An origami frog is an outstanding simple example of the art of origami. It is considered to be a beginner-level fold, but offers a clear example of the complexity and beauty potentially available with some of the more complicated origami folding patterns.
The Meaning of the Frog
In Japanese the noun for frog and the verb for to return are pronounced the same way (kaeru). Thus, it is customary for a geisha to pin a paper frog to a pillar after entertaining a favorite patron, in the hope that he would return.
What You Need
An 8 1/2" by 11" or A4-sized sheet of paper and a bit of imagination.
How To Make It
Step 0: Get a single sheet of paper and place it in front of you, like so:
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Step 1: Fold the upper right corner of the paper down and to the left so that it forms a right triangle, like so:
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Step 2: Unfold the paper, then repeat the above step, except fold the upper left corner of the paper down and to the right so that it forms a right triangle, like so:
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Step 3: Unfold the paper again. There should be a point in the middle where the two folds have crossed each other. Turn the paper over and take the top of the paper and fold it down, with the fold crossing through this point, leaving your paper like this:
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Step 4: Unfold the paper once again. You should now have three fold lines, two diagonal and one horizontal, that go through a single point in the middle of the paper. The diagonal folds, however, should be a depression where the horizontal one stands upwards. Lifting upwards on the two sides of the horizontal fold will cause the paper to fold in on itself and the two corners to fold inside, resulting in a shape like this:
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Step 5: Your flat paper should feature a triangle shape at the top as depicted above, and this triangle shape should have two "wings" at its top. Take the rightmost wing and fold it so that the wing tip meets the peak of the triangle, like so:
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Step 6: Repeat step five with the other side, folding the left wing up until the point of the wing meets the top of the triangle. This should give a shape like this:
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Step 7: Now, fold the right edge over until it meets the middle line, resulting in an overall shape like this:
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Step 8: Repeat this fold on the left edge.
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Step 9: We're almost there! Now, fold the bottom of the sheet up until it meets the top of the sheet!
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Step 10: Now, along the top there will be a top layer and a bottom layer. fold the top layer down so that it lines up with the bottom.
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Step 11: Turn this over so that the fold you just made is laying down on the table and let go! A hopping origami frog! You can tap on the frog's back to make it gently jump about.