Here's a fun and easy craft for all the pokémon trainers who want to take a break from catching them all! They're fun and quick to make, and don't take a lot of materials.

You will need:

The printout of the pokémon heads (found in the next step), or draw your own!
Clothespins (the spring kind)
Something to color with (colored pencils, crayons, markers, etc.)
Scissors
Glue (tacky glue or hot glue is recommended)
Optional: a small bit of cardboard, craft foam, or other spacer

Step 1: Print and Color

First you need to print out the pokémon heads. I've included files some heads I drew, as a .png file and a Microsoft Publisher file. Or if you're artistically inclined, you can draw your own! Try to draw something that's at least as long as the clothespin and has a long snout or beak. You can print them out on regular printer paper, or for sturdier puppets, print them on card stock.

Once they're printed, color them in any way you like. I opted to color these in the basic canon colors, you feel free to color some shiny pokémon, or make them with completely unique colors or markings. They're your puppets, you can do what you want!

pokemon-clothespin-puppets.pub
Download

Step 2: Cut Out

Once they're colored, cut them out! First cut along the outside, then carefully cut them down the middle along the mouth line.

Step 3: Assembling

Now that the pieces of the head are ready, it's time to put it all together. First glue the jaw in place along one of the flat sides of the clothespin. But before you glue the top part of the head in place, glue a small spacer onto it. Once the puppet is complete, this will raise it up a bit and keep the two pieces of the head from banging into each other when the mouth is opened.

When the glue on the spacer is dry, glue the top part of the head to the clothespin. Try to position it so that the pieces of the head are lined up neatly, so it looks like the mouth is closed when the clothespin is closed.