Trolls Amigurumi: Free Crochet Patterns for Poppy & Branch
If you grew up watching the Trolls movies or your kids are obsessed with the colorful, hair-flipping world of Poppy, Branch, and their gang, then you already know how irresistible these characters are. Now imagine bringing them to life in yarn — tiny, huggable, and completely handmade. Amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting small stuffed figures, is the perfect craft for creating your own miniature Trolls universe. In this post, we’re diving deep into everything you need to know to crochet your own Trolls amigurumi, with detailed free pattern guidance for both Poppy and Branch, plus tips, tricks, and inspiration to make your finished dolls look just like the characters you love.
Whether you’re a seasoned amigurumi maker or you’ve only recently picked up a crochet hook, this guide has something for you. We’ll cover materials, stitch breakdowns, construction tips, and step-by-step pattern notes for both characters. Let’s get started.
Why Trolls Make Perfect Amigurumi Subjects
The Trolls franchise — with its signature explosion of color, oversized hairstyles, and expressive faces — translates beautifully into amigurumi form. The characters are round and compact, which suits the basic amigurumi construction style perfectly. Their most iconic features (Poppy’s pink pouf of hair, Branch’s blue-grey skin and darker upswept style) are easy to recreate with yarn, and their simple, bold facial expressions are fun to embroider.
Poppy and Branch are especially popular choices because they’re recognizable to almost anyone who has seen the films, they contrast beautifully as a pair, and they make wonderful gifts for children and collectors alike. You can display them together on a shelf, attach them to a keychain, or give them as birthday presents. The possibilities are wide open once you master the base pattern.
Materials You’ll Need
Before diving into the patterns, let’s talk supplies. For a standard-sized amigurumi Troll (roughly 6–8 inches tall including hair), here’s what you’ll want to gather.
Yarn: Use a worsted weight (size 4) acrylic yarn in the following colors for Poppy and Branch. For Poppy, you’ll need hot pink or magenta for the body and skin tone, a slightly different shade of pink for her hair (or use fluffy/textured yarn for extra effect), and small amounts of white, black, and any accent colors for her outfit. For Branch, you’ll need a blue-grey or slate blue for his skin, dark navy or charcoal for his hair, and small amounts of his outfit colors (he typically wears brown, tan, or grey tones). Amigurumi works best with smooth, tightly spun yarn that lets you see every stitch clearly.
Hook: A 3.5mm or 4mm crochet hook works well for worsted weight yarn when making amigurumi. Go slightly smaller than the yarn label recommends to create a tight fabric that won’t show the stuffing inside.
Stuffing: Polyfill stuffing is standard. Use enough to make your pieces firm but not stretched.
Safety eyes: 9mm or 12mm black safety eyes work well for this size doll. If you’re making these for a child under three, embroider the eyes in black yarn instead.
Yarn needle: For sewing pieces together and weaving in ends.
Stitch markers: These are lifesavers in amigurumi since you’ll be working in continuous rounds.
Wire (optional): If you want poseable arms or legs, you can insert a small piece of pipe cleaner or floral wire before closing the pieces.
Key Crochet Stitches and Abbreviations
If you’re newer to amigurumi, here’s a quick reference for the stitches used throughout these patterns.
MR — Magic ring (also called magic circle). This is how almost all amigurumi pieces start; it creates a tightly closed center.
SC — Single crochet. The main stitch used throughout.
INC — Increase. Work two single crochets into the same stitch.
DEC — Decrease. An invisible decrease (insert hook into front loop of next stitch, then front loop of the stitch after, yarn over and pull through both, yarn over and pull through remaining two loops) is preferred for amigurumi as it creates a neater finish.
SL ST — Slip stitch. Used to join rounds when needed or to finish.
CH — Chain.
BLO — Back loop only.
FLO — Front loop only.
All rounds in these patterns are worked in continuous spirals unless otherwise noted, meaning you do not join at the end of each round. Use a stitch marker to track the beginning of each round.
Free Crochet Pattern: Poppy
Poppy is the heart of the Trolls world — enthusiastic, warm, and unmistakably pink. Her defining feature is her enormous, upward-swooping hair, which in amigurumi form can be made from a bundle of yarn loops or a sculpted separate piece. Here’s the full pattern.
Poppy’s Head and Body
Poppy, like most amigurumi characters, is made in a simple top-to-bottom or body-first construction. We’ll build the body and head as one connected piece, then add limbs and hair separately.
Using hot pink yarn, make a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 SC into the magic ring. (6 stitches)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around. (12)
Round 3: SC 1, INC repeat around. (18)
Round 4: SC 2, INC repeat around. (24)
Round 5: SC 3, INC repeat around. (30)
Round 6: SC 4, INC repeat around. (36)
Rounds 7–12: SC in each stitch around. (36) — This is the top of the head.
Round 13: SC 4, DEC repeat around. (30)
Round 14: SC 3, DEC repeat around. (24)
Place safety eyes between rounds 9 and 10, spaced about 8–10 stitches apart. Embroider a small upward curve in pink or red for Poppy’s signature smile just below and between the eyes. Add two small rosy cheeks using pink embroidery thread or a light touch of blush chalk.
Round 15: SC 2, DEC repeat around. (18)
Round 16: SC 1, DEC repeat around. (12)
Stuff the head firmly at this point.
Round 17: DEC around. (6)
Fasten off but do not cut the yarn if you’re continuing directly into the body. For a separate head and body construction, fasten off, close the 6-stitch opening, and sew the head to the body later.
Poppy’s Body
Start fresh with hot pink yarn for her torso. You can also add a color change here if you want to show her dress — switch to a contrasting color like turquoise or purple after a few rounds.
MR, 6 SC into ring. (6)
Round 1: INC in each stitch. (12)
Round 2: SC 1, INC repeat. (18)
Round 3: SC 2, INC repeat. (24)
Round 4: SC 3, INC repeat. (30)
Rounds 5–8: SC around. (30)
Round 9 (waist shaping): SC 3, DEC repeat. (24)
Rounds 10–13: SC around. (24)
Round 14 (hip flare): SC 3, INC repeat. (30)
Rounds 15–17: SC around. (30)
Fasten off, stuff firmly, and set aside.
Poppy’s Arms (make 2)
Using pink yarn, MR, 6 SC. (6)
Round 1: INC in each stitch. (12)
Rounds 2–3: SC around. (12)
Round 4: SC 1, DEC repeat twice, then SC to end of round. (This creates a very slight taper — optional.)
Rounds 5–9: SC around. (10–12)
Fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff lightly or leave unstuffed for floppy arms.
Poppy’s Legs (make 2)
Using pink yarn, MR, 6 SC. (6)
Round 1: INC in each stitch. (12)
Round 2: SC in BLO around. (creates foot ridge)
Rounds 3–4: SC around. (12)
Round 5: SC 2, DEC repeat. (9)
Rounds 6–11: SC around. (9)
Fasten off and stuff firmly.
Poppy’s Hair
This is the most fun part. Poppy’s iconic hair is big, voluminous, and swept dramatically upward. There are two good ways to handle it.
The first method is a yarn bundle: Cut approximately 30–40 lengths of pink yarn about 8–10 inches long. Fold them in half and use a lark’s head knot to attach each bundle to the top of the head, working in a circular pattern from the outer edge inward. Once all bundles are attached, use your fingers or a comb to fluff and arrange them upward, and use a small amount of craft glue or hair gel to set them pointing up. Trim as needed.
The second method is a separate crocheted piece: Work a flat oval shape in pink that’s slightly larger than the top of the head, then add fringe or loop stitches all around and on top to create texture. Sew this “hair cap” onto the head and shape it upward.
Either method works beautifully. The yarn bundle technique is faster; the crocheted cap gives a cleaner finish.
Free Crochet Pattern: Branch
Branch is a wonderful contrast to Poppy — visually, his blue-grey skin and darker, more structured hair make him stand out as a clearly distinct character. His expression tends toward serious or skeptical, which you can capture easily with straight-line embroidered eyebrows and a neutral or slightly downturned mouth.
Branch’s Head and Body
Using blue-grey or slate blue yarn, follow the exact same head pattern as Poppy’s (through rounds 1–17), but place the safety eyes slightly closer together and embroider his eyebrows as straight horizontal lines to give him his characteristic skeptical look. His mouth can be a simple flat line or a very slight downturn.
For his body, follow the same torso pattern as Poppy’s but use grey-brown or tan for his outfit. Branch’s color palette is more muted — think earth tones layered over his blue-grey base.
Branch’s Arms and Legs
Follow the same construction as Poppy’s arms and legs, but use blue-grey yarn throughout (or switch to his outfit color partway through to indicate sleeves).
Branch’s Hair
Branch has shorter, upswept dark hair with a signature pointed tuft at the top. Use dark navy or charcoal yarn. Cut about 20–25 shorter lengths (5–6 inches) and attach them to the top and back of his head using lark’s head knots, positioning them in a swept-back style. You want less volume than Poppy’s but with a more deliberate upward point. A small piece of wire inside the main hair tuft can help it hold its shape if needed.
Assembly Tips
Once all your pieces are made, it’s time to assemble your Trolls. Pin everything in place before sewing to make sure you’re happy with the positioning. Arms typically sit at about the shoulder level on the upper body. Legs attach at the bottom of the torso, positioned slightly forward so the doll can “sit” on its own.
When sewing on pieces, use the yarn tail left when you fastened off and a yarn needle. Use a whip stitch to attach pieces firmly, going around the attachment point at least twice for security. Weave in all ends carefully so they don’t show on the outside.
For Poppy specifically, you can add a small crocheted flower to her hair as an accessory — just chain 4, join into a ring, and work 5 SC, 5 DC, 5 SC around the ring to create a simple flat flower. Attach it to the base of her hair bundle.
Customization Ideas
One of the best things about making amigurumi is that no two dolls have to be the same. Once you’re comfortable with the base Poppy and Branch patterns, here are some fun ways to make your dolls unique.
You can adjust the color palette for different Trolls characters — Guy Diamond would use silver or holographic yarn, Biggie would need a larger, broader body shape, and Creek would use warm tan and turquoise. You can also make tiny crocheted accessories: a crown for Poppy, a tiny survival bag for Branch, or musical instruments for any of the Band Together characters.
For a different scale, use DK weight yarn with a 3mm hook to make smaller, keychain-sized dolls. Or go in the other direction with chunky yarn for oversized, pillow-sized versions that are perfect as kids’ room decorations.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
Holes in the fabric: If you see gaps between stitches, go down a hook size. A tighter gauge means no stuffing peeking through.
Uneven shaping: Count your stitches at the end of every round. Even being off by one stitch throws off the increases and decreases in subsequent rounds.
Hair not holding its shape: Use a small amount of craft stiffener or hair gel on the yarn hair and allow it to dry in the desired position. Wire support helps for extra-tall styles.
Safety eyes look crooked: Pin them in place and step back to look at your doll from a distance before pressing them in permanently. Once the backs are locked on, they’re very difficult to remove.
Limbs look floppy: Add more stuffing and use a slightly smaller hook for the limb pieces. You can also insert a small piece of pipe cleaner to add structure.
Finishing Touches and Display Ideas
When your Poppy and Branch dolls are complete, take a moment to really finish them well. Steam-block the finished pieces if needed to even out any texture irregularities. Trim any stray yarn ends close to the fabric.
For display, consider making a small crocheted or felt mushroom or flower backdrop, since the Trolls films are full of whimsical forest and pod environments. A small wooden shelf with a few fabric leaves and a felt rainbow makes a charming little scene. You can also photograph your finished dolls for social media — Trolls amigurumi are incredibly popular on Pinterest and Instagram, and the crochet community loves to see new takes on these characters.
If you’re making them as gifts, consider adding a small tag with the character’s name and “handmade with love.” These dolls are genuinely cherished gifts for children who love the franchise, and the fact that they’re handmade makes them even more special.
A Note on Yarn Substitutions
The colors suggested in these patterns are guidelines rather than requirements. Yarn availability varies by brand and region, and the exact “Poppy pink” or “Branch blue-grey” shade you want may take a little hunting. Good brands for amigurumi in terms of color range and stitch visibility include Lion Brand Pound of Love, Red Heart Super Saver, Paintbox Simply DK, and Scheepjes Catona for finer detail work. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s smooth rather than fuzzy or boucle, since texture yarns make it almost impossible to see individual stitches.
Final Thoughts
Crocheting your own Trolls amigurumi is one of those projects that starts simply and quickly becomes deeply rewarding. There’s something magical about transforming a skein of pink yarn into a tiny Poppy who can sit on your desk or a little Branch who looks perpetually skeptical from your bookshelf. The patterns here give you everything you need to get started, and once you’ve made one, the next one always comes out better.
The Trolls universe is also wonderfully expandable — once you have Poppy and Branch mastered, the rest of the gang is just a color change or a new hairstyle away. Take your time, enjoy the process, count your stitches, and don’t stress if the first attempt doesn’t look perfect. Amigurumi always improves with practice, and even an “imperfect” handmade doll has a charm that no factory-made toy can match.
Happy crocheting — and as Poppy would say, get ready to spread some happiness, one stitch at a time.
