Koalas are cute, cuddly critters that are adored by many children for their fluffy fur and shy nature. If you’ve ever read The Koala Who Could story by Rachel Bright, you’ll know they like to spend most of their time in the treetops eating and sleeping. Puppets and plushies often make for great storytime aids, enabling kids to get more interactive with the tale. With that in mind, why not create a stuffed animal for your next koala story time? Follow our simple guide to learn how. 

You’ll need:

• Grey, black and white felt
• Fibre stuffing
• Needle and thread
• Black beads
• Hot glue and scissors

Step 1:

Download a pattern for your koala toy or if you’re feeling brave, draw out its shape onto two separate pieces of grey felt: one for the front and one for the back. 

Step 2:

Decide which piece of felt will be the front of your koala and set it aside. Cut two little circles of white felt for the inside of the koala’s ears and a larger circle for its tummy. Next, stitch these onto the front of your koala using white thread and a running stitch; alternatively you can stick them on with hot glue.

Step 3:

Take a piece of black felt and cut out a nose. Again, this can be stitched or glued on. Next, position the beads for the eyes. They should be on either side of the top of the nose. Depending on the type of beads you have, you can sew or glue them on. 

Step 4:

With some black embroidery thread, stitch on a little mouth. The front of your koala is now ready to be sewn to the back. 

Step 5:

Put your front and back pieces of felt together then take some grey thread and your needle. Sew the two pieces together with a blanket stitch. Sew almost all the way round, leaving a hole the width of two fingers. 

Step 6:

Take your fibre stuffing and begin to stuff your toy. The more stuffing you use, the fatter and firmer your koala will be. You may need to use a tool or pencil to get the stuffing into the koala’s ears. 

Step 7:

Sew up the hole and secure it. Your felt koala plushie is now complete!

Meet The Koala Who Could

If you enjoyed making a cuddly animal for your koala bear story time, you’ll love seeing the puppets that are used in the stage adaptation of Rachel Bright’s The Koala Who Could. The production is currently touring the UK, and gives little ones the perfect introduction to live theatre, being just 55 minutes long with no interval. 

Actors and puppeteers tell the story of Kevin the koala as he encounters a life changing event and embarks on an outback adventure, learning along the way that ‘life can be great when you try something new’. View our tour dates online and book your tickets today!