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How to fold an origami dashing chipmunk

Fold a kite body, slit legs and fling them out front and back, free a strip along the back: stand the front up as a round ear and flick the back up as a tail.

You need: 1 chestnut-brown square (15 cm), scissors, and black and white pens. Hard, 18 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Crease the middle. White side up, turned like a diamond, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner, crease and unfold.
  2. Kite. Fold the edges at the left point in on creases from the point to 7.5 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the chipmunk's snout.
  3. Narrow the other end. Fold the edges at the right point in on creases from the point to 6.4 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the tail.
  4. Tummy corners. Fold the top and bottom corners in on creases 4.8 cm above and below the middle crease. They will be hidden inside.
  5. Fold in half. Fold the top half down onto the bottom half along the middle crease. The long fold on top is the back, the flat bottom is the tummy.
  6. Crease two strips. Fold the bottom edge up 1.2 cm and the top edge down 1.3 cm, all layers, and crease both hard. These strips give the legs and the ear and tail.
  7. Open it. Unfold both strips again.
  8. Slit the legs. Cut along the strip crease from the front end in 2.7 cm, and from the back end in 4.3 cm.
  9. Free the ear and tail. Cut along the top crease from the front end in 2.2 cm. Cut along the top crease from the back end in 8.4 cm.
  10. Front legs: reach. Swing the front strip down on slanted creases from its inner end, the front layers one way and the back ones behind, a little apart.
  11. Back legs: push off. Swing the back strip down the same way, the front layers forward and the back ones behind.
  12. Ear up. Fold the free front strip up behind on a slanted crease from the end of its cut, both layers together, so it stands up behind the snout.
  13. Round ear. Fold the top of the ear down behind 2.3 cm above the end of the cut, so the ear is short and round.
  14. Snout. Fold the sharp tip of the head behind, 2.7 cm from the tip, all layers but the ear.
  15. Tail up. Fold the long free back strip up behind on a slanted crease from the end of its cut, both layers together, so the tail stands up.
  16. Flick. Fold the top half of the tail back on a slanted crease across it, so the tip flicks out behind.
  17. Rump. Fold the pointed back end of the body behind on an upright crease just behind the tail. Leave the tail and legs out.
  18. Round the rump. Fold the new bottom back corner behind a little too, so the rump is round.

Zoom!

Draw a shiny eye and a nose, and a dark stripe with a white one under it along the back.

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