Let's make it with origami! Ideas for simple 3D creations
Origami tends to be associated with flat designs, but you can actually make lots of three-dimensional pieces too.
In this article, we’ll introduce ideas for 3D origami projects.
From simple shapes like hearts, stars, and dice to small containers and toys you can play with, we’ve gathered a variety of ideas.
If you want to try making 3D origami or are looking for something a bit more challenging than flat designs, feel free to use this as a reference.
All of these ideas involve relatively simple steps, so give them a try without hesitation!
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Let's make it with origami! Simple 3D project ideas (21–30)
A long-tailed tit backpackNEW!
The illustration of the long-tailed tit is such a cute idea! You can make this with a single sheet of origami, but after creasing it, cut off the parts to be used for the lid and the shoulder straps with scissors.
Assemble the remaining part into a box to form the body.
For the long-tailed tit on the lid, use a piece of origami cut to one-quarter size.
Fold one corner on the short edge to round it, then fold it up so the white side shows, and draw the eyes and wing patterns with a pen.
It’s such a wonderful piece that makes you think, “I wish there were actually school backpacks like this!”
A school backpack made of paper packagingNEW!
You’ve probably seen snacks in plastic-free paper packages lately.
If your favorite package has switched to paper, why not use it to make a randoseru (Japanese school backpack)? From the package, cut out two squares, one half-size piece, and one quarter-size piece that’s then cut in half.
Use the square sheets to make the backpack body.
If you can fold the upper body of the traditional “yakko-san” model, you can finish this on your own.
Use the half-size piece for the flap, and use the remaining piece to make two shoulder straps.
Those just require folding in half and making narrow folds, so they’re easy!
Easy and cute cat box
Bringing out the corners to finish it as a round box is the key to giving it a cat-like look! Place the origami with the white side up and do a zabuton fold.
Flip the paper over, fold two opposite corners to the center, then roll-fold once more to crease and unfold.
Turn the paper over, fold all the center corners outward to form triangles.
Flip it over again, and use the creases you just made to stand up the edges.
Then fold the remaining corners inward to make a box.
Leave only one of the outer corners on either the right or left side unfolded to create the ears!
How to fold a Pac-Pac AnpanmanNEW!
Here’s an idea to adapt the classic origami “fortune teller” into Anpanman.
First, do the blintz fold twice and complete the fortune teller.
Then paste a slightly smaller piece of red origami paper inside the fortune teller, fold it into a triangle twice to create an X-shaped crease.
Apply glue to the top and bottom two of the four triangles formed by the creases, fold it in half along the vertical center line, and press firmly to secure.
This creates Anpanman’s mouth.
Finally, round off the edges of the finger holes on the back, attach the facial parts, and you’re done!
How to fold a playable Anpanman spinning topNEW!
Let’s make a Beyblade you can easily battle with using origami! In this idea, you’ll use four sheets of origami paper to create the outer body, inner body, handle, and hand decorations, then combine them into a single Beyblade.
The inner body and handle are basically made with the zabuton fold.
The outer body follows the same steps as the trick boat up to a point.
After making two boats, squash both sides into squares, then transform them into diamond shapes.
Draw the Anpanman illustration on this part.
Finally, make four hand decorations using origami paper cut into quarters, insert them into the illustrated section, and you’re done! The folding steps themselves aren’t difficult, so it’s perfect for parent-child origami time.
Playable! An origami box like a push pop
Here’s an idea for a Peekaboo Box that will soothe you instead of a push pop! You’ll use four sheets of origami paper to make it.
The parts you’ll make are two boxes for the exterior, a spring mechanism, and the face piece.
For the boxes, fold the sheet so the diagonal corners meet at the center, roll-fold once more, then fold in the remaining corners to form the box.
For the spring, connect strips of origami paper cut into halves to make it long, fold it in half, then accordion-fold.
For the face, fold the origami paper in thirds, cut 1 cm off the edge, and fold it into a U shape.
Connect the two boxes so there’s a slight gap between them, and attach the ends of the spring to the bottom of the lower box and the inside of the lid.
Finally, attach the face piece along the side of the lower box, and you’re done!
heart
Making a heart with origami is surprisingly easy.
Just roll up a rectangular piece of paper and press the top and bottom to form an oval.
Then push the right side firmly inward, and you’re done.
Using a thin, needle-like tool helps you get a clean finish.
If you make five small hearts and combine them, they turn into a cute flower.
Place two with the indented parts facing outward, and they might even look like butterflies.
With a little creativity, you can express all kinds of things.
A three-dimensional heart also makes a perfect gift.
Why not handcraft one with love for someone special?
Cute 3D box penguin
Here’s an idea for making a 3D penguin from a single sheet of origami paper.
Fold the corners toward the center of a square, and treat those corners as the beak and hands as you continue.
First, crease the paper to create a 3×3 grid, then do a “zabuton fold.” Next, make a stepped fold on the top corner to form the beak, and use the left and right corners to form the hands.
Then mountain-fold along the vertical creases to create the head and body, and sharpen the two bottom corners to make the feet.
You’ll mainly be folding along the crease lines, so take care to make the creasing steps neatly.
Use black origami paper and cleverly make use of the white color on the back side as you work.
How to fold a jack-in-the-box
We’ll use two boxes to make a drawer and put a spring with a pasted-on rabbit inside to create a jack-in-the-box.
For the spring, we’ll use accordion-folded origami.
To make the box, first fold the top and bottom corners of the origami to the center, then overlap the top and bottom and fold it into thirds to create crease lines.
Next, fold in the left and right sides to form the box shape.
The drawer part is basically made the same way, but if you use origami of the same size, it won’t fit, so first fold about 1 cm along two edges to reduce the size, then fold it.
Since we also want to add a handle, when folding in the right corner, fold it so that a flap sits on the top of the side as a handle.
This is a house-shaped version, so let’s also make a roof using a half sheet of origami.
A box shaped like candy
This is an adorable candy-shaped box that adds a little surprise to everyday life.
The idea involves a series of steps that create fine creases.
Using those creases, you’ll ultimately form a hexagon in the center with triangles on either side, finishing it in the shape of a candy.
Since the creases are crucial, please proceed carefully with each step.
If the creases are properly made, the shape will hold without needing tape or other fasteners.
Use polka-dot or striped origami paper for a fun, pop look.