How to fold a crane

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Hi, I wrote this page in 1994 or so. If you have trouble with it, you are on your own. I grow old, I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled and no longer respond to "help! step 9?" Best of luck. --me

Get a square piece of paper (colored on one side.)

Fold it in half four different ways...

...like this...

...and like this.

Now fold along all four creases at once.

Fold two edges in, to form a kite-shape (or ice cream cone shape) on top.

Do the same thing on the other side.

Undo the folds you made in steps 6 and 7.

Pull the bottom corner (top layer only) up above the top corner. Fold along the creases you made in steps 6 and 7 (now it looks like two ice cream cones kissing, or some other painful metaphor.)

Do the same thing on the other side. The top flaps are the wings and the bottom things are (no, not the legs) the neck and tail.

Fold two edges in, as in step 6. This makes the neck and tail thinner.

Do the same thing on the other side.

Now turn the page (so to speak)... do the same in back.

Fold up the neck and the tail as far as you can (without ripping the paper, please!)

Fold the head down.

Repeat step 13.

Pull the neck and tail out/down a bit so they're not actually vertical.

Pull the head out/up somewhat so it's not hidden in the neck.

Pull the wings straight out from the body so that the body inflates. (The far wing is not pictured here.) If that doesn't work, you can blow through a hole in the underside.

1 down, 999 to go...

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