DIY Fatheads: How to Make Your Own Big Face on a Stick

There’s something about seeing a giant cutout of someone’s face that instantly makes people laugh. And honestly, that’s exactly what you want at a celebration.

For my dad’s 65th birthday, we didn’t want to throw a huge milestone party… but we did want to make it feel special. So we surprised him with a pop-up birthday moment: an ice cream truck, a few close family members, and DIY fatheads from different stages of his life.

The surprise? Not perfectly executed (we had some timing issues 😅).
But everyone holding up his face on a stick? An absolute hit.

And the best part… they took less than an hour to make.Whatever your party plans… a birthday, bachelorette, or even a wedding, this is one of those low-effort, high-impact DIYs that people actually remember.

What Are Fatheads?

Fatheads are oversized (licensed) cutouts of sports and entertainment celebrities used to show your fandom at sporting events, concerts, and more. 

But now? The term “fathead” has become synonymous with any big face on a stick. 

And thanks to TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, we’re putting everyone’s face on a stick for fun. They’re perfect for waving around, surprising someone, or just adding a fun, personal touch to a special celebration.

Custom DIY Fatheads are:

• Affordable
  
• Easy to make
  
• Completely customizable
  
• And guaranteed to get a reaction
  

I’ve seen them used for:

• Milestone birthday surprises
  
• Fun bachelorette party ideas
  
• Bridal party entrances (my cousin’s crew did this and it was iconic)
  
• Graduation party decorations
  
• Kids sporting events
  

DIY Fathead Project Supplies

You only need a few basic supplies to make your own DIY fatheads.

• Large wooden handles
  
• Hot glue gun (this is the one I’m using now, that I love!)
  
• Scissors or X-Acto Knife
  
• A quality at-home printer (or access to a professional printer for higher quality prints and/or supersized foam core Fatheads)
  
• Bright white heavy-duty cardstock (unless printing professionally on cover stock or foam core)
  

How to Make Your Own Fathead

Step 1: Choose Your Photos for your DIY Fatheads

Start by gathering photos of your person.

For milestone birthdays, I love pulling from different stages of life. Seeing their evolution throughout the different decades makes it more meaningful and funnier when you see them side by side.

For bachelorettes or weddings, one or two iconic photos works perfectly.

What to look for:

• Straight-on angles (this is key!)
  
• No objects covering the face
  
• High-quality images (good lighting, no blur or pixelation)
  

Step 2: Format your Photos

Once you’ve got your photos, you can either use Canva (recommended), or a document app to prep your photos.

1. Create a new project using your planned Fathead size:
   
   1. For small Fatheads and/or at-home printing, keep your document to a standard 8.5 x 11 in document
      
   2. For oversized Fatheads, create a poster size 16” x 20” project
      

1. Add your photo to your project, or add one photo per page if you’re making multiple versions.
   
2. Enlarge the face so it fills most of the page (without cutting anything off)

Optional: Photo Enhancements and Background Remover 

I did mine in Canva so I could make some slight enhancements to my photos and also remove the background to isolate just the faces; however, most of the photo editing tools are only available in the Pro version. 

If you don’t have the pro, no worries! You don’t actually need to remove the background, since you’ll be cutting the faces out anyways.

Step 3: Download & Print

Once your faces are ready, download as a PDF for print

For professional printing through Staples or online printer (recommended): 

• select a 16 x 20 foam core, or 8.5 x 11 cover stock (the cover stock is the heaviest weight material offered for standard document prints, and will give you the sturdiest print)

For print-at-home:

• Use bright white, heavy weight cardstock
• Adjust your printer settings to portrait, color print, highest quality
• Do a test print first (especially for color accuracy)

Savvy tip:
If you want to make small 8.5×11 Fatheads, but don’t have a high-quality color printer at home, I still recommend sending your files to a place like FedEx or Staples. The color quality makes a big difference here.

Step 4: Cut Out the Faces

Now for the hands-on part:

• Use scissors to cut around each face, for Cardstock prints
  
• For foam core poster prints, or more detailed areas, use an X-Acto knife

Because the faces are large, this part is actually pretty quick.

Step 5: Attach to the Paddle

This is where it all comes together:

• Take your wooden paddle
  
• Apply hot glue to the bottom of the face (around the chin area)
  
• Press it onto the top of the paddle
  

Important: Glue at least 2 inches of the face to the paddle so it stays sturdy. If you only glue a small section, it’ll wobble when people start waving them around (and trust me… they will).

Repeat for all your faces—and you’re done!

How to Use Your DIY Fatheads:

For a Birthday Party:

These are perfect for that big “surprise” moment. For my Dad’s 65th, we paired these with a surprise ice cream truck and had everyone holding different versions of my dad’s face when he arrived.

Seeing all those different versions of himself was such a fun, personal touch. And it instantly set the tone for the whole celebration.

And though these work especially well for adult birthdays, these would be so fun for making a kids birthday extra special.

For a Wedding:

My cousin used DIY fatheads for a fun bridal party entrance. The guys had fatheads of the groom, the girls had fatheads of the bride (my cousin). It was so fun and really got the party started. 

For a Bachelorette:

My maid of honor made these for my bachelorette party, and let me just say… they were the HIT of the night. We used them to pose in front of our photo backdrop, for fun pictures in the limo, and I’m pretty sure some got left at the bar… oops! 

For a Graduation Party:

If you’re looking for epic graduation celebration ideas, custom fatheads will be an absolute hit with all your guests. Prep them ahead of time and stick them in your centerpieces for guests to grab and pose for photos with the grad.

Why This DIY Is Always Worth It

This is one of those DIY party decorations that:

• Doubles as entertainment
  
• Feels personal without being complicated
  
• And actually gets used (not just sits on a table)
  

And honestly? The fun doesn’t end when the party does.

My dad ended up using his fatheads to prank his cousin by hiding them all over her house… so apparently they also double as long-term entertainment 😂

Final Thoughts

If you’re planning any kind of celebration and want something:

• Budget-friendly
  
• Easy to make
  
• And guaranteed to get people laughing
  

DIY photo fatheads are it.

They’re simple, a little ridiculous in the best way… and somehow always become everyone’s favorite part of the day.

And, if you’re looking for more easy DIYs to make your celebration a hit. Check out these other articles:

• Easy DIY balloon decorations that anyone can pull off
• The cutest photo frame centerpieces to celebrate your guest of honor
• Make a floral number or letter decoration out of cardboard

If you end up making any of these DIYs, I’d love to see them! Tag @SavvySwarey on Instagram or Facebook!