Let's make a DIY Fukuwarai! Simple ideas for fun with kids
Fukuwarai is one of the classic games that gets everyone excited with family and friends during the New Year.
But when you actually try to make one, you might find yourself wondering, “What should I use as the theme?” or “Isn’t there a more fun idea?” In fact, fukuwarai isn’t limited to traditional Okame and Hyottoko faces—you can handcraft it with free ideas like popular characters, Santa Claus, or even family photos! In this article, we’ll introduce unique, crowd-pleasing DIY fukuwarai ideas you can enjoy not only during the New Year, but in any season.
They’re all easy to make, so give them a try!
Let’s Make a DIY Fukuwarai! Simple Ideas to Play with Kids (1–10)
Fukuwarai with Hachiware and Chiikawa
Among the characters in Chiikawa, let’s make a fukuwarai featuring the ever-popular, upbeat Hachiware and the slightly timid Chiikawa.
When making it, choose the size to match the number of players and the space you have.
It’s recommended to create the outline with construction paper and mount it on something sturdy like cardboard.
The ear shapes are distinctive, so draw them carefully.
For Hachiware, be sure to make the tuft of hair on the head properly.
Chiikawa’s pink cheeks are, above all, its signature and super cute.
Have fun making your fukuwarai!
Wacky Fukuwarai
https://www.tiktok.com/@mii_asobi03/video/7499083729168616712It sounds like making and playing with a one-of-a-kind, quirky Fukuwarai would be a lot of fun.
Take a cardboard base covered with drawing paper and cut two holes where the hands will go.
Attach felt to create the outline of the face and the hair, adjusting the balance as you go.
Make the eyes, nose, mouth, and eyebrows out of felt, then stick hook-and-loop fastener on the back of each piece to finish.
Slip your hands through the holes and place the face parts to enjoy playing Fukuwarai.
It could also be fun to use family members’ faces—like Mom’s or Dad’s—as the motif.
Hyottoko’s fukuwarai
When it comes to classic motifs for fukuwarai, Hyottoko and Okame are the go-tos.
In this idea, you use a face illustration as the base along with parts for the eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and cheeks.
The base sheet is laminated so you can enjoy it over and over.
The other parts are easy to make by combining colored construction paper, so feel free to make them and play.
If you want to reuse the parts, it’s a good idea to laminate them as well or reinforce them with OPP tape, etc.
Doraemon’s Fukuwarai
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0tbMJYprVX/The Fukuwarai game featuring Doraemon, the beloved national anime, looks like something both children and adults can enjoy together.
Let’s prepare a whiteboard, laminating sheets, scissors, double-sided tape, and felt-tip pens, and get started.
Cut a sheet of construction paper slightly larger than the whiteboard surface and insert it inside.
Cut out the outline, eyes, mouth, and nose, laminate them, and attach magnets to the back.
Stick the outline onto the whiteboard and decorate the surroundings with New Year’s motifs, and your Fukuwarai is complete.
Since the pieces are magnetic, you can stick and remove them over and over without worrying about losing parts.
Give it a try!
The Bread Thief’s Fukuwarai
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1PESGLJCGf/This is a fun at-home activity where you can add lots of handmade touches.
Not only can you prepare the Bread Thief’s facial parts, but laminating them for reinforcement makes them more durable and easier to handle.
Also, using a sponge sheet for the base makes the pieces easier to stick on and adds a three-dimensional feel.
What’s more, if you make the small characters attachable with double-sided tape, the scene instantly becomes more vibrant and the picture book’s world expands dramatically.
It’s a handmade Fukuwarai that can be enjoyed not only at New Year’s but all year round.
Fukuwarai with a rabbit
The fukuwarai featuring the rabbit from Chiikawa is perfect for the cold winter and feels familiar to many who know the character.
Let’s get ready to make it with the rabbit’s face, cardboard, empty snack boxes, glue, and scissors.
First, cut away the excess around the rabbit’s face with scissors.
Paste it onto the cardboard and trim off any extra margins.
Then cut the eyes, cheeks, and nose into separate parts—and you’re done.
It might be even more fun if you add other characters too.
Give it a try with your child!
Anya’s Fukuwarai
The Anya fukuwarai from SPY×FAMILY looks like it would be very cute and fun.
The method is very simple: once you decide the size and shape of the face outline, cut it out with scissors.
Then layer construction paper or origami paper on top.
Next, shape the hair to match the face outline.
The key is to make the left and right sides symmetrical.
Create the shapes for the eyes, mouth, and ears to finish.
With smiling and angry expressions, it seems like the fukuwarai will really liven things up.
Santa Fukuwarai
There’s a saying, “Good fortune comes to the laughing gate.” In line with that, there’s a theory that the game Fukuwarai became popular because “it’s lucky for everyone to laugh together from New Year’s.” If the Christmas season is approaching, a Santa Claus-themed Fukuwarai would be great too.
The classic paper version is nice, but if you have time, why not make a “3D Santa Fukuwarai”? Use cotton for the beard, felt for the eyebrows, ping-pong balls for the eyes—make all the parts three-dimensional.
A slightly different take on Fukuwarai sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Okame’s Lucky-Face Game
When it comes to classic fukuwarai, Okame is the go-to! Okame’s distinctive chubby, rounded face used to be considered the ideal of beauty.
Draw a gourd-shaped outline on paper with a center-parted hairstyle.
Separately, draw the eyes, nose, eyebrows, small puckered mouth, and cheeks, then cut out all the parts.
After that, just put on a blindfold and arrange them on Okame’s face.
With just a few colors like black, red, and pink, you can draw and make a fukuwarai in no time—give it a quick try and have fun with everyone!
Daruma Fuku-warai
A New Year–style Daruma fukuwarai game.
Paste a Daruma onto a backing sheet, then fill the surrounding blank space with decorations so the focus stays on the face—now you’re ready.
While blindfolded, place the parts—eyes, mouth, eyebrows, and so on—onto the face.
Playing while giving hints like “A little more to the right!” can also help children learn left and right.
If they don’t like being blindfolded, simply closing their eyes is perfectly fine.
Give verbal prompts as you play so they can focus their attention on their fingertips while enjoying the game.