We love reading fantasy stories aloud with our daughter, and many of them include dragons: Falkor the Luckdragon from the Neverending Story, Raxtus from Fablehaven, Smaug from the Hobbit, Puff the Magic Dragon…  Each and every one of these mighty dragons has its own special way of drawing you into their realms and leaving powerful impressions in your memory.

So, when I was wondering about what creature to design next, the dragon naturally came up as the main candidate among my biggest fans, namely my husband and daughter.

But, once I started to think about the shape of a huggable dragon, I quickly realized how much this fantasy animal has in common with some dinosaurs, such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) and the Pterodactyl.  Their gigantic size, sharp claws and teeth, reptilian scales, long and powerful tails, back fins, and wings… are just a few of their common features.

Thus was also born a huggable dinosaur, Dino!

I modeled Dino on the T-Rex.  So he does not have back fins.  (But if you wish, they can be easily added.)

I made two faces, one with a flat forehead and the other with a raised forehead.  As you see in the photo above, I think that the raised forehead makes the stuffed animal’s face look even more dinosaur-like.  But, needless to say, both types are really cute.

Most importantly, being the HUGGABLE dragon and dinosaur, these cute animals are designed to fit snugly in the arms of a child!

This download item is available from my online shop, muumade.etsy.com.  You can also click on any photo above to go to the item page and instantly download the instructions upon purchase.

When making your own dragon or dinosaur, you can experiment with their eye expressions to create an animal with your own personal touch.  Will it be fierce?  Cute and cuddly?  Strong and dependable?  Check out my blog post, How much can an eye express?, for more ideas.