Making the pattern wasn’t a complete waste of time

Making the pattern wasn’t a complete waste of time, it helped me figure out how to do the torso which was very similar to the illustration minus the arms and legs. Although the torso was much wider.
For the body, legs and arms I bought 20’ of 1 1/2 inch x 4’ white foam (not sure about the density – it’s like what you would find in a chair cushion). I had my son lay on it and drew out his outline. Rolled a piece for the tail and wrapped the body around it.