11 animated diagrams

Animal origami

From a two-minute fox face to the classic crane, every animal here is folded from a single square.

Dog Face

The origami dog face is a simple puppy head with floppy ears folded from one square, and children often draw on eyes and a nose to finish it. It is very easy and takes about three minutes, making it ideal for first-time folders.

Easy3 min · 5 steps

Fox Face

The origami fox face is a pointed fox head with tall ears, folded from one square in five steps and finished with drawn eyes and a nose. It is an easy model that takes about three minutes.

Easy3 min · 5 steps

Cat Face

The origami cat face is a kitten's head with two pointed ears and a blunt chin, folded from one square and finished with drawn eyes and whiskers. It is a very easy model with five folds and takes about three minutes, so it suits young children and first-time folders.

Easy3 min · 6 steps

Penguin

The origami penguin is a flat penguin seen from the front, with a dark back and wings, a white belly, a white face and a small dark beak, folded from one square that is dark on one side and white on the other. It is an easy model of six steps that takes about three minutes, using only valley and mountain folds.

Easy4 min · 5 steps

Fish

The origami fish is a simple flat fish with a blunt nose and an upturned tail, folded from a kite shape made from one square. It is easy and takes about four minutes, so it suits children and complete beginners.

Easy4 min · 6 steps

Whale

The origami whale is a flat whale with a large rounded head, a straight back and a tail that rises behind it, folded from a kite shape made from one square. It is an easy model of six steps that takes about four minutes, which makes it a good choice for children and beginners.

Easy5 min · 10 steps

Swan

The origami swan is the traditional simple swan with a raised neck and a head that points forward, folded from a kite shape made from one square. It is an easy model that takes about five minutes; the only moves that need care are the two outside reverse folds at the end.

Easy6 min · 9 steps

Bat

The origami bat is a flat Halloween bat with wide wings, hooked wing tips, a short body and two pointed ears, folded from one square without cuts or glue. It starts from the waterbomb base and takes about six minutes; every fold after the base is a simple valley or mountain fold.

Intermediate6 min · 9 steps

Butterfly

The origami butterfly is a small model with four wings and a locked body, folded from a square using the waterbomb base. It is a comfortable intermediate model that takes about six minutes and introduces collapsing a base.

Intermediate6 min · 9 steps

Jumping Frog

The origami jumping frog is a traditional action model folded from a stiff rectangle that springs forward when you press and release its back. It is an intermediate model that takes about six minutes, mostly for the collapse and the zigzag spring.

Advanced15 min · 19 steps

Paper Crane

The origami crane is the traditional Japanese orizuru, a bird with spread wings folded from a single square without cuts or glue. It is an advanced model: expect about 15 minutes for your first one, mostly spent learning the petal fold and inside reverse fold.

Animals from easiest to hardest

This collection runs from flat animal faces to the traditional crane, so you can work your way up. The Dog Face, Fox Face and Cat Face take about three minutes each and start from a simple triangle — a good first model and fun to finish with drawn-on eyes. The Penguin, Fish and Whale add a few shaping folds, and the Swan and Bat take five or six minutes.

The Butterfly and Jumping Frog are intermediate. The frog is folded from a 3 × 5 inch index card rather than a square so that it springs when you press its back. The Paper Crane is the one advanced model here: allow about 15 minutes for your first, most of it spent on the petal fold and the inside reverse folds that form the neck and tail.

Choose paper by the animal. Two-colored paper matters for the Penguin (dark on one side, white on the other) and the Bat (black or another dark color). For the crane, use thin origami paper about 15 cm (6 in) square — thick printer paper builds up too many layers at the base and makes the neck hard to thin.

Seasonal · Halloween