How to Make a Pipe Cleaner Reindeer

Co-authored by Amber Crain

Last Updated: March 29, 2022 Tested

Pipe cleaner reindeer are fun to create and they make great projects for kids. For something simple, try creating a cute reindeer with a pipe cleaner head and red bead for a nose. For a sweet variation, try a reindeer with a candy cane body and pipe cleaner antlers. You can also create tiny treat bags that look like reindeer. Use your pipe cleaner reindeer as awesome ornaments or gift decorations!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Pipe Cleaner Reindeer Head

1
Slide 1 red bead onto the brown pipe cleaner and fold it in half. Thread a single red pony bead through 1 end of a 30 in (76 cm) brown pipe cleaner. Push the bead down so that it's in the center of the pipe cleaner, then bend the pipe cleaner in half at the bead.^{[1]
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- Gently fold each side up so that the pipe cleaner looks like a “U” with the red bead at the base of the “U.”
2
Twist the pipe cleaner together halfway up the “U” shape. Just twist the ends around each other once, so that the right side of the “U” is now pointing to the left and the left side of the “U” is now on the right.
- You should now have a small “V” shape formed above the twist.
- Shape the pipe cleaner below the twist into an oval shape.
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3
Grab both sides of the oval shape just below the "V." Pinch and bend the oval head shape into an upside-down triangle. The red bead should be at the tip of the triangle.
- Leave the "V" shaped antlers above the twist alone for now.
4
Pinch each side of the triangle base to form ears. Grab the upside-down triangle on each side of the base, right below the reindeer's antlers. Pinch both sides out and then up to form 2 small reindeer ear shapes.
5
Pinch both sides of the head about halfway down to form the snout. Locate the spot about halfway between the red nose at the bottom and the antlers at the top. Squeeze both sides of the face gently at that spot. This narrows the bottom of the face to create a snout shape.
- The red bead should be at the bottom of the snout.
6
Twist each antler around your finger to form 2 spirals. Grab the left antler and loop it around your finger to create a spiral shape with the pipe cleaner. Do the same thing for the right antler. Both antlers are now spirals in a basic “V” shape.
7
Tie a red ribbon between the ears to form a loop (optional). If you want to hang your reindeer on your Christmas tree or use it as a decoration, thread a 6 in (15 cm) long red ribbon between the reindeer's ears. Loop the ends of the ribbon together and tie them into a bow or knot.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making a Pipe Cleaner Candy Cane Reindeer

1
Hold the candy cane straight up so the hook is at the top. Grab the candy cane by its stick base. Hold it vertically so the hook end of the candy cane is at the top. The short side of the hook will be the reindeer's head. The long side of the hook will be the reindeer's body.^{[2]
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- Do not remove the candy cane from its plastic wrapper!
2
Use hot glue to attach 2 googly eyes halfway down the head. Use googly eyes that are small enough to be glued side-by-side on the candy cane stick. Attach the eyes about halfway down the reindeer's head (the short side of the hook).
- Give the hot glue 1-2 minutes to cool.
3
Hot glue a small red pom-pom at the bottom of the head. The red pom-pom is the reindeer's nose. Hot glue it to the candy cane below the googly eyes, at the end of the short side of the hook.
- Give the hot glue 1-2 minutes to cool.
4
Thread the brown pipe cleaner halfway through the hook. through -- you should have an equal amount of pipe cleaner on each side of the hook.
- This pipe cleaner will end up forming the reindeer's antlers.
5
Twist the pipe cleaner around the candy cane's hook. Slide the brown pipe cleaner under the hook part of the candy cane, stopping about halfway. Pull the right half of the pipe cleaner to the left to loop it over the hook. Bend it under the hook, and pull it back over to the right.
6
Twist each side of the pipe cleaner around your finger to form spirals. Wrap the left side of the pipe cleaner around your finger to make a spiral shape. Do the same for the right side of the pipe cleaner. You should now have 2 spiral-shaped reindeer antlers.
7
Tie a red ribbon around the reindeer's “neck” (optional). Grab a red ribbon that's 8 in (20 cm) to 10 in (25 cm) long. Tie it into a regular bow about halfway down the long side of the hook, where the reindeer's “neck” is. You don't have to do this, but it adds a cute final touch to your reindeer!
- If you're worried the ribbon might slide off, secure it to the candy cane with a tiny dot of hot glue.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Creating Pipe Cleaner Reindeer Treat Bags

1
Cut tulle into a 9 in (23 cm) circle and place candy in the center. There are no exact measurements, just make sure you can easily close the sides of the tulle up to create a little sack around the candy.^{[3]
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- Christmas colored M&Ms work great for this, but you can use any treat that you like.
2
Gather up the edges of the tulle and secure the bag with an elastic. Pull up the edges around the candy to create a small treat bag. This bag is the reindeer's body. Secure the ends of the gathered tulle with a rubber band.
- Leave about 1 in (2.5 cm) of excess tulle sticking out of the secured end -- this is the reindeer's tail!
3
Fold a brown pipe cleaner in half and twist to create the head. After bending the pipe cleaner in half, twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together once about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) above the fold. The fold is the nose, the twist is the top of the head, and the 2 ends sticking out of the top are the antlers.
4
Twist each side of the pipe cleaner around a pencil to form spirals. If you don't have a pencil handy you can use your finger for this. Grab the left antler and loop it around the pencil to create a spiral shape. Do the same thing for the right antler.
- You now have 2 spiral shaped antlers in a basic “V” shape.
5
Cut and fold a second brown pipe cleaner in half to create the neck. Grab 1 of the cut half-pieces and fold it in half. Wrap this small pipe cleaner around the twist (the top of the head) between the 2 antlers. Twist the 2 halves together so they look like 1 piece.
- This piece is the reindeer's neck that you will insert into the treats.
- After attaching the neck, adjust the head and antlers until you like the way they look.
6
Attach 2 googly eyes and 1 pom pom to the head using glue dots. Place 1 glue dot in the center of the top of the head (where it twists). Firmly press 2 googly eyes down into the glue dot, side by side, to secure them. Place a glue dot at the tip of the reindeer's nose. Press the red pom pom into the glue dot to secure it.
7
Poke the neck into the top of the tulle treat bag. Place the treat bag on its side, so the "tail" sticks out in the back. Work the pipe cleaner neck into the mesh at the top of the treat bag and nestle it into the treats inside.
- Be sure to leave at least 1 in (2.5 cm) of neck poking out of the top so that you can attach the collar around it.
8
Cut another brown pipe cleaner in half to create legs and hooves. Bend the end of 1 half-piece up about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) from the bottom. Twist the folded end around the longer piece of pipe cleaner, then fold it back down. Bend it into a triangle shape to form a tiny hoof.
- Repeat the same thing for the second leg and hoof.
9
Poke the legs into the front of the treat bag. If you like, you can trim the leg length a little, just make sure you leave at least 1 in (2.5 cm) on each piece to insert into the treat bag. Work 1 leg into the mesh at the bottom left, then do the same thing with the other leg at the bottom right of the treat bag.
10
Cut a 4 in (10 cm) piece of red pipe cleaner to form the collar. Thread the 3 tiny bells onto the red pipe cleaner. Twist the ends into a circle and wrap the red pipe cleaner around the neck of the reindeer. Move a threaded bell over each of the twisted ends to secure the collar in place.