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How to fold an origami bus stop

A rainy-day street build. Fold the gallery double-decker, street lamp, umbrella and dachshund, then a glass shelter, a pleated bench, a stop sign with a timetable and the people waiting.

You need: 26 pieces: grey-blue A4; black, yellow, grey, red, pale-blue, green, brown, blue, skin and purple paper (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue.. Challenge, 99 steps, about 120 minutes.

Steps

  1. Sky: crease the middle. Start with the sky: a grey-blue A4 sheet lying long. Fold it in half, short edges together, and open it. It bends on this crease to stand.
  2. Street lamp: new sheet. Set the sky aside. For the street lamp, take a 29.3 × 3.2 cm piece of black paper, white side up, long side across.
  3. Street lamp: fold in half. White side up, fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  4. Street lamp: in half again. Fold the bottom edge up onto the top edge: a long, thin black bar.
  5. Street lamp: foot. About 2.4 cm from the left end, fold the rest of the bar back to the left, on top.
  6. Street lamp: up the pole. Halfway along the foot, fold the bar straight up with a 45-degree fold: the pole.
  7. Street lamp: start the crook. About 9 cm up, fold the top over to the right on a long slant, so it leans out halfway between up and right.
  8. Street lamp: over the top. About 1.2 cm on, fold it on a slant again so it points straight right.
  9. Street lamp: round the bend. About 1.2 cm on, fold it down on a slant again.
  10. Street lamp: down at the end. Fold the end straight down on a slant again, so it hangs from the crook.
  11. Lantern: new sheet. Set the pole aside. For the lantern, take a 4.5 cm square of yellow paper, white side up.
  12. Lantern: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  13. Lantern: shape the lamp. Fold the two top corners behind on a slant and the two bottom corners behind a little: a glowing lantern.
  14. Pavement: new sheet. Set the lantern aside. For the pavement, take a 29.7 × 10 cm grey strip, white side up, long side across.
  15. Pavement: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge. The fold is the front edge of the scene.
  16. Pavement: gentle slopes. Fold the top left and right corners behind on long slants, 1.2 cm down the ends, so the ground rises in the middle.
  17. Bus: new sheet. Set the pavement aside. For the bus, take a 17 × 12 cm piece of red paper, red side up, long side across.
  18. Bus: top and bottom behind. Red side up, long side across, fold the top edge behind about 3.2 cm and the bottom edge behind about 3.6 cm.
  19. Bus: fold up. Fold the lower half up on a level line just below the middle.
  20. Bus: fold down. Fold it back down on a line just above, leaving a step across the bus: top deck above, bottom deck below.
  21. Bus: sides behind. Fold the left and right edges behind, about 2.4 cm each.
  22. Bus: snip the strips free. Snip along both side folds from the top edge down to the middle step, so the upper parts of the strips behind come loose.
  23. Bus: wheels down. Fold each loose strip down behind, level with the end of the snip, so its end pokes out below the bus as a wheel.
  24. Bus: round wheels and roof. Fold the bottom corners of both wheels and the two top corners of the bus behind, a little each.
  25. Stop pole: new sheet. Set the bus aside. For the bus stop pole, take a 1 × 16 cm grey strip, grey side up, standing tall.
  26. Stop pole: narrow it. Fold the left and right edges behind to meet in the middle at the back: a thin, stiff pole.
  27. Stop sign: new sheet. Set the pole aside. For the stop sign, take a 2.8 cm square of red paper, red side up.
  28. Stop sign: top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom edges in 3 mm.
  29. Stop sign: sides. Fold the sides in 3 mm too: a white rim round the red.
  30. Stop sign: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 7 mm along each edge: a round-cornered sign.
  31. Timetable: new sheet. Set the sign aside. For the timetable, take a 2.6 × 3.8 cm piece of yellow paper, yellow side up.
  32. Timetable: top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom edges in 3 mm.
  33. Timetable: sides. Fold the sides in 3 mm too: a framed timetable board.
  34. Shelter glass: new sheet. Set the timetable aside. For the shelter's glass back, take an 8 × 10.6 cm piece of pale-blue paper.
  35. Shelter glass: top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom edges in 4 mm.
  36. Shelter glass: sides. Fold the sides in 4 mm too: a pane of glass in a white frame.
  37. Shelter posts: new sheet. Set the glass aside. For the posts, take a 36.6 × 1.2 cm dark-green strip (join two strips), long side across.
  38. Shelter posts: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  39. Shelter posts: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners: a beam on two tall posts.
  40. Shelter roof: new sheet. Set the posts aside. For the roof, take a 10 × 1.9 cm piece of dark-green paper, green side up.
  41. Shelter roof: white edge. Fold the bottom edge up 3 mm: a white edge along the front of the roof.
  42. Shelter roof: slope it. Fold the top corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, so the roof slopes down at the ends.
  43. Bench back: new sheet. Set the roof aside. For the bench back, take a 6.4 × 3.8 cm piece of light-brown paper.
  44. Bench back: pleat 1. Fold the bottom part up on a line 1.1 cm below the top edge.
  45. Bench back: pleat 1 back. Fold it back down on a line 3.5 mm higher. The pleat's edge parts two boards.
  46. Bench back: pleat 2. Make a second pleat the same way, its line 2 cm below the top edge.
  47. Bench back: pleat 2 back. Fold it back down 3.5 mm higher: three boards.
  48. Bench seat: new sheet. Set the bench back aside. For the seat, take a 12.4 × 1 cm dark-brown strip, long side across.
  49. Bench seat: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  50. Bench seat: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners: a seat on two legs.
  51. Raincoat hood: new sheet. Set the seat aside. Now a child on the bench: for the hood, take a 2.8 × 2.7 cm yellow piece.
  52. Raincoat hood: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge: a round hood.
  53. Child's legs: new sheet. Set the hood aside. For the legs, take a 6.8 × 1.2 cm blue strip.
  54. Child's legs: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  55. Child's legs: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners: two legs in jeans.
  56. Raincoat: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For the raincoat, take a 3.4 cm square of yellow paper, yellow side up.
  57. Raincoat: flare it. Fold the left and right edges behind on slants, 7 mm at the top and nothing at the bottom: a coat that flares out.
  58. Child's face: new sheet. Set the coat aside. For the face, take a 1.9 cm square of skin-tone paper.
  59. Child's face: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge.
  60. Dog: new sheet. Set the face aside. For the dog, take a 5.4 cm square of brown paper, white side up, like a diamond.
  61. Dog: fold in half. The long fold at the top is the dog's back.
  62. Dog: crease the front legs. Fold the right part over on an upright crease 1.3 cm right of the middle, and crease it hard. This marks the back of the front legs.
  63. Dog: open it. Unfold it back into the triangle.
  64. Dog: crease the hind legs. Fold the left part over on an upright crease 1.7 cm left of the middle. This marks the front of the hind legs.
  65. Dog: open it. Unfold it again.
  66. Dog: ends back. Outside-reverse-fold both ends back over the body, on upright creases 1.9 cm from the right point and 8 mm from the left point.
  67. Dog: cut the legs. Cut the bottom point off level, 1.5 cm below the top fold. Cut up both leg creases 4 mm, and straight across between them for the belly.
  68. Dog: cut the head and tail. Cut up both end folds, leaving 9 mm at the front and 2 mm at the back. Trim the head flaps to a 4 mm snout and the tail flaps to a thin point.
  69. Dog: lift the head. Outside-reverse-fold the head up and forward on a crease from its bottom corner, so the long snout points ahead and a little up.
  70. Dog: lift the tail. Outside-reverse-fold the tail out backwards on a crease from its bottom corner, so it points back and a little up.
  71. Dog's ear: new sheet. Set the dog aside. For its ear, take a 1 cm square of dark-brown paper, brown side up, like a diamond.
  72. Dog's ear: narrow it. Fold the left and right corners behind, so it is a long narrow shape.
  73. Dog's ear: round the tip. Snip the bottom point off round with three little cuts, so the ear ends soft and floppy.
  74. Umbrella handle: new sheet. Set the ear aside. For the umbrella handle, take a 1.1 × 8 cm piece dark-brown strip, white side up, standing tall.
  75. Umbrella handle: edges in. Fold the long edges in to meet in the middle, making a thin dark stick.
  76. Umbrella handle: bend the end. Near the bottom, fold the end out to the left on a slant, so it sticks out sideways.
  77. Umbrella handle: hook it. Fold the very end up on a slant, so the handle ends in a hook.
  78. Umbrella: new sheet. Set the handle aside. For the canopy, take a 5.7 × 3.4 cm piece of red paper, red side up.
  79. Umbrella: fold in half. Red side up, long edges at the top and bottom. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
  80. Umbrella: in half again. Fold the left edge over onto the folded edge, making a narrow stack of four layers.
  81. Umbrella: snip the corners. Cut a small round curve off both bottom corners, through all four layers. These make the scallops on the rim.
  82. Umbrella: open once. Unfold the last fold.
  83. Umbrella: open flat. Open the canopy out flat. The bottom edge now has four round scallops.
  84. Umbrella: top corners. Fold both top corners behind on a slant.
  85. Umbrella: round the dome. Fold the four new corners behind, just a little, so the top is a smooth dome.
  86. Waiting man's hair: new sheet. Set the canopy aside. Now the man holding it: for his hair, take a 2.6 cm square of dark-brown paper.
  87. Waiting man's hair: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge.
  88. Waiting man's arms: new sheet. Set the hair aside. For his arms, take a 6.8 × 1 cm skin-tone strip, long side across.
  89. Waiting man's arms: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  90. Waiting man's arms: bend the ends. Fold the left end down on a slant from the bottom corner, and the right end up on a slant from the top corner, to hold the umbrella.
  91. Waiting man's legs: new sheet. Set the arms aside. For his legs, take a 7.3 × 1.2 cm dark-grey strip.
  92. Waiting man's legs: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  93. Waiting man's legs: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners: two legs.
  94. Waiting man's coat: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For his coat, take a 3.6 × 4.4 cm purple piece, purple side up, standing tall.
  95. Waiting man's coat: flare it. Fold the left and right edges behind on slants, 8 mm at the top and nothing at the bottom.
  96. Waiting man's head: new sheet. Set the coat aside. For his head, take a 2.1 × 2.2 cm piece of skin-tone paper.
  97. Waiting man's head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 5.5 mm along each edge.
  98. Build the scene. Glue the lamp on the sky and the pavement below, then the bus, the stop sign and the shelter with its bench. Add the child, the dog and the man with his umbrella.
  99. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you on the middle crease and stand the whole bus stop up on the table.

Here comes the bus!

Draw the bus windows and door, BUS on the sign, rows on the timetable, the umbrella ribs, faces, boots, the dog's eye and nose, and a few raindrops.

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