Thursday, May 21, 2009

How To Make Weepuls

Weepul on Skateboard

Remember how popular weepuls were in the 80's? People would stick them to just about anything... cars, backpacks, trapper keepers. They came in all kinds of themes including holidays, animals, etc. I always wanted a weepul but like many trendy toys, my parents wouldn't buy me any (never got to have garbage pale kids either).

Well, I decided to fill that childhood void and make one. But first I needed a picture. And that's when my Google quest began "the weepul search". The only problem, I couldn't remember what they were called. The first day I googled just about everything, warm fuzzy stickers, stickers from the 80's, fuzz ball stickers, 80's warm fuzzies, hang ten feet, pom pom stickers, stickers with googly eyes , and the list goes on. I asked friends. I searched eBay. No luck. Then, one day I got a lead. When I clicked the link I got the message, "adult content". But in my desperation and obsession to track down the illusive weepul, I was willing to take that risk. And trust me, it's a risk when you're searching "80's warm fuzzies". And what do you know, it was actually a post about the weepul!

Two Weepuls on a Skateboard

Supplies:
Pom Poms
craft foam
googly eyes
glue
double stick tape
ribbon with printed message - one could also print a message on paper
pearl sprigs - Picture below. One can find these in the wedding section of the craft store.


1.Right click, copy, save and print foot template. Fold on dotted line, cut out, unfold. Trace feet onto the foam and cut out.

2. Cut pearl sprigs in half and glue to the top of your pom pom. Glue on googly eyes. Refer to picture.

3. Add double stick tape to the bottom of the feet (optional). Glue ribbon to the top of feet. Glue the pom pom to the ribbon/feet. Let dry. Done.

23 comments:

  1. Aah! Cute! I remember those guys <3
    Good idea to re-live all those old trends!

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  2. OK now THAT is FUNNY!!! Weren't the 80's great!

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  3. I haven't thought about these silly things since about 1985. Yours look just like the "commercial" ones. Cute!

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  4. I still have an embarassingly large collection of these....I had forgotten their name too! I think I might have to make some.

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  5. Ha! I totally remember these little guys and had no idea they actually had a name! So fun!

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  6. cute, cute! i like to call it fur ball. =)

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  7. I have no picture, my usb cord got chewed by the dog, But me and my daughter made a bunch of these, we made a small girly hair ribbon and those big eyes, and the tags we made said Wuv U!
    Thanks for the idea!!!

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  8. I totally remember these now...I used to collect them, too.

    Thanks for the walk down memory lane...what a fun project this will be for my kids this summer.

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  9. Awesome! Yours are way cuter than I remembered them =D

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  10. my original comment seems to have been eaten, but my boyfriend *swears* that here in Scotland they have always been called 'gonks'. I don't really remember their having a name when I was growing up, but I think he's probably not incorrect.

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  11. I remember these! Didn't realize they had a name. I need to make some for my daughter. Thanks!

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  12. wow...so fun, I remember these guys from like a long time ago :P

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  13. *SQUEEEEEL!!!* I LOVED these little guys when I was a kid. This is a flashback for me. I remember them on keyboards and big, bulky monitors from my parents' cubicle days. Thanks for posting this!!!

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  14. I can't believe what our school made us do for these. We would sell so many magazine subscriptions, rolls or wrapping paper and cookie cutters just to earn ONE weepul. Then, when you got so many weepuls, you could trade them in for other, more difficult to get colors in front of the whole school at an assembly! We were all weepul crazy! Thanks so much for this, it totally put a smile on my face. I'll be linking.

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  15. I remember these and I had those awful garbage pail kid cards. I just saw a whole bagful of these just the other day and can't remember where...maybe oriental trading? Would be more fun to make though! Thanks for the tute!

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  16. OMG- we sold these in the Hallmark store I worked in when I was in college! I totally forgot about them. My daughter, 10, loves my collection of Smurfs. I just know she'll love these, too! I'm going to make alot so she can give them out to her friends. Thanks- you may have started a new trend!

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  17. I never knew these things had a name. Yours look just like the old ones. Thanka for the tutorial!

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  18. Thanks for the instructions. Finally found the pearl sprigs at Michael's (Joanne's didn't have them) and made a bunch last night with my daughter. She had a blast. I also found a kit that included feet and fancy pom poms (and little hats) at Joanne's. Foam Valentine hearts make good feet as well (sans toes), but I also found some foam hands and feet at the dollar store. Fun!

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  19. Thank you!! I was trying to find these and was googling fuzzy 80's stickers. I never knew the name of them. Yeah, I never got these or garbage pail kids either. Now that I can afford to buy them myself, I can't find them anywhere. =(

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  20. Oh this is amazing! There must have been a few still hanging around in the early to mid 90's cause I remember these little guys too! Recently while searching ideas for my 21st party(80's themed) I found a picture of a weepul and googled my way happily to this page. I am now excited about making a whole heap of these little guys as party favours. I hope the guests are as delighted as I am. THANKYOU!!

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  21. Great post! I was having the same difficulty remembering what these were called too until I polled my facebook friends for someone who might remember their name.

    I remember these being using in our school fundraising drive as prizes to those who sold the most chocolote.

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  22. Thanks for sharing! I googled "what were those things with googly eyes and fuzzy feet called?" and found a link to your blog :) so grateful

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  23. Definitely making a bunch of these! I loved these things as a kid and couldn't for the life of me find out anything about them since my elementary school always called them "fuzzies". Thanks to this I can finally relive my childhood of having these everywhere.

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