DIY Minecraft Figures

My 8 year old son is pretty much obsessed with Minecraft right now, and as with any obsession, he can't get enough.

A few weeks ago he saw some action figures at a toy store, and of course he instantly wanted them.  A few days later, we came upon a website that offered free printable templates that allow you to make your own figures.  This has turned out to be not only fun but educational.

We now have over 50 of these little guys floating around our house.  Below, I've included some tips on how to make these on your own.


  1. Find a template that you would like to create.  We have been using this website:  http://pixelpapercraft.com/
  2. Print the template (you usually don't have to adjust the printer settings at all, but you can if you would like)
  3. Glue onto poster board.  Note: this is not required, but makes your figures much stronger and more durable.
  4. Cut out your template.  It's much faster/easier if you do this AFTER step 3
  5. Score the folds.  You can do this with scissors, an x acto knife, or even a pen.  The idea is to mark where you will fold the piece.  This is not required but I highly recommend you do this if you use poster board.  Honestly it can be a little tricky and time consuming, but it makes your figure look a lot nicer and makes assembling them MUCH easier.  
  6. Glue the tabs on each individual piece of the figure.  I used hot glue, mostly because I'm impatient, and that worked pretty well.  My son made his own with a glue stick and they also held together.  
  7. Assemble your completed pieces as desired.  Basic instructions on how to assemble your figure will vary from piece to piece and are usually listed on the website.  This part is fun because you can pose your figures however you want.  For example, my kids wanted the zombie's arms to be out (because he's a zombie, of course), but you could easily leave them down or just about any position.  Note: my kids also wanted the figures to STAND on their own, and this could be a little tricky.  Think about how they will balance when you glue them together.
  8. Let dry and have fun playing!
A few other final suggestions:
  • If you're a beginner, start with something easy, like a mini figure or a person.
  • Look at the user ratings for the template you are making.  Some of them are insanely hard but have easier versions.
  • Challenge your kids to make their own figures without a template.  Once my son figured out how the figures were assembled he began using a ruler to measure out and draw his own custom designs.  He really got very creative with it.
  • Use a shoe box to create your own little Minecraft world.  We recently started this project and it's been a lot of fun for my son.



Becca