Most people who know Bucilla know the Christmas stockings, the felt-applique kits, the felt advent calendars. Far fewer know that Bucilla also makes twenty-seven amigurumi crochet kits — small, finished-in-a-weekend characters in everything from cupcakes to dinosaurs to foxes — each shipped with the yarn, hook, eyes, stuffing, and instructions you need to make one from scratch.
This is the line that’s quietly the most giftable thing the catalog produces. A finished Bucilla amigurumi is the kind of object that ends up on a desk, in a kid’s bed, in a coworker’s cubicle — durable, tactile, and obviously handmade in a way that store-bought plush can never replicate. This guide goes through every character, sorts them by what they look like and how hard they are, and tells you which three to start with if you’ve never crocheted an amigurumi before.
What amigurumi is (and why a kit beats a pattern)
Amigurumi is the Japanese craft of crocheting small stuffed figures — generally worked in single crochet, in the round, with a tight gauge so the stuffing doesn’t show through the stitches. It emerged from Japan in the mid-twentieth century and went global through the early internet craft scene. It’s the form of crochet behind every kawaii bakery treat, every plush forest animal, every internet-famous handmade doll.
The case for a kit is straightforward: pattern reading is a separate skill from crocheting, and amigurumi patterns are notoriously condition-dense (round 1: 6 sc in MR; round 2: inc x 6 [12]; etc.). For someone learning the craft, decoding the pattern is the steep part — not the stitches themselves. A kit eliminates that overhead. Bucilla’s amigurumi kits ship with yarn matched to the design, a plastic crochet hook in the right gauge, plastic safety eyes pre-sized for the character, polyester stuffing, a stitch marker, complete written instructions, and a QR code linking to a Stitch-a-Long video tutorial. The yarn and hook are pre-paired — no gauge swatching, no substitution math.
Skill level: what “beginner amigurumi” really means
A note that saves first-time buyers a lot of frustration: “amigurumi beginner” is not the same as “crochet beginner.”
Before starting any Bucilla amigurumi, you should be able to comfortably work:
- The magic ring (MR) — the technique that creates a closed starting circle
- Single crochet (sc) — the foundational amigurumi stitch
- Increase (inc) — two single crochets in the same stitch
- Decrease (dec / invisible dec) — the technique for narrowing the form
- Slip stitch (sl st) — used for joining
- Chain (ch) — for limbs, ties, etc.
If those terms are unfamiliar, watch a beginner crochet primer (YouTube has dozens of good ones) before opening a kit. An afternoon of practice on a swatch is enough to get to the starting line.
Once you’re past those basics, Bucilla’s amigurumi kits ladder up reasonably:
- Easiest: Single-shape characters — cupcakes, simple food, mushrooms. Few separate pieces, no limbs to attach. Sherry the Cupcake is the canonical “first amigurumi” pick.
- Mid-level: Animals with arms, legs, and ears. The pieces are stitched separately and sewn together — the assembly is where new amigurumi makers spend time learning.
- Most ambitious: Pair sets and detailed characters with multiple color changes per round.
Sherry the Cupcake (49609E) is rated Intermediate by Bucilla and recommended for ages 13+, which is a fair benchmark for the line in general — these are not pre-school crafts; they’re approachable for an adult new to amigurumi or a teen with crochet basics.
The food characters
The food line is the most Pinterest-shareable corner of the Bucilla amigurumi catalog. Cupcakes, pizzas, cones, avocados — small treats with personality, finished in 4 to 8 hours.
- Sherry the Cupcake (49609E) — soft pink with a tan ribbed base, cherry on top, safety eyes giving her bakery-counter charisma. Finished size approximately 3″ × 5″ × 3″. The recommended first amigurumi.
- Pete the Pizza (49613E) and Parker the Pizza (49808E) — two different pizza-character designs in the line.
- Cate the Cake (49614E) — layered cake form.
- Ramone the Cone (49616E) — ice cream cone.
- Avery the Avocado (49619EPOP) — the millennial classic.
- Sarah the Boba Tea (49610E) — boba tea character with the bubble texture detail.
- Sally the Strawberry (49631EPOP) — strawberry form.
- Simone the S’More (49807E) — graham cracker, marshmallow, chocolate stack.
- Patty the Pumpkin (49271E) — the seasonal fall pick.
Two of these double as seasonal: Patty the Pumpkin lands in October decor, Simone the S’More is camping/summer adjacent.
The animal characters
The animal line is where the catalog goes deepest. Most are mid-complexity — multiple pieces, sewn assembly, but the kits walk you through it.
- Forest: Tommy the Fox (49677E), Billy the Bear (49678E), Dan the Dino (49679E)
- Farm and ponds: Delilah the Duck (49582E), Quackers the Duck (49680E), Freddy the Frog (49621E)
- Pets: Caylee the Cat (49681E), Dion the Dog (49682E)
- Garden: Bizzi the Bee (49630EPOP), Juno the Mushroom (49611E), Sprout the Mushroom (49632E)
- Fantasy: Cammie the Unicorn (49810E)
For a kid’s nursery — and as a year-round handmade baby gift — Caylee the Cat and Dion the Dog are the natural picks. They also pair with the baby kits guide if you’re stitching a full handmade nursery.
Pair sets — giftable as one purchase
The pair sets are the line’s secret weapon. Each kit includes everything for both characters; finished, they make a coordinated gift that lands harder than a single character would.
- Best Friends (AMGBF24) — Freddy the Fox plus Dan the Dino. Russet fur meets sage green spikes. Freddy finishes at 5.5″ × 5″ × 5″; Dan at 5″ × 3.5″ × 2.75″. Rated for intermediate crocheters. The right gift for a kid sibling pair or a couple who can’t decide between a fox and a dinosaur.
- Bakery Buddies (AMGBB24) — the food-line pair.
- Forest Duo (AMGFD24) — forest-animal pair.
- Pet Pals (AMGPP24) — cat-and-dog pair.
There’s also a three-character set worth knowing: Triplets in a Pod (49608E) — three small characters from a single pod, an unusual format that gifts well for triplet births or three-kid families.
Ornament-style crochet kits
Adjacent to the amigurumi line, Bucilla makes a handful of crochet Christmas ornaments — same technique, finished as tree ornaments rather than freestanding plush:
- Oscar the Ornament (49620E)
- Terry the Tree Ornament (49626E)
- Santa Ornament (49629E)
These bridge the amigurumi line and the Christmas decor line. If you’re hanging a handmade tree, see also the full felt ornament kits guide.
How long each amigurumi takes
Honest time estimates:
- Simple food / cupcake-style (Sherry, Patty, Ramone): 4–8 hours
- Standard animal with limbs (Tommy, Caylee, Dion): 10–16 hours
- Detailed / multi-color animal (Cammie the Unicorn): 14–18 hours
- Pair sets (Best Friends, Pet Pals, Bakery Buddies): 20–30 hours total for both pieces
- Triplets in a Pod: 18–24 hours
These assume you’re past the practice-stitches phase. A true first-timer with crochet basics should add roughly 30% to each estimate for the first character — you’ll get faster on the second.
What you might want in addition
The kit is complete, but a few small additions improve the experience:
- Stitch markers beyond the one in the kit (set of 10–20). Amigurumi works in continuous spiral rounds, and marking the start of each round prevents counting errors that cost rounds to undo.
- A small project bag — a zippered pouch keeps the in-progress piece, the yarn ball, the hook, and the safety eyes from scattering.
- Optional embroidery floss for custom facial detail beyond what the kit provides (mouths, blush, scars on a fantasy character). If you substitute, the Bucilla-to-DMC chart helps with color matching when you can’t find the exact thread.
Displaying finished amigurumi
The default — a shelf, a desk, a kid’s bed — works. A few specifics for getting the most out of the finished work:
- As ornaments. Add a short loop of cotton thread to the head and they hang on a tree. The crochet-ornament SKUs (49620E, 49626E, 49629E) are pre-built for this.
- As stocking stuffers. A small amigurumi (Sherry, Patty) tucks neatly into a Bucilla felt stocking — a coordinated handmade-on-handmade gift.
- In cars. The small food characters survive as dashboard or rearview-mirror companions.
- Photography: natural light from a window, plain background, characters slightly tilted toward the camera. Two characters together (a pair set, two singles) photographs better than one alone.
Amigurumi FAQ
What’s in the box? 100% acrylic yarn matched to the character, a plastic crochet hook in the correct gauge, a plastic sewing needle, plastic safety eyes pre-sized for the design, polyester stuffing, a stitch marker, complete written instructions, and a QR code linking to a Stitch-a-Long video tutorial. The Best Friends pair set uses T-shirt yarn instead of standard acrylic — the texture suits the character design.
Do I need to know how to crochet first? Yes — at the basic level. See “Skill level” above for the specific stitches you should know. An afternoon of crochet basics on YouTube is enough preparation if you’re new.
Are the safety eyes really safe for kids? Bucilla’s amigurumi kits are recommended for ages 13+ — the eyes are small parts. A finished amigurumi can be displayed in a child’s room with adult supervision, but the kits themselves are not intended as crafts for under-13.
How big is a finished Bucilla amigurumi? Most singles finish around 3″ to 6″ in any dimension. Sherry the Cupcake: 3″ × 5″ × 3″. The Best Friends pair: Freddy 5.5″ × 5″ × 5″, Dan 5″ × 3.5″ × 2.75″. Sizes are listed on each kit’s product page; minor variation is normal depending on how tight you stitch.
Can I wash a finished amigurumi? Spot clean only. The stuffing, the safety eyes, and the sewn-together construction don’t tolerate machine washing.
Are there left-handed-friendly instructions? The written instructions and Stitch-a-Long videos are right-handed by default. Left-handed crocheters generally adapt by mirroring the directions. The line doesn’t ship dedicated left-handed pattern sheets.
Can I substitute yarn? The included yarn is sized to the included hook to produce the character at the listed dimensions. Substituting changes the finished size and texture. If you do substitute, match the weight and fiber as closely as possible.
Pick your first Bucilla amigurumi
Three recommended starting points:
- Easiest first project: Sherry the Cupcake (49609E) — single shape, short build, the canonical pick.
- Most giftable single: Sarah the Boba Tea (49610E) — recognizable, current, finishes in a weekend.
- Best gift set: Best Friends (AMGBF24) — pair of characters, intermediate complexity, single purchase.
The full lineup is at the amigurumi crochet kits category page.
Twenty-seven characters is a lot. Start with one. The first finished amigurumi is the moment the line stops looking like inventory and starts looking like a collection.