Meet the Charlie Cockatoo toy pattern!

Nov 25, 2025 | Blog, Customer Feedback, FFF News, NEW Toy Patterns

Charlie Cockatoo is one of the “Aussie Mates” (Australian) Funky Friends toy patterns and he has been really popular with children who seem fascinated by his wacky Sulphur yellow crest. This blog post covers all of the vital details on Charlie Cockatoo, such as pattern size, difficulty level, the best fabrics to use, how to achieve the look of feathers, and examples of Charlie sewn in both realistic and wild colors.

What SIZE is the finished Cockatoo soft toy?

Charlie‘s finished size is 32cm (13 inches) tall ~> from the table to the tip of his yellow crest! Here is a pic of a cute Charlie Cockatoo sewn by Sherry W. posing with a happy recipient for you to see his size!

Pirates like parrots, but did you know they’re also charmed by cockatoos? Here is a fun photo of Stephanie Bullock posing with the Charlie Cockatoo she sewed as part of her pirate outfit for World Book Day!

Is there a Photo tutorial for the Cockatoo Pattern?

YES! I have created a step-by-step photo tutorial so you can see EXACTLY how to sew this cute Cockatoo sewing pattern – with lots of clever keepsake making tips and tricks! As usual, you can access the tutorial using the link in the See-Me-Sew section of the pattern.

(*Please check you typed this link in correctly,
~> or you’ll get an error page! 😱 )

What fabric should I use (or NOT use) to sew a cockatoo toy?

In this blog post you’ll see examples of Charlie Cockatoo sewn in all sorts of fabrics, including some that mimic the look of feathers! This pattern can be sewn in most fabrics but it will be much easier to turn if you use a knit/stretchy fabric like fleece or minky.

Tester’s Tip:

Use a STRETCHY fabric
(like fleece)
if you are a BEGINNER!😱

The tester’s who tried both stretchy/knit fabric (like fleece) and non-stretch/woven fabric (like quilting cottons) found that turning the thin parts of the CREST and FEET PIECES was easier with the stretchy fabric.

For an example of a Charlie Cockatoo sewn in stretchy fabric, check out this cutie sewn in minky by Melissa Cochrane.

On the opposite side of the stretchy fabric spectrum is quilting cotton, which does not stretch. However, unlike minky or fleece, quilting cotton comes in lots of delightful small prints like this cockatoo print fabric that Glenda Muchow used for her Charlie Cockatoo!

You can use ANY COLOUR for sewing the Cockatoo sewing pattern – as you will see from the feedback photos below. These two fleece cockatoos sewn by Christina Reyes are brighter than the fall leaves in their tree!

How easy is the Cockatoo pattern?

I would say that Charlie Cockatoo is a medium level pattern because he is a quick and easy pattern BUT the FEET and CREST PIECES are smallish and harder to turn.

Here are just some
of the lovely feedback photos…

Almira.S. sewed this aqua crested version of Charlie Cockatoo. She took a fun photo of him from below so you can see his feet.

Almira.S had such fun sewing Charlie Cockatoo, she sewed another with a pink crest and she called her Charlene. Here she is perched in a Holly bush!

Select a fluffy fabric to look like feathers!

LONG-pile Fake Fur

First up, there’s long-pile fake fur like this fluffy white cockatoo also sewn by Almira.S. Fake fur is one of the most difficult to fabric to sew BUT it looks really realistic! Almira says that with the long fur she decided to skip sewing around the wing’s edge and didn’t stuff the wings because they already had some volume on their own.

Almira also sent me this FUN photo of Charlie…

BEFORE he’d had
a very thorough
preening session🤣

LOW-pile Fake Fur

Another feathery option is low-pile fake fur, which you can see on the Charlie Cockatoo on the right below, sewn by Janet Radke. The bird on the left is made from quilting cotton, and both toys have a Sulphur crest made from minky, which comes in various levels of fluffiness depending on the brand. Minky is often more of a “baby chick” level of fuzz. The beaks and feet on both of these toys are made from fleece.

If you’d rather not sew with a fluffy fabric (but still want a feathery look)

Just pick out a quilting cotton with a design that mimics feathers. Batik cottons like those used below by Joel Fisher have mottled dye designs that can lend a feathery appearance.

Joel said he got one of his students help him photograph Charlie Cockatoo out in the yard and he insisted he

take a photo
in the tree 😂

Here’s a different take on a faux feathers look, as sewn by Sandy Thurlow. I love the fabrics she has chosen for her Charlie Cockatoo – a wavy pattern (like the one on the body of this toy) can look like feathers.

Wild & Wonderful Colors

These Charlie Cockatoos look ready to fly to a dance party! Joann Kazakoff Soloway used a variety of colors and textures in these Charlie Cockatoos. The fuzzy pink tie dye and sparkle fabric combo is especially fun.

Floral fabrics look great on all Funky Friends, but they seem especially appropriate on the feathered Funky Friends. This sophisticated tropical birds print is a gorgeous choice for Charlie Cockatoo, as sewn by Becky Suleski.

Diana Sageser decided to use Charlie Cockatoo as a 💘Valentine’s Day gift💘. So she made him pretty in blush pink. When she posted this toy, Diana shared a tip she learned from another maker in our Facebook group: surgical or electrical hemostats can be helpful for turning small pieces like the tiny bird toes.

This Charlie Cockatoo sewn by Almira S. was hatched to stand out in a crowd! His crest is made from a sparkly dance fabric, the body is quilting cotton, and the beak and feet are fleece. Check out the bright orange felt placed behind the craft eye to help it stand out from the fabric. A great choice!

What a perfectly coordinated bird! Melissa Cochrane used a tie dye, long-pile minky for the body on this Charlie Cockatoo and matched the beak in a solid purple. The grey feet are made from a lower pile minky..

Gabi Girndt, like many of the testers, sewed more than one Charlie Cockatoo. Birds of a feather flock together, after all. The smaller bird has a crest made from a beautiful batik dyed cotton. The larger bird is striking in its hish contrast white, black, and pink.

Realistic Cockatoo Colors

If realistic colors are your style, Charlie Cockatoo looks great in his traditional white and yellow. Here’s a happy little fellow sewn in fleece by Shirls Smith, complete with baby safe felt eyes. A great choice if you’re making a toy for a child under 3.

This cotton Charlie Cockatoo sewn by Nancy Ciccosanti looks chipper in bright white with a low volume print on it and a solid yellow crest.

AND last BUT not LEAST!!!

This pink and grey version of Charlie Cockatoo is posed as if he’s making a grand speech. Kathy Vorse Dickinson used a variety of fabric textures on this toy, including grey dimple minky, grey fleece, and a Terry cloth-like pink that resembles feathers. It must have been messy to sew, but the effect is worth it!😁

What a character!!!