There is no baby-carrying design in nature sweeter than a kangaroo's pouch, and I think that is exactly why a crochet kangaroo steals my heart every single time. A mama roo with a tiny joey peeking out is part plush toy, part storybook — the kind of make that gets handed round the room for cuddles before it ever reaches the nursery shelf. Whether you are stitching for an Australia-mad little one, a baby shower with a Down Under theme, or your own shelf of handmade animals, a kangaroo belongs in the collection.
So here are twenty of my favourite kangaroo designs for you, every one of them genuinely free: classic mums with pouch babies, one glamorous girl with crocheted eyelids, a wallaby cousin worked in squishy chenille, a kangaroo who earnestly holds your TV remotes, plus appliqués, a C2C blanket square and a keychain for your bag. I have noted the yarn, the sizing and the honest little details for each one as we go. Pick your favourite, warm up your hook, and let's go hopping.
1. The Classic Mum and Joey in Soft DK
We are starting with the kangaroo I would hand to a confident beginner first: Lucy Kate Crochet's mum and joey, worked in ordinary DK yarn with a 3.5 mm hook. Mum takes about 100 g of brown DK, her joey is worked in a cream-and-brown variegated yarn, and the details that make her special are the surface-crocheted ear edges and the proper open pouch the baby genuinely sits inside. The pattern is rated for confident beginners and walks you through everything, including tying the safety-eye backs together to sink the eyes softly into the face — hers are 16 mm for mum, 8 mm for the joey. The full written pattern is free on her blog, and the finished pair has that timeless storybook look in natural browns. If you only make one kangaroo this year, this is a very happy place to start.
Pattern: Crochet Kangaroo (Mom & Joey) by Lucy Kate Crochet — Get the free pattern
2. The Advanced Showpiece With Felt Eye Whites
Ready for the connoisseur's kangaroo? Amigurumi Today's mother and baby is honestly labelled advanced, and the extra skill shows in the results — this is a large, beautifully sculpted mama whose eyes sit in little cut-out felt whites, giving her a wide-awake, almost lifelike expression. She is worked in beige and brown with embroidered nose detail and two tiny pink half-double-crochet cheeks sewn on for blush, and of course her baby rides in the pouch. The complete pattern is published free on the Amigurumi Today site, round by round, with the joey included. Set aside a few evenings for this one; she is a project to savour rather than rush. Finished and photographed well, she looks like a designer toy from a boutique shelf.
Pattern: Amigurumi Kangaroo with Baby by Amigurumi Today — Get the free pattern
3. Kiera, With a Tiny Heart Tucked in Her Pouch
Kiera the Kangaroo has a secret, and it melts me every time: hidden inside her pouch, alongside her joey, is a tiny crocheted red heart. Designed by Sarah of Let It Shine Designs and hosted at Little World of Whimsy, Kiera stands about nine inches tall in worsted weight yarn — the sample uses Lion Brand Basic Stitch in a warm gold heather with a 4 mm hook. You can fit her with safety eyes and a safety nose or embroider the whole face, which makes her safe for the smallest recipients. The complete pattern is free on the blog; I will mention honestly that the designer also sells an optional ad-free PDF in her Etsy shop, but you never need it — every round is right there on the page. She is the kangaroo I would make for a new baby, heart and all.
Pattern: Kiera the Kangaroo by Sarah of Let It Shine Designs — Get the free pattern
4. The Caron Classic Every Beginner Can Download
Some patterns become classics because thousands of happy crocheters have made them, and the Caron Mama Kangaroo & Joey is exactly that. Worked in Caron Simply Soft, mama measures about ten inches tall including her ears and the joey about five, and the pattern is rated easy — a gentle mix of single crochet shaping with no exotic stitches anywhere. It is a completely free download on Yarnspirations, priced at $0.00 with no sign-up required, so it lands in your pattern folder in seconds. Bone and chocolate are the suggested shades, but this design forgives any colour experiment you fancy, from grey to dusty pink. If you want a proven, giftable pair without a single moment of pattern-hunting stress, download this one first.
Pattern: Mama Kangaroo & Joey by Caron Design Team at Yarnspirations — Get the free pattern
5. The Stitch-Along Kangaroo (Video Tutorial)
If you learn best by watching hands rather than reading rounds, this idea is yours. The Crochet Crowd's kangaroo began life as a four-week mystery crochet-along back in 2015, and the five tutorial videos are now combined on one page so you can stitch the whole mama and joey along with Mikey, pausing whenever you like — this is a video tutorial rather than a written pattern, though the page also links the free written Caron pattern from Idea 4 for anyone who wants both. There is even a gallery of finished kangaroos from the original crochet-along to inspire your colour choices. Because you are following a teacher stitch by stitch, this is a wonderful route for a first amigurumi. Pop the video on, keep your yarn beside you, and hop along.
Pattern: Crochet Kangaroo Stitch Along (Video Tutorial) by The Crochet Crowd — Get the free pattern
6. Joyful Jumper and Her Little Joey
Patricia Poltera's Joyful Jumper is a soft, huggable mama worked in worsted weight yarn in a gentle tan, with a cream belly patch and pouch lining for that pretty two-tone finish. She is rated intermediate, but the pattern takes real care of confident beginners too — invisible decreases are explained in full, stuffing is staged piece by piece, and the assembly instructions read like a friend sitting beside you. Her joey is worked in a paler shade on a smaller hook so he tucks snugly into the pouch, and the muzzle carries a sweetly embroidered pink or brown nose. The complete stitch-by-stitch pattern is free on the Trendy Decos blog, photos and all. In soft neutrals she is pure nursery calm; in a heathery brown she turns wonderfully woodland.
Pattern: Joyful Jumper Kangaroo & Joey by Patricia Poltera at Trendy Decos — Get the free pattern
7. The Aussie Mama With the Deep Cream Pouch
This mama was designed as the centrepiece of Puqqu's Australian-themed amigurumi set, and she carries her theme proudly: a big cream face, cream belly and a deep U-shaped pouch that her ten-centimetre joey settles right into. She finishes at roughly 28 to 30 centimetres tall, worked with a 3.0 mm hook in light brown with dark brown feet, hands and nose. The colour-blocked face is the charm here — the cream covers most of her head, so she has that bright, friendly expression from across the room. The complete kangaroo and joey pattern is free on the Puqqu page, with clear assembly steps and a blush-powder tip for rosy cheeks. Style her with a sprig of eucalyptus nearby and your whole shelf goes Down Under.
Pattern: Kangaroo & Joey (Aussie-Themed Set) by Puqqu — Get the free pattern
8. Kangaroo Jack, the Dapper Solo Roo
Not every kangaroo needs a joey — Jack travels alone, and he looks extremely pleased about it. Designed by ansy_toys and shared as a free PDF through Amigurumi Day, Jack is worked on a fine 2 mm hook in semi-cotton yarn, beige with a crisp white chest panel that gives him an almost waistcoated smartness. His eyes are set with a gentle tightening technique and finished with embroidered whites, brows and muzzle lines, so his face has real character. The lower paws are attached with thread joints, which lets him sit leaning back on his long tail in that classic kangaroo pose. The PDF is text-only rather than photo-led, but the rounds are complete and clearly written. He is the bookshelf gentleman of this collection.
Pattern: Kangaroo Jack by ansy_toys — Get the free pattern
9. Kanga McGee, the Glamorous One
Hold on to your hats, because Kanga McGee wears lipstick, nail polish and — if you have them — earstuds. She is built in an unusual, characterful way: her legs, arms, body and head are worked largely flat and stitched together in pairs with stuffing inside, which gives her a soft ragdoll drape quite unlike round-by-round amigurumi. Her eyes are crocheted with little eyelids, her pouch is worked in a chunky red-purple yarn, and her curly brown hair is slip-stitched on top. The designer rates her intermediate, and the full written pattern is free on the Crochet Art Design site, with a video tutorial alongside it. Worked in blue 4-ply in the original, she is unapologetically a personality — the kangaroo equivalent of your most fabulous friend.
Pattern: Kanga McGee by Crochet Art Design — Get the free pattern
10. Elvis, the Baby Joey Companion
Every glamorous mama deserves her baby, and Kanga McGee's little one is named Elvis — presumably for the magnificent curly hair, tied up with a strand of yellow yarn so it stands proudly on end. This companion joey pattern from Crochet Art Design is a quick make on a 3.0 mm hook, worked in acrylic with cotton for the face details, and his eyes and mouth are simply stitched on with a sewing needle, so there are no tiny safety parts to worry about. He is sized to ride in Kanga's chunky pouch from Idea 9, but he is equally sweet made on his own as a pocket pet or pram toy. The complete pattern is free on the same site. Make the pair together and you have the most entertaining mother-and-baby set on this whole list.
Pattern: Baby Joey Kangaroo by Crochet Art Design — Get the free pattern
11. The Patchwork-Seamed Statement Plush
Here is a kangaroo with a completely different finish: Puqqu's standalone design is embroidered with bold black backstitched "seam lines" around the ears, arms, legs and chest, so the finished plush looks like a beloved stitched cloth toy. She stands about 30 centimetres tall in worsted weight yarn with a 3.5 mm hook — beige body, brown paws, feet and nose patch, and neat 8 mm safety eyes. The construction is classic amigurumi, sewn together with a slight forward lean, and the pattern notes that you can add a little fabric pouch if you want to turn her into a mama. The full pattern is free on the Puqqu page. Those visible seams are the whole charm — lean into them with a confident contrasting thread.
Pattern: Amigurumi Kangaroo by Puqqu — Get the free pattern
12. The Remote Holder With a Working Pouch
Finally, a kangaroo who earns her keep: this one's pouch is not decorative — it is a hollow storage pocket sized for TV remotes, glasses or your crochet hooks. Puqqu's remote holder finishes at twelve to thirteen inches tall, with a cardboard circle in the base and her long tail and angled legs arranged as a tripod so she stands steadily on the coffee table, arms posed as if ready to hold things for you. She is rated intermediate and takes a few evenings — the pattern estimates eight to twelve hours — but every round of the complete pattern is free on the page. Worked in light tan with dark brown paws and a cream snout, she is genuinely useful décor. Your remotes will never vanish into the sofa again.
Pattern: Kangaroo Remote Holder by Puqqu — Get the free pattern
13. The Wallaby Cousin in Squishy Chenille
Honesty corner: this sweetheart is a wallaby — the kangaroo's smaller cousin — and I could not leave her out, because she might be the cuddliest make on the list. Lucy Kate Crochet works her in chunky chenille plush yarn, so she comes out big, soft and squeezable in a way DK simply cannot match, with a joey of her own riding in the pouch. The construction follows the same friendly approach as her DK kangaroo in Idea 1, with surface-crochet details to define the ears and edges. The full pattern is free on her blog. If you have been waiting for an excuse to buy blanket yarn, consider this your written permission. Just be prepared for everyone who walks past to give her a squeeze.
Pattern: Crochet Wallaby with Joey by Lucy Kate Crochet — Get the free pattern
14. The Tiny Baby With the Blue Tummy
Sometimes you just want the joey. This little baby kangaroo, shared on Craftorator, is a small standalone make with a sewn-on muzzle, pink-lined ears, and the sweetest detail of all — his body section is worked in blue, so he looks for all the world like he is wearing tiny overalls. The pattern covers head, body, ears, arms, tail and legs in simple single crochet rounds, and because he is small he is a genuinely kind first amigurumi if full-size toys feel daunting. The complete instructions are free on the page. Make him in an evening, then make three more in different tummy colours, because that is exactly what happens to everyone. He sits beautifully in the palm of a hand or the top of a gift box.
Pattern: Baby Kangaroo by Craftorator — Get the free pattern
15. The Kangaroo Keychain for Your Bag
Small enough to go everywhere with you, this kangaroo was designed by handmadebylacey as a keyring charm, complete with a light brown body, a blue top section and pink inner ears worked in two layers and crocheted together. The free pattern is a downloadable PDF hosted by LovelyCraft — one honest note: the PDF is written in Spanish, but the rounds are so clearly set out with stitch counts that confident crocheters follow it easily, and it makes a fun first pattern in another language. Every piece is there: head, body, legs, arms, nose and those two-tone ears. Add a keyring finding and split ring and she is ready for your keys or your project bag. A set of these in different colours makes the sweetest stocking fillers.
Pattern: Kangaroo Keychain by handmadebylacey — Get the free pattern
16. The Kangaroo C2C Square for Blankets
Our only non-plush pattern, and blanket makers will be glad of it: Kinga Erdem's kangaroo is a corner-to-corner square, block 24 of her Wildlife Graphghan crochet-along at My Hobby Is Crochet. The block is a 25 by 25 tile square finishing around fifteen inches, and Kinga generously provides two versions — the full-colour kangaroo and a simpler one with fewer colour changes — each with both a graph and written row-by-row colour counts, all free on her blog. Worked alone it makes a splendid cushion cover, wall hanging or tote panel; worked with its sibling animal blocks it becomes a whole Australian blanket. Kinga herself suggests parking it next to the koala block, and honestly, she is right. Graphghan fans, your next square has arrived.
Pattern: Kangaroo C2C Square by Kinga Erdem at My Hobby Is Crochet — Get the free pattern
17. K Is for Kangaroo, the Alphabet Appliqué
Sarah Zimmerman's kangaroo belongs to her much-loved Crochet Animal Alphabet Afghan series at Repeat Crafter Me, and the design has a trick up its sleeve: her pouch is an open pocket that can hold a mini joey — or, as Sarah suggests, a tiny note. Worked flat in worsted weight yarn (her sample uses Vanna's Choice with a size G hook), the appliqué stitches onto blankets, onesies, library bags and nursery banners wherever a kangaroo is needed. The complete pattern is free on her blog, written with her usual friendly clarity. Sewn onto the corner of a baby blanket with a joey peeking out, it becomes an instant heirloom detail. Letter K has never looked cuter.
Pattern: K is for Kangaroo by Sarah Zimmerman at Repeat Crafter Me — Get the free pattern
18. The Flat Kangaroo That Organises Your Crafts
Kerri's Crochet is famous for flat appliqué-style animals, but this design goes one better: her kangaroo is worked flat with a joey who slips into her pouch, and the finished piece doubles as a craft organiser you can pin supplies behind. The body, head and ears are crocheted as shaped flat pieces in treble-height stitches, the arms are crocheted directly onto the body, and the joey's body attaches loosely at the head so he can bend out over the pouch — it is ingenious, honestly. The full pattern is free on her page in US terms, and there is a video tutorial on her channel too; the optional ad-free PDF is a dollar on Ravelry and LoveCrafts if you prefer printing. In cheerful cotton she brightens a craft room wall beautifully.
Pattern: Crochet Kangaroo by Kerri’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
19. The Small Appliqué in Three Sizes
Kerri's small kangaroo appliqué is the quick-make cousin of Idea 18: a neat flat roo with her joey worked in one tidy design, and the pattern cleverly gives you three finished sizes from the same instructions — about nine centimetres across in 8-ply yarn, six in 4-ply cotton, and a miniature four and a half in fine 2-ply cotton with a 1 mm hook. The page I have linked is written in UK terms, with the US-terms version one click away from the same post, and as with all Kerri's patterns an optional ad-free PDF is available for a dollar if printing is your thing. Stitch a row of them along a baby cardigan hem, or one each onto nursery bunting flags. They work up so fast that "just one more" becomes a real risk.
Pattern: Small Kangaroo Appliqué by Kerri’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
20. The Reverse Appliqué for Facing Pairs
We are finishing with the small kangaroo's mirror twin: Kerri designed this reverse version so a pair of kangaroos can face each other, and she made her own set into earrings — in fine cotton at the smallest size, they are light enough to wear all day. Worked in Ginger Gold and Bridal White in the sample, the reverse appliqué mirrors the small kangaroo stitch for stitch, so the two together make perfect bookends for a blanket design, matching motifs on twin outfits, or the front and back of a little pouch bag. The pattern is free on her page in US terms, with a video tutorial as well and the usual optional dollar PDF. It is a small pattern with a big idea inside it: symmetry. And on that neat, satisfying note, our twenty is complete.
Pattern: Reverse Kangaroo Appliqué by Kerri’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty kangaroos, my friend — DK classics and chenille cuddlers, an advanced showpiece and a glamorous girl with lipstick, a remote holder who guards the sofa, appliqués for every blanket corner and a C2C square for the graphghan fans. If you are new to amigurumi, start with the Caron classic, the tiny blue-tummy baby or the stitch-along videos; if you are ready for a project to remember, the Amigurumi Today mama is waiting for you. Almost every design here carries a joey, because that is the whole joy of a kangaroo — somebody small is always along for the ride.
Now tell me — which of these twenty is hopping onto your hook first, and are you team tiny appliqué or team big cuddly plush? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
