Imagine being able to high five your friend from across the room because your arms can extend like springs. That’s what these DIY clothespin dolls can do! They have bendable stretchable arms and silly hands that you can mix and match.

Those wacky arms are also good for a friendly boxing match – this craft was actually inspired by the game ARMS from Nintendo! See if you can knock the gloves off of your opponent! Of course, with friends, your match should always end with stretchy armed hugs, handshakes and more high fives.

Ready to make some fun friends with wacky arms and crazy hands? Let’s get started!

• Wooden clothespins
• Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint
• Card stock
• Pipe cleaners
• Thin paint brush
• Scissors
• Glue
• Printable template

Step 1
Paint the clothespins with hair and clothes. Bright colors, even for the hair, make these dolls extra fun. And you don’t have to worry about trying to make the clothes look especially detailed.

If you’d rather skip the paint in steps one and two, colored pencils will also work.

Step 2
Use a tiny paint brush paint the faces. A toothpick also works well! If you haven’t painted tiny faces before, you might want to practice a few on a piece of paper.

Step 3
While the paint is drying, print the page of crazy hands on card stock. Cut out the hands around the dashed line.

Step 4
Glue the fronts and backs of the hands together. Leave the bottom edge of the hands unglued. Let the glue dry completely.

Step 5
Wrap a pipe cleaner around to the back of a clothespin doll and twist it.

Step 6
Wrap each end of the pipe cleaner around the handle of the paint brush, forming a spiral. Fold the ends in a bit so there aren’t sharp wires sticking out.

Step 7
Slide a wacky hand onto each wacky arm. You may need to open the unglued area a little with your finger to attach the hand to the pipe cleaner.

Your wacky arm clothespin doll is finished! And this one looks like he’s ready to cheer you on!

When you’re choosing the hands for each doll, you can mix them up or keep them matching. Then you can take them off and switch them around!

And of course, the pipe cleaners make these arms easy to stretch, scrunch, and shape however you like.

Your newly made figures can play together and have a boxing match, or maybe just hug it out.

Happy crafting!