Make a pipe cleaner friend!

These bright colourful animals are quick and easy to make. All you need is a pack of pipe cleaners and some googly eyes.

Pipe cleaners are great because you can use them over and over again. If you want to undo something, just bend it back.

If you’re stuck getting started, have a look at our examples. Simply follow our step by step guide to make your very own elephant.  

1. To make an elephant, you need three pipe cleaners. We’ve used light blue but you can use whatever colour you want. Maybe you could make a multi-coloured elephant!

2. Wrap one of the pipe cleaners around a thick pen. You might need to hold it tightly for a few minutes so that it stays in shape. This is the elephant’s body.

3. Slide the coil off the pen. If you’ve held it long enough, it should hold its shape. Take one end of the pipe cleaner, pull it out slightly and straighten it. This is the elephant’s tail.

4. Take another pipe cleaner and cut it into three even pieces.

5. Take one of the third pieces to make an ear. Bend it into a curve and wrap each end around the very last coil (not the side with the tail!).

6. Repeat on the other side with the second piece of the pipe cleaner. You should now have two ears attached to the coil body.

7. Take the last of the cut up pipe cleaner and slide in inside the coil. Bend the bit left sticking out at the front, to make a trunk. We’ve bent ours upwards but you can bend yours however you want. Elephants love to move their trunk around!

8. Cut the last pipe cleaner in half.

9. Slide the two halves through the coil body so that they poke out on each end.

10. Bend each pipe cleaner over, on each side of the coil body. These are the elephant’s legs. To help it stand up better, bend the end of each pipe cleaner to make feet. You can easily adjust the legs to make your elephant stand tall or short.

11. Add some googly eyes with glue and you’re done! Your own furry friend. Have a look at our other designs and see if you can make your very own mini zoo!