. Koala ears sit wide apart, almost at the sides of the head rather than the top. Use pins or stitch markers to test the placement and make sure they look symmetrical before committing. Sew each ear on securely, going around the base several times and finishing with a knot that disappears into the head.

Attaching the Arms: The arms attach to the upper sides of the body, roughly at the level of the neck-to-shoulder transition. Pin them so they hang naturally downward or angle them slightly forward for a reaching, hugging pose.

Attaching the Legs: The legs go at the very bottom of the body, positioned so the figure can “sit.” Attach them at a slight outward angle — this gives the finished piece a cute, chubby-legged seated look.

Adding the Nose and Facial Details: Once the nose is sewn on, use black embroidery thread or black yarn to add a small smile — just two or three stitches in a gentle curve beneath the nose. You can also add small nostril details with two tiny stitch dots at the sides of the nose, though this detail is optional.

If you didn’t use safety eyes, embroider the eyes now with black yarn, making small oval or round shapes. A single white stitch highlight in the corner of each eye gives them a shiny, gummy bear-like quality.

Attaching the Keychain Hardware

This step is quick but important to do correctly so the keychain holds up with daily use.

Cut a short length of yarn (about 8 to 10 centimeters) in your main color or a neutral color. Thread it through the yarn needle, then pass it through the top of the koala’s head (coming out at the very center of the crown). Thread both ends through the split ring of your keychain hardware and tie them together in a secure knot — a square knot works well here. Pull the knot tight, then use the yarn needle to work both tail ends down into the head of the figure, burying them inside the stuffing so they’re invisible. Give the keychain a firm tug to test it.

If you want extra security, you can add a small drop of fabric glue or clear-drying craft glue to the knot before burying it inside the head.

Some crafters prefer to use a short length of chain or a jump ring between the figure and the split ring for a little extra movement, which gives the keychain a satisfying jingle. This is completely optional but a nice touch.

Tips for Getting a Perfect Result

A few lessons that most beginners learn the slightly frustrating way, compiled here so you don’t have to:

Tension matters more than hook size. If your fabric looks too open or holey, go down a hook size. The stitches should be tight enough that stuffing isn’t visible from the outside.

Count your stitches every single round, at least until you’re comfortable. It’s much easier to fix a miscounted round immediately than to realize five rounds later that something is off.

Stuff gradually and check the shape often. Over-stuffing creates a distorted, lumpy shape. Under-stuffing creates something flat and sad-looking. Aim for plump and round.

When sewing pieces together, use the same yarn you used to make the piece whenever possible. It blends in naturally. When in doubt, thread the tail from closing the piece right into your needle and use that — you don’t even need to cut extra yarn.

If your magic ring won’t stay closed, work a slip stitch through the first stitch of round 1 after pulling the ring tight. This locks it in place.

Customizing Your Koala Gummy Bear

Once you’ve made one, the variations are endless. You can change the main color to any gummy bear shade — classic red (strawberry), orange, green (lime), yellow (lemon), or clear white (a great base for a glittery or sparkly version).

Adding a tiny ribbon bow between the ears or around the neck transforms it into a more feminine version. Using a variegated pastel yarn gives a tie-dye or ombre effect that looks stunning in person.

You can also scale the pattern up or down by changing your yarn weight and hook size. Bulky yarn with a 5mm hook produces a palm-sized version. Fingering weight yarn with a 1.5mm hook produces a truly tiny, jewel-like version that’s about the size of a large pebble — incredibly fiddly but absolutely adorable.

A set of five in different colors on a single bag makes a striking statement accessory. They also make perfect gifts, party favors, or additions to gift wrapping. Once you’ve gotten the pattern memorized — which usually happens by the third or fourth one — you can knock one out in under an hour while watching television.

Caring for Your Finished Keychain

Because the keychain will get daily handling, it’s good to know how to keep it looking fresh. Most acrylic yarns (the most common and affordable choice for amigurumi) can be hand-washed in cool water with a small drop of gentle dish soap. Rinse thoroughly, press out excess water gently without wringing, and lay flat to dry. Avoid machine washing for tiny amigurumi, since the agitation can distort the shape and cause the stuffing to clump.

If you’ve used safety eyes, they’re entirely waterproof. If you used glued felt for the nose, hand washing is still fine as long as you used a fabric-safe glue and let it cure fully before the piece got wet.

With occasional gentle washing, a crocheted keychain can look great for years.

Final Thoughts

The mini koala gummy bear keychain is one of those beginner projects that punches way above its weight in terms of how satisfying and impressive it looks for the skill level it requires. It teaches you the core mechanics of amigurumi — magic ring,