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How to fold an origami emperor penguin

The sides roll in twice for a black back on a white front. Cuts free the neck and two flippers that swing down; an outside reverse fold turns the head. Glue on the golden ear patch.

You need: A 15 cm square, black on one side and white on the other; a little orange-yellow paper; scissors, glue. Hard, 14 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Black hem. Black square, white side up. Fold the bottom edge up 1.1 cm: a black stripe for the feet.
  2. Fold in the sides. Fold the left and right edges in 1.3 cm.
  3. Roll them again. Fold each black strip over once more along its inner edge. Now each side has a thick black stripe, with white in the middle.
  4. Fold in half. Mountain-fold it in half down the middle, the right half behind. The fold is the penguin's front, the black stripe its back.
  5. Crease the shoulders. Fold the top down on a crease from the back edge 5.5 cm from the top, rising a little to the front fold. Crease hard.
  6. Open it. Unfold the top again. The black stripes above the crease will be the flippers, the white strip the neck and head.
  7. Free the flippers. Above the crease: snip the black rolls free along the back edge, cut out the white layers behind the neck, 2.1 cm from the front, and taper the rolls to points.
  8. Flippers down. Fold the front flipper down along the shoulder crease, so it hangs over the white tummy. Fold the back flipper down behind.
  9. Shape the head. Cut the top of the neck to a point 1.2 cm from the front fold: from 1.2 cm down the front, and from 1 cm down the back. That point is the beak.
  10. Head forward. Outside-reverse-fold the top straight forward, on a 45° crease from the front fold 2.4 cm from the top. Its black inside makes the head and beak.
  11. Tummy and tail. Round the bottom of the white front into a big tummy, down to the black feet. Snip the back corner on a slant for a short tail.
  12. Ear patch: new sheet. Set the penguin aside. Take a strip of orange-yellow paper, 1 × 2 cm.
  13. Cut the patch. Round off the top corners and cut the bottom end to a point, like a long teardrop.
  14. Glue on the patch. Glue the patch on the side of the neck, its top just behind the head and its point reaching down towards the tummy.

Ready for the ice!

Draw a white eye on the black head (a white gel pen works) and colour the back of the neck black. Make a whole huddle on a white paper ice sheet.

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