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How To Make a Bear Using Animal Joints

Date: 21-09-2022

Yellow toy elephant

Create lasting fun for children with toy bears and stuffed animals that have movable arms and legs. They can walk, raise their arms…they can do just about anything you like due to the movable arms and legs. 
Stuffed animals with movable joints also make the perfect give for special occasions, or you can create your own collection of customised soft toys!


What you’ll need to make your bear with movable joints:

  • Wooden disk and joint kit (Pin, washer, disk, lock nut).
  • You will follow the same process if using the Arbee plastic joints. The nut is swapped for snapping disk which you will need to press in instead of screw. 
  • Knitting needle or awl to punch hole.
  • Marker to mark where hole will go- Small spanner and screwdriver.

 

Getting familiar with your joint kit:

Here are the elements in the animal joint kit that you will be using to put your bear together. 

 joint elements

Making the bear:

  • 1. Connect arms/legs to the body
    - Mark where the joints will go for both arms, body and both legs. For arms and legs, make sure you’re doing this on opposite sides.  
    - Using your awl or knitting needle, make a hole where you have marked the joint location. Do this for both arms. 
     Note: Avoid using scissors to create the hole, as the fabric may start to tear, or the hole might become too big. An awl or needle allows you to separate the threads and push the needle through.
    - Place washer onto the screw, followed by your first disk. 
    - Push screw into arm/leg hole, pushing from the inside of the arm piece, to the outside. Continue to push the screw through the body.
    - Add second disk, washer and lock nut. 
    - Tighten the lock nut using the small spanner. Continue until the screw extends beyond the nut on the inside of the body, until it stops turning.

 Joint process

  • 2. Connect head to body

    - The process for this step is very similar to adding the other joints. 
    - Slide washer onto pin, and push through the hole at the base of the head. Pushing from the inside out, and all the way through the hole at the top of the body. 
    - Add disk and washer. 
    - Screw tight.  

 Tip: Test tension of disks before filling teddy bear. It’s better to have the disks tight as they may loosen once a little filling is inserted. 

View our full range of toy making supplies and get started today.

 Happy toy making!

Toy teddy bear sitting up

 

#AnimalJoints #ToyCraft #ToyMaking