Amigurumi Gameboy Color

Way back in 2001 my siblings and I received our first hand held, the wonderful Nintendo Gameboy Color, which was probably used and abused more than it deserved by four eager children. While our original gameboy is now long gone, I’ve tried my hand at making a cuddly, cutesy version of it, and here’s the end result! ^.^

*EDIT: I added the gameboy color pictures I used for reference, and to give an idea of colors to use :)

Step 1: You will need

-cotton yarn (I used hot blue because it reminded me of the teal gameboy I used to have, but you can use any color you like)

-size G crochet hook

-yarn needle

-stuffing

-cardboard (I used an old box)

-black, dark gray and light gray felt

-embroidery floss in black, white, red, pink, purple, green, yellow and blue (I picked up a package of 36 skeins for $3.99 that had all the colors I needed)

-embroidery needle

-tacky glue

Step 2: Crocheting the Gameboy

The gameboy is made of a front and back and one long strip for the sides. The front and back have a squared top and a slightly rounded bottom to replicate the Nintendo Gameboy Color’s shape.

Front & Back:
Row 1. CH 14, SC in first stitch from hook, SC x 13, turn
Row 2. SC x 14, turn
Rows 3 – 20. Repeat row 2
Row 21. Skip first stitch, SC x 12, turn
Row 22. Skip first stitch, SC x 10, slip stitch to next stitch, tie off

Repeat for back piece.

Side piece:
Row 1. CH 3, SC in first stitch from hook, SC 2, turn
Rows 2 – 68. SC x 3, turn
Tie off.

Step 3: Assembling the Gameboy

1. Starting at one of the squared corners, sew the side piece all the way around either the front or back piece (seeing as they’re the exact same it doesn’t really matter). Sew the ends of the side piece together. You should now have something like a crocheted tray. Place the second piece on top and sew it like you did the first, WITHOUT sewing closed the top side (the squared side). You need to leave this open so you can stuff the gameboy. Make sure you’ve sewn both of the pieces with the rounded ends down.

2. Cut two pieces of cardboard roughly the size and shape of the gameboy front piece (see picture). It doesn’t have to be exact, just enough of the right size and shape to fit inside the gameboy.

3. Slip the two pieces of cardboard inside the gameboy and stuff the stuffing in between, to make a sort of sandwich. The cardboard gives the gameboy the proper shape and a flat front and back. Once it’s stuffed to your liking, sew the opening closed and weave in the yarn ends.

Step 4: Making the Face/Screen and Buttons

1. To make the back piece, cut a piece of black felt that is 3 ¼” x 2 /34”. Round the corners and gently round the bottom just a bit (see pictures for example)

2. To make the screen, cut a piece of light gray felt that is 1 ¾” x 1 /12”. Using black floss, stitch on a simple face. Check out my face examples for ideas. Don’t worry about tying off the thread as you’ll be covering the back in glue next anyway.

3. Using plenty of glue, attach the screen to the back piece. The felt will quickly adsorb the glue so use a lot! Make sure no threads are sticking out and that the screen is placed closer to the top of the back piece than the bottom (once again, use the example pictures for reference).

4. Using the dark gray felt, cut out two circles for the A and B buttons, the thumb pad and two small rectangles for the Select and Start buttons. Put these pieces aside for the moment.

ALTERNATIVE: You could also draw the face on the screen with a black sharpie or paint it on with acrylic paint, and use sewing/craft buttons for the A and B buttons.

Step 5: Embroidering the Details

(Use the picture of the gameboy for reference while embroidering the details)

1. With white floss, embroider GAMEBOY under the screen, making sure to leave enough room to add the rest of the name. This can be pretty tricky and unless you are a world-class needle worker more likely than not your text may not be perfect, but it’s ok! I suggest you cut the thread after you finish each letter to your liking. That way, if you realize you’ve made a mistake on one letter you can carefully tear the thread out without having to undo all your other stitches. Be careful not to pull or tear the felt while sewing. (picture 1)

2. Starting with pink floss, start embroidering the COLOR part of the name, switching to purple for the O, green for the L, yellow for the second O and blue for the R. Unlike the GAMEBOY part of the name, the COLOR is made to look more like scrawl so it’s okay if the letters are misshapen a bit - note that my R is sadly squashed as I was running out of room. (picture 2)

3. To make the power light and white arrows on the side of the screen, start with red floss and embroider a small square for the power light (you could also do a knot or other stitch, whatever you think looks best). Using white floss, make three > in a row after the light. (picture 3)

Once again, don't worry about tying off the thread when you're done with a letter because everything will be covered in glue soon (you can see my back in picture 4).

ALTERNATIVE: if the idea of all this embroidery is scary, you could either skip it all together (though it really does add to the project) or you could carefully paint on the details using acrylic paint. A small red bead could also be used for the power light.

Step 6: Finishing

1. Using plenty of glue, attach the face/screen to the gameboy (make sure the squared edge is right-side up and the rounded edge is the bottom!). Make sure to spread plenty of glue over the back of the embroidery to keep the thread in place. Press firmly onto the gameboy.

2. Using the pictures for reference, glue the buttons, thumb pad and start/select buttons onto the gameboy’s lower half. Once again, use a LOT of glue, the yarn and felt will absorb it quickly.

Congratulations, you’re done!