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How to fold an origami bat

A triangle with a deep band folded up, then the wings swing up level. Pleat the wing tips so they droop, and snip the top point to spread it into two pointy ears.

You need: 1 square sheet, black or purple on one side, and small scissors. Hard, 10 steps, about 8 minutes.

Steps

  1. Make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  2. Fold in half. Fold the triangle in half, right corner onto the left, and crease it firmly.
  3. Open it again. Unfold it back into a triangle. The middle crease is where you will snip the ears.
  4. Fold up a band. Fold the bottom edge up about a third of the way to the top point.
  5. Turn it over. Flip it over from side to side, keeping the point at the top.
  6. Wings up. Fold each bottom corner up, creasing from the middle of the bottom edge, until the top edge of the wing lies level.
  7. Fold the tips in. Fold the tip of each wing in, creasing from a point on its top edge near the tip down to the corner below it.
  8. Fold the tips out. Fold each tip back out on a crease that leans in a little at the bottom, so the tip droops.
  9. Snip the ears. Cut down the middle crease from the top point to just below the level of the wing tops.
  10. Spread the ears. Fold the two cut points out a little to the sides, so they part into two pointy ears.

Fangtastic!

Give it two white eyes with a gel pen or paper dots, then hang it upside down.

How to hang it

  1. Tape a loop of thread to the back, just below the ears.
  2. Hang it in a window or doorway, or upside down under a shelf like a sleeping bat.
  3. Fold a few in black and purple for a whole colony.

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