How to fold an origami chimpanzee
Fold a long arm strip with a hanging arm and a crimped, raised elbow, a crimped banana, a head with a folded brow and pale face, round ears, crimped legs and a plump body, all rounded by folding.
You need: Brown paper: 12 and 10 cm squares, strips 33 × 3 and 15 × 4 cm; a tan 14 × 6 cm strip, a yellow 8 × 2.5 cm strip; glue. Hard, 27 steps, about 40 minutes.
Steps
- Arms: in half. Take the long brown strip, white side up, lying wide. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge, so it is brown on both sides.
- Arms: left arm down. 5 cm left of the middle, fold the left end down on a slanted crease, so it hangs down and leans out a little. This is the arm resting on the knee.
- Right elbow: reverse back. 10 cm right of the middle, outside-reverse-fold the right end back over the arm on a crease from the bottom edge, nearly upright.
- Right elbow: forearm up. Reverse-fold it again on a crease from the same bottom corner, so the forearm swings up and points at the sky.
- Arms: round the hands. Fold the corners at the end of both hands behind, about 5 mm each, so the hands are round.
- Banana: new sheet. Set the arms aside. Take the small yellow strip, white side up, standing tall.
- Banana: in half. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge, so it is yellow on both sides.
- Banana: reverse back. Halfway up, outside-reverse-fold the top down over the bottom, on a crease from the folded edge.
- Banana: and up again. Reverse-fold it up again from the same corner, so the top leans over to the left. Now the banana has a gentle curve.
- Banana: blunt ends. Fold the corners at both ends behind, the outer ones further, so each end of the banana is a blunt point.
- Ears: new sheet. Set the banana aside. Take the tan strip, white side up, lying wide.
- Ears: in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge.
- Ears: round them. Fold the four corners at the ends behind, 2 cm along each edge, so both ends are round. They will stick out either side of the head.
- Head: new sheet. Set the ears aside. Take the 10 cm brown square, white side up.
- Head: brow. Fold the top edge down 2.5 cm. The brown band is the hairy top of the head, and its edge is the chimp's heavy brow.
- Head: sides. Fold the left and right edges in 1 cm, leaving a wide pale face in the middle.
- Head: round it. Fold the top corners behind 2 cm and the bottom corners 2.5 cm, so the head is round with a rounded chin.
- Head: smooth it. Fold the eight small corners left all round the head behind, about 6 mm each, so it is smooth and round.
- Legs: new sheet. Set the head aside. Take the 15 × 4 cm brown strip, white side up, lying wide.
- Legs: in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge, so the strip is brown on both sides with the fold on top.
- Knees: reverse in. 4.6 cm from each end, outside-reverse-fold the end back over the strip on a crease from the top fold, nearly upright.
- Knees: feet out. Reverse-fold each end out again from the same top corner, so the lower legs slant down and out with the feet at the bottom.
- Legs: round the feet. Fold the corners at the end of each foot behind, about 6 mm, so the feet are round.
- Body: new sheet. Set the feet aside. Take the 12 cm brown square, brown side up.
- Body: plump pear. Fold the top corners behind 4 cm and the bottom corners 2 cm, so the body has sloping shoulders and a round bottom.
- Body: smooth it. Fold the eight small corners all round the body behind, about 7 mm each, so it is smooth.
- Glue it together. Glue the arms across the shoulders and the banana in the raised hand. Glue the ears and feet behind, then the head on top, hiding the middle of the arms.
Banana time!
Draw dark eyes under the brow, a wide nose and a big grin on the pale face, inner ears, fingers round the banana and white toes.