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How to fold an origami ankylosaurus

Fold a long sheet in half, reverse-fold the tail and head and cut four stubby legs. Fold a strip small and cut it into a row of spikes, round a bony club and glue them on.

You need: A 22 x 14 cm brown rectangle, a 12 x 3.6 cm cream strip and a 3.6 cm cream square; scissors, a ruler and glue. 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 legs. Fold the left end over on an upright crease 8.6 cm from the left edge, and the right end behind on one 6.6 cm from the right edge.
  3. Open them. Unfold both ends again. The two creases mark the inside edges of the legs.
  4. Ends back. Outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the body 4 cm from the right edge, and the left end 6 cm from the left edge.
  5. Cut the strips. Cut up both end folds, leaving 2.6 cm at the right and 1.6 cm at the left. Trim the right flap to 1.8 cm deep at its tip, the left to 6 mm.
  6. Shape the head. Snip the top corner off the head strip's tip, from the top fold 1.2 cm in down to 8 mm below the fold, so the tip ends in a blunt beak.
  7. Cut the legs. Cut up both leg creases to 4.4 cm below the top fold. Cut the belly between them in a shallow curve, 4.7 cm below the top in the middle.
  8. Stubby legs. Slant both edges of each leg in 3 mm at the foot, so the four short, thick legs taper a little.
  9. Tail out. Outside-reverse-fold the tail strip out on a crease from its bottom corner, so the stiff tail sticks straight back, a little up.
  10. Head down. Outside-reverse-fold the head strip out on a crease from its top corner, so the wide head pokes out low in front.
  11. Club: new sheet. Set the body aside. Take the 3.6 cm cream square, white side up.
  12. Club: fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge.
  13. Club: round it. Snip all four corners off, 6 mm each way, so it becomes a fat, rounded club.
  14. Spikes: new sheet. Set the club aside. Lay the 12 x 3.6 cm cream strip white side up, long sides at the top and bottom.
  15. Spikes: fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The tips of the spikes will be on this fold.
  16. Spikes: fold it small. Fold the right end over to the left end.
  17. Spikes: smaller. Fold the right end over to the left end again.
  18. Spikes: smallest. And once more, so it is 1.5 cm wide. Press it flat.
  19. Spikes: cut a peak. Cut two slants through all the layers, from the middle of the top fold down to each side 4 mm above the bottom, so the spikes stay joined.
  20. Spikes: open it. Unfold the last fold.
  21. Spikes: open again. Unfold the next fold.
  22. Spikes: open it out. Unfold the first fold. A row of eight sharp spikes stands along the top!
  23. Glue it together. Glue the spikes behind the back, points up, so they poke out all along it. Glue the club over the end of the tail.

Clang!

Dot two rows of white armour knobs along the body and draw a small eye. Swing the club tail from side to side!

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