How To Crochet Colorful Baby Monster Amigurumi (2-In-1 Tutorial)

If you’ve ever wanted to make an adorable, squishy little creature that doubles as both a toy and a décor piece, you’re in the right place. This tutorial walks you through how to crochet a colorful baby monster amigurumi from start to finish — and because we’re covering two variations in one guide, you’ll leave with not just one pattern but two distinct little monsters to add to your collection or gift to someone special.

Whether you’re a beginner who has just learned to hold a crochet hook or an intermediate crocheter looking for a fun weekend project, this guide is written with you in mind. We’ll go over materials, stitches, shaping, color changes, and assembly in plain, friendly language so you can follow along at your own pace.

Let’s get started.

What Is Amigurumi?

Before we dive into the pattern, let’s talk briefly about amigurumi for anyone who might be new to the craft. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed animals and creatures. The word itself combines the Japanese words for “knitted” and “stuffed doll.” These tiny figures became wildly popular globally because they’re compact, customizable, and deeply satisfying to make.

Monster amigurumi in particular have a special charm. Unlike realistic animals, monsters give you total creative freedom. You can give your little creature three eyes, curly horns, a wide goofy smile, or tentacles — whatever makes you smile. The colorful version we’re making today leans into that playful spirit with bright, bold colors and expressive features.

Materials You’ll Need

Before picking up your hook, gather everything on this list so you’re not scrambling mid-project.

For both monster variations, you’ll need worsted weight yarn in at least three different colors. For Monster A (the round, chubby one), choose a bright main color like lime green, electric blue, or sunny yellow. For Monster B (the slightly taller, wide-mouthed one), pick a contrasting main color like coral, lavender, or tangerine orange. You’ll also want a small amount of white, black, and one accent color like hot pink or teal for the details.

A size 3.5mm (E/4) crochet hook works well with worsted weight yarn and gives you a tight enough gauge that your stuffing won’t show through the stitches. If you prefer a slightly looser tension, a 4.0mm hook is fine too.

You’ll also need polyester fiberfill stuffing, a yarn needle for weaving in ends and sewing pieces together, black safety eyes in 12mm and 9mm sizes (or you can embroider eyes if the toy is for a very young child), stitch markers, and scissors. Optional but fun: craft felt for extra details like teeth, and fabric glue if you’d rather not sew small pieces.

Key Stitches and Abbreviations

Throughout this tutorial, the following abbreviations are used.

MR means magic ring. Ch means chain. Sl st means slip stitch. Sc means single crochet. Inc means increase, which is two single crochets in the same stitch. Dec means invisible decrease, which involves inserting your hook through the front loops of the next two stitches and completing a single crochet. BLO means back loop only. FLO means front loop only. St means stitch, and Rnd means round.

If any of these are unfamiliar, don’t worry — we’ll explain them in context as they come up.

Monster A: The Round Chubby Monster

This is the simpler of the two designs and a great warm-up if you’re newer to amigurumi. Monster A is a wide, round little body with stubby arms, big googly eyes, and a small toothy grin. Think of a chubby green grape that decided it had opinions.

The Body

Start with your main color yarn. Make a magic ring.

Round 1: Work 6 sc into the magic ring. Pull tight to close. (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: [Sc 4, inc] repeat 6 times. (36 sts)

Round 7: [Sc 5, inc] repeat 6 times. (42 sts)

Rounds 8–14: Sc in each st around. (42 sts per round)

Round 15: [Sc 5, dec] repeat 6 times. (36 sts)

Round 16: [Sc 4, dec] repeat 6 times. (30 sts)

At this point, attach your safety eyes between rounds 10 and 11, spacing them about 6 stitches apart. If you’re making this for an infant, skip the safety eyes and embroider them after stuffing.

Round 17: [Sc 3, dec] repeat 6 times. (24 sts)

Begin stuffing the body firmly with fiberfill. Continue stuffing as you decrease.

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

Round 19: [Sc 1, dec] repeat 6 times. (12 sts)

Round 20: Dec 6 times. (6 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Thread through remaining 6 stitches and pull closed. Weave in the end.

The Mouth

Switch to your accent color or white yarn. Using your yarn needle and a length of contrasting thread, embroider a wide curved smile below the eyes. For little teeth, cut a small rectangle from white craft felt and tuck it under the embroidered mouth, securing it with a tiny stitch at each corner or a dab of fabric glue.

Alternatively, crochet a simple mouth piece: chain 8, then sc back along the chain. This creates a straight bar you can curve and sew on for a more three-dimensional look.

The Arms (Make Two)

With your main color, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 5 sc into the ring. (5 sts)

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

Rounds 3–6: Sc in each st around. (10 sts per round)

Round 7: [Sc 3, dec] repeat 2 times. (8 sts)

Lightly stuff the arms — not too firmly, because floppy arms are part of the charm.

Round 8: [Sc 2, dec] repeat 2 times. (6 sts)

Sl st to close. Do not cut yarn yet. Leave a long tail for sewing.

Sew the arms to either side of the body, roughly at the level of round 14 or 15, pointing slightly downward. They should look like little nubs hugging the sides.

The Horns (Make Two)

With your accent color yarn, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 4 sc into the ring. (4 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st. (8 sts)

Rounds 3–4: Sc in each st around.

Round 5: [Sc 2, dec] repeat 2 times. (6 sts)

Do not stuff. Flatten and sew to the top of the head, spaced about 4 stitches apart. Angle them slightly outward for extra personality.

Finishing Monster A

Weave in all ends. Give your monster a gentle squeeze to distribute the stuffing evenly. If any embroidery looks uneven, use your yarn needle to adjust the stitches. Once you’re happy with the look, your first baby monster is complete.

Monster B: The Wide-Mouthed Tall Monster

Monster B has a bit more attitude. It’s slightly taller, has a larger open mouth, a single large center eye, and little feet that give it a stance. This is a wonderful design to try once you’ve finished Monster A and want a slightly more complex shape.

The Body

With your main color yarn, make a magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st. (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: [Sc 4, inc] repeat 6 times. (36 sts)

Rounds 7–10: Sc in each st around. (36 sts per round)

Round 11: Working in BLO, sc in each st. This creates a subtle ridge you’ll use later.

Rounds 12–20: Sc in each st around.

Round 21: [Sc 4, dec] repeat 6 times. (30 sts)

Round 22: [Sc 3, dec] repeat 6 times. (24 sts)

Attach a single 12mm safety eye centered between rounds 15 and 16. For the one-eyed monster look, place it right in the middle of the face.

Round 23: [Sc 2, dec] repeat 6 times. (18 sts)

Stuff firmly.

Round 24: [Sc 1, dec] repeat 6 times. (12 sts)

Round 25: Dec 6 times. (6 sts)

Pull closed and weave in end.

The Big Mouth

The wide open mouth is what makes Monster B special. You’ll crochet this separately and sew it on.

With white or a lighter color yarn:

Row 1: Ch 11. Sc in second ch from hook and across. (10 sts). Turn.

Row 2: Ch 1, inc, sc 8, inc. (12 sts). Turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc across. (12 sts). Turn.

Row 4: Ch 1, dec, sc 8, dec. (10 sts). Turn.

Row 5: Ch 1, sc across. Fasten off.

This creates an oval-shaped mouth piece. With your main color or a darker contrasting yarn, sc around the entire perimeter of the oval, working 3 sc in each corner to keep it flat. Fasten off.

For teeth, cut small triangles from white felt and glue or stitch them along the top edge of the mouth before sewing the whole piece onto the body. Position the mouth centered below the eye, roughly between rounds 13 and 18. Sew it down securely using a whip stitch.

The Feet (Make Two)

With a contrasting color, make a magic ring.

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

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

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

Rounds 4–5: Sc in each st around.

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

Stuff lightly. Flatten the opening and sew closed. Attach the feet to the bottom of the body, angling them slightly forward so your monster looks like it’s ready to waddle somewhere important.

The Arms (Make Two)

With your main color:

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

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

Rounds 3–8: Sc in each st around.

Round 9: [Sc 3, dec] repeat 2 times. (8 sts)

Round 10: [Sc 2, dec] repeat 2 times. (6 sts)

Stuff lightly and sew to the sides of the body around round 18 or 19.

The Antenna

Monster B gets a fun single antenna for extra silliness.

With your accent color:

Ch 10. Starting in second ch from hook, sl st up the chain. Fasten off and leave a long tail.

Sew it to the very top of the head. For a little ball on the end, crochet a tiny MR with 6 sc and pull closed, then attach it to the top of the antenna before sewing the whole thing down.

Color Change Tips for Colorful Baby Monsters

The colorful part of these monsters comes from both your yarn choices and strategic color changes. Here are a few tips for getting clean, vibrant results.

When changing colors mid-round, always make the switch on the last yarn-over of the stitch before the color change. That means on the second-to-last pull-through of your current stitch, use the new color to complete the loop. This keeps the color change crisp instead of muddy.

Carrying yarn along the inside of your work is fine for short stretches of two to four stitches, but for longer color sections, cut and rejoin to avoid loose loops that affect your tension.

Consider making stripe patterns on the body by changing colors every two or three rounds. This is especially effective on Monster A’s round body — a lime green and electric blue striped monster is almost impossibly cute.

You can also add a color pop by crocheting the horns, feet, and arms in a completely different color family from the body. A lavender body with mustard yellow horns and teal arms creates that eclectic, handcrafted look that makes amigurumi so popular on craft marketplaces and social media.

How to Give Your Monsters More Personality

The real magic of amigurumi is customization. Once you’ve made both monsters, you’ll see how many ways you can mix and match elements.

Give Monster A three eyes instead of two by placing a slightly smaller 9mm safety eye off-center and at a slightly different height. Give Monster B a furrowed brow by embroidering a couple of stitches above the eye in a darker color. Add small blush circles under the eyes using a pink yarn needle or even a pink colored pencil on the finished piece.

You can add hair by cutting lengths of yarn and using a latch hook technique or just a crochet hook to pull loops through stitches on the top of the head. Knot each loop and trim to your desired length for a wild, fuzzy monster mane.

For a softer look, swap black safety eyes for button eyes in unusual colors — dark brown, forest green, or even a deep plum. Just make sure any buttons are sewn on very securely if the toy will be used by young children, and always opt for embroidery for toys intended for babies.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Even experienced amigurumi makers run into a few recurring issues. Here’s how to handle the most common ones.

If your work spirals unevenly, you may be tensioning your yarn too loosely or tightly. Try adjusting your grip or moving up or down one hook size. Even tension comes with practice.

If the stuffing is visible through your stitches, either your gauge is too loose or you’re using a low-quality fiberfill. Try a smaller hook or denser stuffing. Premium polyester fiberfill bunches less and stays fluffier over time.

If your safety eyes won’t sit flat, make sure the backing washer is pushed all the way down the post. Safety eyes should feel firmly locked in place and shouldn’t wobble.

If the mouth piece puckers when sewn on, you may need to add a couple more single crochets around the corners to keep the edges lying flat. A bit of blocking (lightly dampening and shaping the piece before sewing it on) also helps.

Display, Gift, and Storage Ideas

These baby monster amigurumi are versatile enough to serve a dozen different purposes. A set of two, one of each design, makes a wonderful baby shower gift when tucked into a basket with other handmade items. They also make a sweet gift for a child who loves monsters and creatures — pair them with a monster-themed picture book for an extra special touch.

As home décor, they sit perfectly on a shelf, windowsill, or bookcase. Make a whole family of monsters in coordinating colors and arrange them in a little scene. They’re compact enough that even a small apartment has room for them.

For storage, keep finished amigurumi in a breathable cotton bag rather than a plastic