The Public Paperfolding History Project

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The 1885 engraving of the Flapping Bird

   These Topic and Individual Design Pages contain information about topics or individual designs taken from verifiable sources. The information should be accurate but, in some cases, it may not be all the information available.

The Topic Pages also act as indexes to help you find information about an individual design you may be interested in.

The first two sections provide links to pages about Some Well-Known Designs and Paperfolding and Some Well-Known People. Looking through a few of these may, I hope, encourage you to dig in a little deeper.

Topic and Individual Design Pages are arranged under the following sub-headings, from top to bottom:

Top Level Topic Pages

Second Level Topic Pages

Designs from Standard Bases / Basic Folds / Paper Shapes

Paperfolding Ideas / Practices

Early Japanese Paperfolding

Chinese Paperfolding

Froebelian Paperfolding

Angles, Polygons, Polyhedra and other Mathematical Paperfolds

Flexagons and Some Other Related Flexible Objects

Inanimate Objects

Living Things
 
 
 
Top Level Topic Pages
 
 
Second Level Topic Pages
 
  Active Play Designs     Designs which Move under Insect Power     How to Cook Food / Boil Water / Melt Tin etc in Paper Pans
                     
  Paperfolding in Advertising           Pattern Drawing Puzzles Solved by Folding Paper
                     
  Constructing Angles by Folding Paper           Designs from Playing Cards
                     
  Cardboard Modelling / Cartonnage     Letterfolds and Envelopes     Constructing Polygons by Folding Paper
                     
  Concentric Crease Designs / The Hyperbolic Paraboloid / The Saddle     Macromodular Paperfolding     Constructing Polyhedra by Folding Paper
                     
  Fold and Cut / Fold, Cut and Fold Animals (incomplete)     Paperfolding Stunts, Entertainments and Magical Effects     Everyday Practical and Decorative Paperfolding
                     
  Fold and Cut Chevron Designs     Paperfolding Mathematics     Paperfolding as Political Propaganda
                     
  Fold and Cut Friezes (incomplete)     Modular Paperfolding     Paperfolding Puzzles
                     
  Flexagons     Money Folding / Dollar Bill Folding     Mathematical Paperfolding Puzzles
                     
  Formal and Ceremonial Paperfolding     Tablecloth, Napkin, Serviette and Handkerchief Folding     Quilling / Paper Filigree
                     
  Single-Sheet Geometric Ornaments and Decorations (incomplete)     Noise Making Designs     Air / Breath Driven Rotating Designs
                     
  Paperfolding Games     Paperfolding in Occupational Therapy     See-Through Designs
                     
  Inflatable Designs     Fold and One Cut Designs     Paperfolding Science
                     
        Paper Packets and Packaging (incomplete)     Water Absorbing Designs
 
Designs from Standard Bases / Basic Folds / Paper Shapes
 
  Designs from the Double Blintz Basic Form     Designs from the Preliminary Fold     Designs from the Bird Base
                     
  Designs from the Double Bookfold Basic Form     Designs from the Fish Base     Designs from the Pig Base
                     
  Designs from the Triple Blintz Basic Form     Designs from the Windmill Base     Designs from the House
                     
  Designs from the Waterbomb Base     Designs from the Blintzed Windmill Base      
 
Paperfolding Ideas / Practices
 
  Pure Origami     Squarism     Metallic Foil as a Folding Material
                     
  Bases     The Concept of Elegance      
 
Japanese Paperfolding
 
A Brief History of Educational and Recreational Paperfolding in Japan
 
  Designs Braided from Split Strips     Japanese Knotted Letters     Sake Bottle Covers and Decorations
                     
  Connected Cranes     Kusudama     Shide / Japanese Sacred Cut and Fold Paper Streamers
                     
  Strings of Cranes     Noshi     Designs folded from Slit Bases
                     
  Fold and Cut Family Crests / Mon     Ocho and Mecho     Paper String
                     
  Paperfolding in Elementary Schools in Japan (in process)     Orikawari-e / Japanese Fold-in Prints     Tsutsumi - General
                     
  Japanese Folded Letters     Japanese Transformable Picture Forms     Tsutsumi - Closed Wrappers
                     
  Kaishi     Chronology of Early Japanese Representative Designs (in process)     Tsutsumi - Open Wrappers
                     
  Paperfolding in the Kindergarten in Japan            
 
Chinese Paperfolding
 
Chinese Paperfolding - An Overview
 
  Chinese Fold and Cut Designs (in process)     Golden Venture / 3D Modular Origami     Yuan Bao / Sycee
                     
  Double Square Letter Folds (in process)     Multiple Layer Collapsible Boxes (Zhen Xian Bao) (in process)      
 
Froebelian Paperfolding
 
Friedrich Froebel and paperfolding in the Kindergarten - An Overview
 
 
Angles, Polygons, Polyhedra and other Mathematical Paperfolds
 
This section is largely incomplete at present. Because of this, information about the first appearance of some mathematical paperfolds has not yet been added to the Chronology.
 
  Summing the Angles of a Triangle     Fold and One Cut Hexagons     Constructing Accurate Right Angles by Folding Paper
                     
  How to Find the Centre of a Circle by Folding     Constructing Hexagrams / Stars of David by Folding Paper     Cut and Fold Polyhedral Nets (incomplete)
                     
  Cubes     Fold and One Cut Hexagrams /Stars of David     Demonstrating / Proving Pythagoras' Theorem (incomplete)
                     
  Constructing the Equilateral Triangle by Folding Paper     Constructing Octagrams by Folding Paper     Dividing an Angle into Three Equal Parts
                     
  Constructing the Regular Hexagon by Folding Paper           Division into Thirds and Fifths (incomplete)
 
Flexagons and Some Other Related Flexible Objects
 
  Flexagons (overview)     Silverflexagons     Cherchez la Femme / The Trick Book
                     
  Hexaflexagons     Bronzeflexagons     The Flexatube
                     
  Tetraflexagons     Black Holes      
 
Inanimate Objects
 
  Alphabets, Letters and Numbers     Paper Fire Lighters     Multiple-Image Pleated Paper Pictures / Falzbilder / Tabulae Striatae
                     
  Paper Balls     Fold and Slit Paper Frills / Ruffles / Manchettes / Candle Decorations / Trees     Cut and Fold Polygonal Packets
                     
        The Paper Furnace / How to Melt Lead in Paper     Purses / Bags / Wallets / Card Holders (incomplete)
                     
  Baskets     Paper Garlands, Chains and Bands     Sedan Chairs / Kagos / Palanquins
                     
  Beads     Globus Gores     Fold and Cut Shelf Edgings and Flowerpot Decorations
                     
  Boats and Ships     Paper Hair Wrappings     Space Vehicles
                     
  Bookmarks     Hats and Caps     Paper Spills /Alumettes / Paper Matches
                     
  Boxes, Bowls and Other Containers     Jewellery / Rings     Spools / Yarn Holders
                     
  2D representations of Buildings and Structures     Flyable Kites     Symmetrical Inkblots / Klecksography / The Rorschach Test
                     
  3D representations of Buildings and Structures     Pleated Paper Lampshades     Tents
                     
  Card Castles / Houses of Cards / Chateaux de Cartes / Playing Card Skittles     Landscapes     Fold and Slit Paper Tinsel / Tassles (incomplete)
                     
  Card Castles and Cocottes     Lamps / Lanterns / Lanthorns      
                     
  Paper Cartridges     Lover's Knots     Tools and Household Equipment
                     
  Clothing and Personal Accessories     Metamorphoses / Harlequinades     Transport and Vehicles
                     
  Corporals     Mitres of Infamy      
                     
  Fold and Cut Stove and Chair Covers     Musical Instruments (non-playing)     Umbrellas and Parasols
                     
  Paper Cups            
                     
  Paper Darts and Flights     One Way Trays     Valentines, Proposals and Love Tokens
                     
  Desk Furniture     Paperclips     The Folding of Visiting / Calling Cards
                     
  Pleated Paper Fans     Folded Patenbriefs / Taufbriefs / Godparent Letters     Write and Fold Games / Draw and Fold Games / Le Cadavre Exquis
                     
  Fold-Outs (incomplete)     Paper Pipes     Wall Mounted Designs (incomplete)
                     
  Furniture     Paper Pistols     Paper Wicks
                     
  Filters     Paper Planes     Windmills
 
Living Things
 
  Bats     Elephants     Mythical and Invented Creatures
                     
  Bears     Fish     Octopii
                     
  Birds     Plants, Flowers and Seeds (incomplete)     Peacocks
                     
  Bulls and Cows     Foxes / Raccoon Dogs     Penguins
                     
        Fukusuke Figures     Pigs and Boars
                     
  Butterflies     Frogs, Toads and Tadpoles     Prehistoric Creatures
                     
  Camels     Ghosts     Rabbits and Hares
                     
  Cats     Giraffes     Rhinocerii
                     
        Hina Dolls / Emperor and Empress Figures     Father Christmas / Santa Claus
                     
  Cicadas     Horses     Miscellaneous Sealife
                     
  Crabs and Lobsters     Human Faces     Seals / Sealions
                     
  Crane and Tortoise Designs     Human Figures (incomplete)     Snails
                     
  Deer     Insects     Spiders
                     
        Kangaroos     Trees
                     
  Dogs     Leaves     Turtles / Tortoises
                     
  Dragonflies     Lizards     Whales
                     
        Mice and Rats     Wolves
                     
  Ducks, Swans and Geese     Monkeys and Apes     Zebras