If you are out of socks for puppets, fret not!
In this beginner origami guide, you will learn how to fold a fox puppet using a single piece of paper.
This design takes about five minutes to make and can also be converted into various other creatures by using different colored paper and decorations!
Let’s get folding!
To make a paper fox puppet, you will need a single square piece of paper. You can use regular printer paper cut into a square; however, I recommend origami paper for the best result!
In this tutorial, I’ll be using a multi-color 6 x 6 sheet of origami paper with orange on one side and white on the other, but you can use single-colored paper as well.
For this fold, you might wish to use larger paper. Standard 6 x 6 origami paper makes for a small puppet, and if you have larger fingers, it might be hard to use.
If you use multi-color paper with a different color on each side, you’ll need to decide which color you want for each part of your fox.
Whichever color is facing up on step one will determine the color of the fox’s mouth, while the color facing down will specify the color of the ears. I’ll also be starting with the orange color up so that my fox’s mouth is orange and the head is white.
1. Fold in half vertically, then unfold
Begin by folding the paper in half vertically, bringing the left edge over to the right. Crease and then unfold.
2. Fold in half horizontally
Fold the paper in half horizontally, bringing the top edge to the bottom edge.
3. Fold the sides to the center
Next, fold the left and right edges of the paper to the center crease.
4. Fold the corners of each flap diagonally, then unfold
Grab the top-left corner of the right section and fold it diagonally so that it aligns with the right edge of the paper.
Now repeat this step for the left flap, folding it diagonally to the left edge.
Crease both folds and then unfold.
5. Open up and squash fold the right section
Grab the top layer of the right flap while holding down the second flap. Pull the flap over to the right while using the creases as a guide, squash fold the top section into a triangle.
6. Open up and squash fold the left section
Repeat the previous step on the left side. Grab the top layer of the left flap while holding down the second flap. Pull the flap over to the left while using the creases as a guide, squash fold the top section into a triangle.
7. Flip the paper over
Flip the paper over so that your previous folds are facing down.
8. Fold the left and right sections to the center
Fold the left and right sections to the center crease using the creases as guides.
9. Fold the bottom-right section of the top layer diagonally to the center crease
Grab the bottom-right corner of the upper flap on the right section and fold it to the center crease.
10. Fold the bottom-right edge diagonally to the center crease
Fold the upper layer of the bottom flap diagonally so that the right edge (the long side of the triangle) aligns with the horizontal centerline of the paper.
11. Fold the bottom flap up
Fold the bottom flap directly upward using the center crease as a guide.
12. Flip the paper over and repeat steps 10 through 12, but on the left side instead.
Next, flip the paper over and repeat steps 10, 11, and 12. However, this time fold the left side of the paper.
Begin by folding the bottom-left corner diagonally to the center of the paper. Fold it once more diagonally, aligning the bottom-left edge with the horizontal centerline of the paper. Then fold the flap directly up, using the horizontal centerline as a guide.
13. Open up the paper by pulling the two layers apart
Put your fingers between the two layers of paper (where the paper is thickest) and slowly pull the two layers apart.
14. Squash in the mouth
While pulling the two layers apart, squash in the back to create the mouth. You don’t need to make it perfect on this step.
15. Close the mouth to smooth out the creases
Put your fingers into the puppet and close the mouth. Run your fingers inside the inner edges of the mouth to smooth out any crinkles in the paper.
Give your origami fox puppet some eyes and maybe a nose. Place your fingers back within the puppet, and there you have it, an origami fox puppet!
If you liked this origami puppet, you might also like the origami fox! It is just as easy and looks great!
I hope that you found this origami tutorial helpful. If you would like to continue your paper-folding journey, consider checking out our growing collection of origami guides here.
Thanks for following along, and happy folding!