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How to fold an origami gecko

Fold a square into a slim long diamond with a thin tail and turn it over. Fold two strips into narrow bands and swing their ends out at the elbows and feet as four splayed legs.

You need: A 15 cm square and two strips 16.5 × 3 cm, yellow on one side; glue and a black pen. Hard, 17 steps, about 25 minutes.

Steps

  1. Make a kite. Square white side up, turned like a diamond, with a crease from top to bottom. Fold the two lower edges in to the crease.
  2. Narrow the head. Fold the two upper edges in to the crease too, making a long diamond. The short top point is the head.
  3. Thin tail. Fold the two long lower edges in to the crease again, so the tail is long and thin.
  4. Slim the body. Fold the two side corners behind on upright creases 3.15 cm either side of the middle.
  5. Blunt snout. Fold the tip of the head behind, about 1.1 cm.
  6. Turn it over. Flip it over. The smooth side is the gecko's back.
  7. Front legs: new sheet. Set the body aside. Take a strip, white side up, lying wide.
  8. Front legs: in half. Fold the bottom edge of the strip up to the top edge.
  9. Front legs: narrow. Fold it in half again, top down to bottom, into a narrow yellow band.
  10. Front legs: elbows. 3.75 cm each side of the middle, fold the ends up and forward on slanted creases, so they splay out like bent legs.
  11. Front legs: feet. Fold the last 1.5 cm of each leg back out sideways on a slant, so the feet grip the wall.
  12. Hind legs: new sheet. Set the front legs aside. Take the other strip, white side up, lying wide.
  13. Hind legs: in half. Fold the bottom edge of the strip up to the top edge.
  14. Hind legs: narrow. Fold it in half again, top down to bottom, into a narrow yellow band.
  15. Hind legs: elbows. 3.75 cm each side of the middle, fold the ends down and back on slanted creases, so they splay out like bent legs.
  16. Hind legs: feet. Fold the last 1.5 cm of each leg back out sideways on a slant, so the feet grip the wall.
  17. Glue it together. Glue both leg bands across the back of the body: the front legs just below the head, the hind legs where the tail starts.

Stuck to the wall!

Draw two eyes, dark spots all down the back and tail, and a round sticky pad on the tip of every toe.

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