Crochet Cherry Stuffed Amigurumi Keychain Pattern - Mini Cat Or Bear Head With Red Cherry

Hang the crochet cherry animal amigurumi from a winter puffer jacket zip, where the bright red pair pops against black nylon. Cat lovers spot a sleepy white kitten face with black whiskers on one stuffed cherry amigurumi, a sweet swap gift for friends who collect fruit charms.

Kids who want something small to carry will reach for this crochet cherry animal amigurumi first, because one cherry smiles back. Clip the pair onto a school bag, a pencil case, or a keyring. Gift makers hand them out in twos, and new crocheters finish the cherry animal amigurumi without stalling.

Crochet Cherry Animal Amigurumi

Two round cherries hang from one green stem, and only one of them has a face. That face sits inside a cream patch, with closed eyes, a stitched smile, and pink cheeks on either side. Tiny ears poke up from the top of the red head, which is what turns fruit into an animal. The second cherry stays plain, so the pair reads as fruit first and toy second. Two red spheres, two leaves worked as one piece, two stems, two ears, and the cream face panel. Working in the round covers most of it, and the face is stitched on at the end. Nothing here is hard, though the leaves ask for a steadier hand.

Materials and Tools

• Medium weight yarn for the head base, in your animal colour
• Red yarn for the cherry skin cover
• Green yarn for the leaf
• Brown yarn for the stem
• Small amount of black yarn for face embroidery
• Crochet hook suitable for your yarn
• Polyester fiberfill stuffing
• Yarn needle
• Stitch marker
• Keyring
• Scissors

Abbreviations

• SC: single crochet
• Inc: increase, work 2 SC into the same stitch
• Dec: decrease, SC two stitches together
• MR: magic ring

Pieces List

• Head base: 1, worked in animal colour yarn
• Cherry skin cover: 1, worked in red yarn
• Ears: 2, either cat ears or bear ears
• Small cherry accent: 1, worked in red yarn
• Stem: 1, worked in brown yarn
• Leaf: 1, worked in green yarn

Six pieces total. The stem and leaf are the quickest — each takes under five minutes.

Approximate Size and Time

Estimates only, based on typical amigurumi at medium weight.

• Finished size: approximately 2 to 3 inches tall including cherry topper
• Working time: approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours
• Difficulty: beginner to confident beginner

The Pattern

Head Base — Cat or Bear (Animal Colour Yarn)

• Round 1: MR, 6 SC [6]
• Round 2: 6 inc [12]
• Round 3: 1 SC, inc, repeat around [18]
• Round 4: 2 SC, inc, repeat around [24]
• Round 5: 3 SC, inc, repeat around [30] Checkpoint: flat disc, lying without curling. This is the widest point the head will reach.
• Round 6: SC in each stitch around [30]
• Round 7: SC in each stitch around [30]
• Round 8: SC in each stitch around [30]
• Round 9: SC in each stitch around [30]
• Round 10: SC in each stitch around [30] Checkpoint: the piece should now look like a shallow bowl with clear walls. The sphere is starting to form. If it is still lying flat like a disc, check that rounds 6 to 10 are building the fabric upward rather than outward.
• Round 11: 3 SC, dec, repeat around [24]
• Round 12: 2 SC, dec, repeat around [18]
• Begin stuffing here, adding small pinches to fill the base evenly Tip: if the sides are pulling inward unevenly during round 12, your stuffing is too light. Add a little more and the walls will hold.
• Round 13: 1 SC, dec, repeat around [12] Checkpoint: the head should be almost fully spherical now, narrowing cleanly at the top. If it looks more like a teardrop than a sphere, the stuffing is sitting low — redistribute it with the blunt end of a hook before continuing.
• Round 14: 6 dec [6]
• Fasten off and close the remaining opening

Cherry Skin Cover (Red Yarn)

• Round 1: MR, 6 SC in red [6]
• Round 2: 6 inc [12]
• Round 3: 1 SC, inc, repeat around [18]
• Round 4: 2 SC, inc, repeat around [24]
• Round 5: 3 SC, inc, repeat around [30] Checkpoint: same flat disc as the head base at this round count. Hold the cover over the head — if it already sits past the midpoint, you may need fewer even rounds than you expect.
• Work additional even rounds of SC in each stitch until the cover is deep enough to enclose the head fully
• Insert the head inside the cover Tip: the cover should fit snugly over the sphere without stretching the red stitches open. If you can see the head colour through the red yarn, go down a hook size on the next make.
• Attach the cover securely around the base of the head

If shaping and stuffing feel intimidating, the video tutorial below shows you exactly how it comes together, one round at a time!

 

Cat Ears (Make 2)

• Round 1: MR, 4 SC [4]
• Round 2: 1 SC, inc, repeat 2 times [6]
• Round 3: 6 SC [6]
• Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing
• Sew to the top sides of the head, over the cherry skin cover

Bear Ears (Make 2)

• Round 1: MR, 6 SC [6]
• Round 2: 6 SC [6]
• Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing
• Sew slightly lower than the cat ear position for a rounded, close-set look

Small Cherry Accent (Red Yarn)

• Round 1: MR, 6 SC [6]
• Round 2: 6 inc [12]
• Round 3: 12 SC [12]
• Round 4: 6 dec [6]
• Stuff lightly
• Fasten off and close

Stem (Brown Yarn)

• Chain your desired stem length
• Slip stitch back along the chain to the starting end
• Fasten off leaving a tail for sewing

Leaf (Green Yarn)

• Chain a base length
• Work SC, HDC, DC along the chain
• Slip stitch to finish
• Fasten off leaving a tail for sewing

Face Details

• Embroider two eyes centered on the front of the head, approximately 5 to 6 stitches apart, slightly above the midpoint of the face
• Embroider a small mouth below the eyes
• For the cat version: add short whisker stitches extending from each side of the mouth
• For the bear version: keep the face simple, eyes and mouth only

This pattern uses embroidered eyes throughout. No safety eyes are called for. Safe for all ages without modification.

Assembly

• Attach the ears first, before the cherry accent and stem, so you can use the face as a reference for height. Pin both ears simultaneously and step back to check symmetry before sewing either.
• Cat ears sit higher and more to the sides. Bear ears sit lower and slightly more toward the front-top of the head.
• Sew the small cherry accent to the top centre of the head once the ears are set.
• Attach the stem to the top of the cherry accent, then the leaf to the base of the stem.
• Embroider the face after all three-dimensional pieces are attached so the eye placement reads correctly against the fully assembled toy.
• Attach the keyring last. Loop yarn through the ring and through several crown stitches multiple times before weaving in. The ring takes the weight of the whole keychain every time it is picked up — more passes here than anywhere else in the assembly.

Stuffing Guide

• Stuff the head base firmly from round 12 onward, before the closing rounds narrow the opening too much to reach inside easily.
• Aim for a smooth sphere that holds its shape under gentle pressure without the stitches pulling apart.
• The small cherry accent needs only light stuffing — enough to hold a rounded shape, not enough to go hard.
• The cherry skin cover is not separately stuffed. The head inside provides all the structure it needs.
• Overstuffing the head shows first at the crown, where the closing rounds pucker outward instead of lying flat. If that happens, remove a small amount before proceeding.

Toy Safety

• All eyes in this pattern are embroidered. No safety eyes are used, so no small parts concern applies to the character itself.
• The keyring is a small metal component. This toy is not appropriate for children under three for that reason regardless of the embroidered eyes.
• Weave in all yarn tails with at least two direction changes inside the piece. Small keychains get handled constantly and loose ends work free faster than on shelf toys.

Frequently Asked Questions

• The cherry skin cover does not sit smoothly over the head — it bunches at the base. The cover and head expanded to different diameters. The fix is to adjust how many even rounds you work on the cover before inserting the head. Fewer rounds if the cover is too wide, more if it is pulling tight. Fit the cover over the head while still live and fasten off only when you are happy with the drape.
• Can I skip the cherry skin cover and just use the head alone? Yes, and it still works as a character keychain without the cover. You lose the cherry concept but the construction is simpler. Attach the small cherry accent directly to the top of the animal head instead.
• How do I make the stem stay upright instead of flopping to one side? The slip stitch chain stem is inherently flexible. If you want it stiffer, work a second slip stitch chain and twist the two together before sewing. Alternatively, stitch the base of the stem to the cherry accent at a slight angle so gravity holds it in position rather than against it.