Stop Motion Crafts: 13 Tiny Handmade Projects Inspired by the Longest Stop Motion Movie Ever

Stop motion crafts are suddenly everywhere, thanks to a movie that was built entirely by hand. On October 23, stop motion studio Laika released Wildwood, which runs 2 hours and 12 minutes and is the longest stop motion animated film ever made. Every puppet, coat and tree was crafted and moved one tiny step at a time. Searches for the film jumped past 200,000 in the US this week, and a behind the scenes tour of the puppet workshop drew more than 1.2 million views. You do not need a studio to try it. Here are 13 tiny handmade projects you can make at the kitchen table, then bring to life with a phone..

Stop Motion Crafts Inspired by Adam Savage’s Studio Visit

Maker and TV host Adam Savage spent a day inside stop motion studio Laika, meeting the tiny puppets and hand built sets made for its new film. His behind the scenes video went up on October 21 and passed 1.2 million views in about six days. Watching grown artists sew coats the size of a thumb is pure joy. The best part is that the same tricks work at your kitchen table with felt, wire and cardboard. Which tiny world will you build first..

You will need: Felt, pipe cleaners, cardboard, air dry clay, glue and a phone for filming.

How to make it: 1. Pick one puppet or one set to start. 2. Gather supplies from your craft drawer. 3. Build it small, then film a few frames to see it move.

A Posable Pipe Cleaner and Foil Figure

Most stop motion crafts start with a puppet, and every puppet starts with a skeleton that bends and stays put. Real studios use metal joints, but twisted pipe cleaners wrapped in a little foil do the same job at home. Twist two pipe cleaners together for the body, add arms and legs, then pad the chest and head with scrunched foil. Now you can pose it a tiny bit at a time and take a photo after each move. Isn’t it amazing how a few bends can make it walk?

You will need: Pipe cleaners, aluminum foil, small pliers and masking tape.

How to make it: 1. Twist two pipe cleaners into a body with arms and legs. 2. Wrap foil around the chest and head. 3. Wrap tape over the foil so clay or felt can stick later.

Stop Motion Crafts for Kids: Felt Forest Animals

Soft felt animals are perfect stars for a homemade film. Cut two matching shapes for a fox or an owl, stitch around the edge, and stuff them lightly. Button eyes and a few stitched details give them big personality. Slip a pipe cleaner inside if you want the arms or ears to bend. Kids can help pick the colors and names. Who will be the hero of your story?

You will need: Felt in a few colors, embroidery thread, a needle, buttons, stuffing and pipe cleaners.

How to make it: 1. Trace and cut two body shapes from felt. 2. Stitch around the edge, leaving a gap, and stuff it. 3. Sew on button eyes and close the gap.

A Mossy Forest Set in a Shoebox

A shoebox makes a ready made film stage. Paint a sky inside the lid, stand it up behind the box, and fill the floor with moss, pebbles and twig trees. Add a little blue paper stream. Your puppets now have a whole forest to explore. The box keeps everything in place between shots, which matters a lot in stop motion crafts. When you are done, the set doubles as a pretty shelf display. What would happen in your forest?

You will need: A shoebox, acrylic paint, preserved moss, twigs, pebbles, blue paper and glue.

How to make it: 1. Paint a sky inside the lid. 2. Glue moss and pebbles to the floor of the box. 3. Push twig trees into clay blobs so they stand.

Tiny Clay Toadstools

Little red toadstools are classic stop motion crafts and make any miniature scene feel like a fairy tale. Roll a small stem from air dry clay, press a dome on top, and let them dry overnight. Paint the caps red and dot them with white paint using the end of a brush. Make a whole family in different sizes. They are quick, cute and great for little hands. Where will your toadstools grow?

You will need: Air dry clay, red and white acrylic paint, a small brush and a toothpick.

How to make it: 1. Roll small stems and dome shaped caps. 2. Press them together and dry overnight. 3. Paint the caps red and add white dots.

A Tiny Knit Scarf on Toothpicks

The film crew knit real tiny costumes for its puppets, and stop motion crafts like this mini version are easy to try. Use two toothpicks as needles and fine yarn or embroidery floss. Cast on six stitches and knit a little strip. It takes patience, but the result is the sweetest scarf you have ever seen. Tie it around a felt animal and it suddenly looks ready for winter. Could you knit one this small?

You will need: Two toothpicks, fine yarn or embroidery floss and small scissors.

How to make it: 1. Cast on six stitches onto one toothpick. 2. Knit every row until it is about three inches long. 3. Bind off, trim the ends and add tiny fringe.

Stop Motion Crafts at Home: A Cardboard Cabin Set

An open sided cabin lets your camera peek inside, just like the studio sets. Build three walls and a roof from cereal box cardboard, cut tiny paper shingles, and draw wood grain on the walls with a brown marker. Add a little bed and table made from scraps. Leaving the front wall off gives you room to move puppets between shots. This is one of the coziest stop motion crafts to make on a cold weekend. Who lives in your cabin?

You will need: Cereal box cardboard, a craft knife for an adult, glue, brown markers and paper for shingles.

How to make it: 1. Have an adult cut three walls and two roof pieces. 2. Glue them together and add paper shingles. 3. Draw wood grain and add tiny furniture.

Stop Motion Crafts With Paper: A Puppet That Moves

Paper puppets are one of the easiest ways to start animating. Cut a bear from card stock in separate pieces: body, head, two arms and two legs. Join them with brass brad fasteners so each part can swing. Lay it flat and move one arm a little at a time between photos. Kids get the idea of animation right away. What would your bear do first, wave or dance?

You will need: Card stock, scissors, a hole punch and brass brad fasteners.

How to make it: 1. Draw and cut out the body parts. 2. Punch holes where the joints go. 3. Connect the parts with brads so they move.

A Sticky Note Flip Book

Before any camera, there was the flip book. Draw a simple ball on the last page of a sticky note pad, then on each page above it, draw the ball a little higher or lower. Flip through fast with your thumb and the ball bounces. It teaches the same idea as stop motion crafts, one tiny change per frame. It is a perfect quiet activity for a rainy day. How many pages will your bounce take?

You will need: A sticky note pad and a pencil.

How to make it: 1. Start drawing on the last page. 2. On each page above, move the ball a little. 3. Flip from back to front to watch it move.

Film Your Stop Motion Crafts on a Cereal Box Stage

You do not need fancy gear to film. Open a cereal box into a three sided stage, glue a painted backdrop inside, and light it with one desk lamp so the light stays the same in every shot. Put your phone on a small stand that does not move. Free stop motion apps take a photo each time you tap and play them back as a movie. Now you are a filmmaker. What will your first short movie be about?

You will need: A cereal box, paint, a desk lamp, a phone, a small phone stand and a free stop motion app.

How to make it: 1. Cut and fold the box into a stage with a backdrop. 2. Set the lamp and phone so neither moves. 3. Move your puppet a little and take a photo each time.

A Mini Felt Coat With Embroidered Buttons

Real stop motion costumes are made over and over, since puppets wear them out on set. A tiny felt coat is a sweet way to try stop motion crafts with a needle. Cut a simple coat shape from felt, fold and stitch the sides, then embroider little French knots for buttons. Hang it on a bent paper clip hanger to show it off. It turns any puppet into a character with a story. What color would you choose?

You will need: Felt, embroidery thread, a needle, small scissors and a paper clip.

How to make it: 1. Cut a coat shape with sleeves from felt. 2. Fold it and stitch the side seams. 3. Add French knot buttons and bend a paper clip into a hanger.

A Twig and String Rope Bridge

A wobbly rope bridge adds adventure to any set. Lay small twigs side by side and tie them together with string at both ends, leaving long tails for the hand ropes. Stretch it across a gap between two moss mounds and tie the ends to twig posts. Your puppets can now cross a canyon, one slow frame at a time. For more tiny building ideas, see our cardboard miniatures. Who will be brave enough to cross?

You will need: Small straight twigs, cotton string, glue and moss.

How to make it: 1. Tie twigs together in a row with string. 2. Glue twig posts at each end of the gap. 3. Tie the bridge and hand ropes to the posts.

A Tiny World in a Glass Jar

When filming is done, give one of your characters a forever home. Layer pebbles and moss in a clean glass jar, then set a tiny clay fox or owl inside. It becomes a little scene you can keep on a windowsill all winter. It also makes a lovely gift for a child who loved making the film with you. The famous studio films took years, as Smithsonian magazine reports, but your jar takes ten minutes. Which character gets the jar?

You will need: A glass jar with a lid, small pebbles, preserved moss and a small clay animal.

How to make it: 1. Pour a layer of pebbles into the jar. 2. Press moss on top. 3. Set the clay animal inside and close the lid.