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How to fold an origami allosaurus

Fold a sheet in half, reverse-fold a long tail and a low neck, and cut two thick striding legs and a small arm. Crimp the big head forward, then crimp the slit lower jaw open.

You need: A 26 x 15 cm rectangle, brick red on one side; scissors and a ruler. Hard, 23 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, long sides at the top and bottom, fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The fold at the top is the back.
  2. Crease the jaw line. Fold the top fold down 1.4 cm through both layers and crease it hard.
  3. Open it. Unfold it again.
  4. Slit the mouth. Cut along that crease from the right edge, 3 cm in, through both layers. This is the mouth.
  5. Crease the belly. Fold the bottom edge up on a level crease 3.2 cm below the top fold.
  6. Open it. Unfold it again. The body goes above this crease, the legs below it.
  7. Crease the arm line. Fold the right end behind on an upright crease 8.8 cm from the right edge.
  8. Open it. Unfold it again. The small arm will hang just in front of this crease.
  9. Crease the hips. Fold the right end over on an upright crease 12.4 cm from the left edge.
  10. Open it. Unfold it again. The two legs will be cut on either side of this crease.
  11. Tail end back. Outside-reverse-fold the left end back over the body on an upright crease 9 cm from the left edge.
  12. Cut the tail. Cut up the left end fold, leaving 2.6 cm at the top. Trim the flap to a point: a slant from there to its far end on the top fold.
  13. Tail out. Outside-reverse-fold the tail strip out on a crease from its bottom corner, so the long tail sticks straight back.
  14. Neck end back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body on an upright crease 7 cm from the right edge.
  15. Cut the neck. Cut up the right end fold, leaving 2.6 cm at the top. Trim the flap straight to its tip, 2.6 cm deep, and round the tip's top corner.
  16. Cut the legs. Cut along the belly crease to 1.8 cm each side of the hip crease, up that crease 8 mm and up the arm line. Trim the back leg slanting back, the front one forward.
  17. Cut the arm. In front of the arm line, cut the flap under the chest to a small arm: 8 mm wide at the belly crease, slanting forward to a point.
  18. Round the body. Snip the bottom corner of the body off at the tail end in a slant, 1.4 cm along the belly.
  19. Neck up. Outside-reverse-fold the neck strip up on a crease from its bottom corner, so the thick neck rises forward.
  20. Head back. Outside-reverse-fold the top 4.4 cm of the neck back down along it, on a crease from its back edge.
  21. Head forward. Reverse-fold it out again from the same point, so the big head points straight ahead.
  22. Jaw: down. From the end of the mouth slit, fold the lower jaw down and back on each side, an outside reverse fold.
  23. Jaw: open. Reverse-fold it out again from the same point, so the lower jaw hangs open below the top one.

Roar!

Draw a fierce eye with a brow ridge over it, and white teeth along both jaws. Then stomp it across the table!

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