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How to fold an origami dung beetle

Pleat and fold a black rectangle into a round beetle, narrow two strips into legs with reverse-folded knees, and fold a blintzed square into a big round ball.

You need: Black paper: a 10.5 × 9 cm piece, a 9 × 1.5 cm strip and an 8 × 1.5 cm strip; a 15 cm brown square; glue, a white gel pen. Hard, 21 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Body: pleat. Lay the 10.5 × 9 cm piece white side up, long side across. Fold the right edge over on a crease 8.2 cm from the left edge.
  2. Body: and back. Fold it back out on a crease 4 mm further left. The step marks off the head.
  3. Body: fold in half. Fold the top half down. The fold is the beetle's back, and the head will be on the right.
  4. Body: head and tail. Fold the top right corner behind, from 2.2 cm along the top to 1.7 cm down the edge. Fold the top left corner behind, 3 cm along and 2.4 cm down.
  5. Body: round back. Fold the two corners on the top fold behind on small slants, so the back is a smooth dome.
  6. Body: belly. Fold the two bottom corners behind a little, so the beetle is a plump oval.
  7. Front legs: a strip. Set the body aside. Take the 9 × 1.5 cm black strip, white side up, lying across.
  8. Front legs: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way, coloured side out.
  9. Front legs: thinner. Fold it in half again the long way. Crease it hard, so it's a thin stick.
  10. Front legs: knees. Bend both ends the same way round, 2.2 cm from each end. These are the knees.
  11. Front legs: fold a V. Fold the left half over on a slant through the middle into a V.
  12. Back legs: a strip. Set it aside and take the 8 × 1.5 cm black strip, white side up.
  13. Back legs: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way, coloured side out.
  14. Back legs: thinner. Fold it in half again the long way. Crease it hard, so it's a thin stick.
  15. Back legs: knees. 1.7 cm from each end, outside-reverse-fold the end so it bends up towards the folded edge.
  16. Back legs: fold a V. Fold the left half over on a slant through the middle into a narrow V.
  17. Ball: a square. Set the legs aside. Take the 15 cm brown square, white side up.
  18. Ball: corners in. Fold all four corners in to meet in the middle.
  19. Ball: eight sides. Fold the four new corners behind, 2.2 cm from each tip, so the ball has eight even sides.
  20. Ball: round it. Fold all eight corners behind a little, so the ball is round.
  21. Glue it together. Glue the beetle head-down beside the ball, its front V under the head and the back legs' V behind its tail, with their feet pressed on the ball.

Ready to roll!

Dot a small white eye on the head with the gel pen.

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