Scrat Crochet Squirrel Keychain Pattern Free – Ice Age Amigurumi

If you grew up watching Ice Age, chances are Scrat holds a very special place in your heart. That wide-eyed, frantic little saber-toothed squirrel who would sacrifice absolutely everything — his comfort, his safety, his sanity — for a single acorn is one of the most beloved animated characters of all time. He barely says a word, and yet every single scene he appears in is packed with emotion, comedy, and an oddly relatable desperation. Now you can carry a tiny version of him everywhere you go with this free crochet pattern for a Scrat amigurumi keychain. This pattern is beginner-friendly, uses only basic stitches, and results in the most charming little bag charm you’ll ever make.

Whether you’re new to amigurumi or you’ve been crocheting miniature characters for years, this pattern will walk you through every step. The finished keychain measures approximately 4 to 5 inches tall depending on your yarn and hook, making it the perfect size to dangle from a backpack, a zipper pull, your keys, or even a gift bag. Let’s get into it.

Materials You’ll Need

Before you begin, gather your supplies. Having everything ready before you start makes the process so much smoother, especially when working on small pieces with multiple color changes.

Yarn: You’ll need small amounts of the following colors. Worsted weight (size 4) yarn works well for a slightly larger keychain, but you can also use DK or sport weight if you prefer a more delicate size.

• Light brown or tan (main body color)
• Dark brown or chocolate brown (tail stripes and ear tips)
• Cream or off-white (belly and face markings)
• Black (eyes, nose, claws)
• A tiny bit of pink or salmon (inner ears — optional but cute)

Hook: 2.5mm to 3.5mm depending on your yarn weight. Use a hook that gives you a tight, firm fabric so the stuffing doesn’t show through.

Other supplies:

• Polyester fiberfill stuffing
• Two 6mm or 8mm black safety eyes (or you can embroider eyes if this is for a child under three)
• Yarn needle for sewing and weaving in ends
• Stitch markers
• Scissors
• A keyring or lobster clasp
• A small length of chain or jump ring to attach the finished piece to the keyring

Abbreviations Used

• MR – Magic ring
• ch – Chain
• sc – Single crochet
• inc – Increase (2 single crochets in the same stitch)
• dec – Invisible decrease (insert hook through front loops of next two stitches, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through both loops)
• sl st – Slip stitch
• BLO – Back loop only
• FLO – Front loop only
• st(s) – Stitch(es)

All pieces are crocheted in continuous rounds unless otherwise noted. Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round.

Pattern Notes

Scrat is recognizable by a few key features: his enormous eyes, his very long front teeth, his bushy striped tail, his tiny round ears, and his slightly hunched posture. To capture all of this in amigurumi form, we build him from separate pieces and sew everything together at the end. Take your time with the assembly — it’s where the character really comes to life.

The keychain loop is added at the very end through the top of his head so he hangs upside down at a slight angle, which gives him that classic Scrat look of perpetual panic.

Part One: The Head

The head is the most important piece because it carries all of Scrat’s personality. We’ll make it slightly elongated compared to a standard amigurumi ball to give him that distinctive long-snouted look.

Color: Light brown / tan

Round 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)

Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat 6 times. (18 sts)

Round 4: Sc 2, inc repeat 6 times. (24 sts)

Round 5: Sc 3, inc repeat 6 times. (30 sts)

Round 6 – 9: Sc in each st around. (30 sts) — 4 rounds even

Round 10: Sc 3, dec repeat 6 times. (24 sts)

Now we’ll shape the snout area. On the next round, you will work a small extension at the front to create the elongated nose area that is so characteristic of Scrat.

Round 11: Sc in first 8 sts. Now work into just the next 8 sts in a back-and-forth flat section: ch 1, turn, sc 8, ch 1, turn, sc 8, ch 1, turn. Slip stitch back to your main round at the point where you left off. Continue sc around the remaining sts back to start. (24 sts)

Round 12: Sc 2, dec repeat 6 times. (18 sts)

At this point, insert your safety eyes between rounds 6 and 7, spaced about 8 stitches apart. Scrat’s eyes are very wide-set and slightly bulging, so place them a bit wider than you might for a typical amigurumi character. If you’re adding a little cream or off-white patch around each eye, sew those on before attaching the eyes.

Round 13: Sc 1, dec repeat 6 times. (12 sts)

Stuff the head firmly. Keep the snout end a little fuller so it retains its pointed shape.

Round 14: Dec 6 times. (6 sts)

Close with a slip stitch and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Part Two: The Body

Scrat is a small creature with a somewhat pear-shaped body — narrow at the top near his chest and wider at the bottom where his belly rounds out.

Color: Light brown, with a cream belly panel added after

Round 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)

Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat 6 times. (18 sts)

Round 4: Sc 2, inc repeat 6 times. (24 sts)

Round 5 – 8: Sc in each st around. (24 sts) — 4 rounds even

Round 9: Sc 2, dec repeat 6 times. (18 sts)

Round 10 – 11: Sc in each st around. (18 sts)

Round 12: Sc 1, dec repeat 6 times. (12 sts)

Stuff the body before closing.

Round 13: Dec 6 times. (6 sts)

Close and fasten off with a tail for sewing to the head.

For the belly patch, cut a small oval shape from cream-colored felt, or crochet a simple oval in cream yarn and sew it onto the front of the body before assembling.

To crochet the belly panel: Ch 4. Row 1: Sc 3, ch 1, turn. Rows 2 – 4: Sc 3, ch 1, turn. Fasten off and sew to the front center of the body.

Part Three: The Arms (Make Two)

Scrat’s arms are thin and end in tiny little clawed hands. We’ll add the claws as embroidered stitches at the end.

Color: Light brown

Round 1: MR, 5 sc. (5 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st. (10 sts)

Round 3 – 5: Sc around. (10 sts)

Round 6: Dec, sc 8. (9 sts)

Round 7 – 9: Sc around. (9 sts)

Do not stuff the arms. Flatten them and sew closed, leaving a tail for attachment. Using black yarn, embroider three small claw marks at the hand end of each arm.

Part Four: The Legs (Make Two)

The legs are simple little stumps. Scrat doesn’t have very prominent legs in most of his design artwork, so we keep these small and round.

Color: Light brown

Round 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st. (12 sts)

Round 3 – 5: Sc around. (12 sts)

Round 6: Sc 1, dec repeat 4 times. (8 sts)

Stuff lightly. Sew closed. Using black yarn, embroider three small claw marks across the foot.

Part Five: The Ears (Make Two)

Scrat’s ears are small and rounded. We’ll make them in two rounds with a dark tip.

Color: Start with light brown, finish with dark brown

Round 1: MR, 6 sc in light brown. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st. (12 sts)

Switch to dark brown.

Round 3: Sc in BLO around. (12 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a tail. Do not stuff. If you want to add a tiny pink inner ear detail, cut a small teardrop shape from pink felt and glue or sew it onto the front of the ear before attaching.

Part Six: The Teeth

Scrat’s iconic buck teeth are one of his most recognizable features. We’ll make these in cream or off-white yarn.

Color: Cream or white

Ch 4. Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc 2. (3 sts) Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: Sc 3. Ch 1, turn.

Row 3: Sc 1, ch 1 (this creates the split between the two teeth), sc 1. Ch 1, turn.

Row 4: Sc 1, sc into the ch-1 space, sc 1. (3 sts)

Fasten off with a tail for sewing. Attach the teeth to the lower front of the snout, just below where the nose will be.

Part Seven: The Nose

Embroider the nose with 3 to 4 short satin stitches using black yarn, working horizontally at the very tip of the snout. Keep it small and pointy.

Part Eight: The Tail

The tail is arguably the most iconic part of Scrat’s silhouette after those enormous eyes. His tail is large, bushy, and striped — it’s almost as big as his body. We’ll build it in segments.

Color: Light brown and dark brown alternating

Round 1: MR, 6 sc in light brown. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st. (12 sts)

Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat 6 times. (18 sts)

Round 4: Sc around in dark brown. (18 sts)

Round 5: Sc 2, inc repeat 6 times in light brown. (24 sts)

Round 6: Sc around in dark brown. (24 sts)

Round 7: Sc 3, inc repeat 6 times in light brown. (30 sts)

Round 8: Sc around in dark brown. (30 sts)

Round 9 – 12: Sc around in light brown. (30 sts)

Round 13: Sc 3, dec repeat 6 times. (24 sts)

Round 14: Sc 2, dec repeat 6 times. (18 sts)

Stuff the tail generously. It needs to be plump and full to look bushy.

Round 15: Sc 1, dec repeat 6 times. (12 sts)

Round 16: Dec 6 times. (6 sts)

Fasten off and close. The tail should be a large, slightly pointed oval that flares out at the base. You can fluff it up a bit by brushing the surface lightly with a stiff toothbrush or pet slicker brush — this gives it that fuzzy texture.

Assembly

Now comes the most rewarding part: bringing Scrat to life.

Start by attaching the head to the body. Use the long yarn tail and your yarn needle to whipstitch around the base of the head and the top of the body, making sure Scrat’s snout points slightly downward and forward, giving him his characteristic worried expression.

Next, attach the ears on either side of the top of the head, spaced about 4 stitches apart. The dark tips should face outward and slightly upward.

Sew the arms to the sides of the body, angling them slightly forward as if he’s reaching out for his beloved acorn.

Attach the legs to the underside of the body, pointing downward and slightly out.

Sew the tail to the back of the body at the lower center. Make sure it’s securely attached since it’s a heavy piece. Position it so it arches upward behind him.

Finally, use a long piece of black embroidery floss or black yarn to add a few finishing details: small eyebrow lines above the eyes (slightly furrowed, of course), and any additional facial expression lines you want to give him that classic look of panic.

Adding the Keychain Hardware

Thread a short length of yarn or a small jump ring through the very top center of Scrat’s head, pulling it up between the ears. Attach your keyring or lobster clasp to this loop. If you want a longer dangle, use a small piece of chain between the yarn loop and the clasp. Make sure everything is secured tightly — you don’t want your little Scrat escaping.

Tips for Success

Working in tight, even stitches is the single best thing you can do for amigurumi. If your tension is too loose, the stuffing will show through and the character will look lumpy rather than smooth. Go down a hook size if needed.

When changing colors, always make the color change on the last yarn over of the stitch before the new color begins. This keeps your color transitions clean and crisp.

For the safety eyes, a small drop of clear craft glue on the washer before pressing it onto the post will keep everything extra secure, especially important for a keychain that will go through daily wear and tear.

If this keychain is intended as a gift for a small child, skip the safety eyes entirely and embroider the eyes with black yarn instead. Satin stitch a filled circle for each eye and add a tiny white highlight stitch in the upper corner for that bright, characteristic Scrat shine.

Make It a Set

Once you’ve made Scrat, you might find yourself wanting to recreate the entire Ice Age crew. Manny the mammoth makes a wonderful amigurumi with his dramatic tusks and woolly texture. Sid the sloth is endlessly fun because of his expressive face and lanky limbs. Diego has a sleek, angular silhouette that translates beautifully into crochet. And of course, you could always make a tiny golden acorn to go alongside your Scrat keychain — a simple little oval in yellow yarn with a brown cap and a tiny curling stem would be absolutely perfect.

Gifting this keychain is a wonderful idea for any Ice Age fan in your life. It makes a thoughtful present for birthdays, holidays, stocking stuffers, or just a small handmade token to let someone know you’re thinking of them. Paired with a little card that says something like “You’re one in a million (acorns)” and you have a genuinely memorable gift that cost almost nothing to make.

A Final Word

Scrat has been making audiences laugh — and inexplicably feel genuine empathy — since 2002. There’s something about his relentless pursuit of one small thing, his complete commitment to a goal that always slips just out of reach, that resonates with pretty much everyone. Making him in crochet is a small tribute to a character who never needed words to tell a whole story. Every stitch you put into this little keychain is part of that story now.

I hope you enjoy making this