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How to fold an origami kangaroo

Tip a triangle up so its fold is the back. Crease and cut a long tail and big feet, snip the ears free and swing them up, fold the snout down and cut the chest.

You need: 1 square sheet, 15 × 15 cm, sandy brown on one side, small scissors and a ruler. Hard, 12 steps, about 18 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top will be the kangaroo's back.
  2. Tip it up. Turn it so the long fold rises to the right and the bottom point is lowest. The left point is the tail, the right point the head.
  3. Crease the ear line. Fold the long top fold down 9 mm through both layers, and crease it hard.
  4. Open it. Unfold it. This crease marks the bottom of the ears.
  5. Crease the heel. Fold the left point over on a crease square to the bottom edge, 7 cm from the left point.
  6. Open it. Unfold it. This crease is the back of the heel.
  7. Cut the tail. Cut up the heel crease 4 cm from the bottom, then straight to the top fold 5 mm from the left point, leaving a long tail.
  8. Fold up a band. Fold the bottom edge right of the heel up 1 cm, through both layers. This band is the feet.
  9. Snip the ears. Cut along the top fold from the head point back 3.5 cm, and along the ear crease from the front edge back as far.
  10. Ears up. Fold the cut strip of each layer up on a crease from its lower corner, so they stand up as ears. Lean the back one a little further.
  11. Snout down. Fold the head point down through both layers, on a crease from the ear's lower corner to the front edge, so the snout points forward and down.
  12. Cut the chest. Cut the band's fold back 4 cm from the toes, and 7 mm in along the snout's fold. Cut the chest from one cut's end to the other.

Boing!

Draw an eye and a nose on each side, a little arm, and a pouch on the belly with a joey peeking out of it.

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