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Flat Origami Bear

Make a flat full-body bear from one square. A narrow side band and mirrored corner folds prepare the body; two small returns make projecting feet before the whole upper half closes down. Add an optional eye and nose to the short muzzle.

Preparation + 13 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of thin paper. Put the intended bear color facing down. Ruler and pencil for the shaping marks; optional pen for an eye and nose. No cuts or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat Origami Bear: A complete bear profile with a short muzzle, broad body and folded feet
A complete bear profile with a short muzzle, broad body and folded feet

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Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show reverse faces. Orange highlights the moving packet and its hinge.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show reverse faces. Orange highlights the moving packet and its hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the square
  2. 1. Crease the vertical center
  3. 2. Open the square
  4. 3. Crease the horizontal center
  5. 4. Open both guides
  6. 5. Fold the right-side band
  7. 6. Fold the upper left corner inward
  8. 7. Fold the lower left corner inward
  9. 8. Lower the upper right corner
  10. 9. Raise the lower right corner
  11. 10. Return the upper foot flap
  12. 11. Return the lower foot flap
  13. 12. Close the full bear body
  14. 13. Add an optional eye and nose
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the square

    PREPARATION · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Prepare the square

    Set the square with level edges and the intended bear color facing down.

    Layers: Use one uncut sheet.

    Check: All four corners are square.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the vertical center

    STEP 1 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Crease the vertical center

    Bring the right edge to the left edge and match the corners. Press the center crease.

    Layers: Move the complete right half.

    Check: The vertical center divides the square equally.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the square

    STEP 2 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Open the square

    Return the right half fully to the table.

    Layers: Open the same half.

    Check: The sheet is square again.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the horizontal center

    STEP 3 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Crease the horizontal center

    Bring the bottom edge to the top edge and press across the middle.

    Layers: Move the entire lower half.

    Check: The two center guides cross at the square center.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen both guides

    STEP 4 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Open both guides

    Lower the folded half completely.

    Layers: Open the same lower half.

    Check: The cross guides remain on a flat square.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the right-side band

    STEP 5 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Fold the right-side band

    Mark a vertical line 1 inch (2.54 cm) in from the right edge. Fold the right strip leftward onto the front.

    Layers: Move the whole narrow strip.

    Check: A contrasting band lies beside the new right edge.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the upper left corner inward

    STEP 6 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Fold the upper left corner inward

    Mark the left edge 1 inch above the horizontal center. Join that mark to the midpoint of the original top edge. Fold the upper left corner down and right on this sloping line.

    Layers: Move the complete upper-left corner. Keep the right band still.

    Check: A triangular flap points toward the center from the left.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the lower left corner inward

    STEP 7 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Fold the lower left corner inward

    Mark the left edge 1 inch below the horizontal center. Join it to the midpoint of the original bottom edge and fold the lower left corner up and right.

    Layers: Move the complete lower-left corner without lifting the upper flap.

    Check: The two left flaps mirror each other, leaving a gap at the middle.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLower the upper right corner

    STEP 8 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Lower the upper right corner

    From the original top midpoint, draw a 45-degree line down to the right until it meets the new right edge. Fold the outer upper-right packet down and left.

    Layers: Carry both the band and the backing where they overlap.

    Check: The folded packet has a vertical inner edge below the top midpoint.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRaise the lower right corner

    STEP 9 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Raise the lower right corner

    Mirror that 45-degree fold from the original bottom midpoint up toward the right edge.

    Layers: Carry every layer of the matching lower-right packet.

    Check: Both right corners are folded inward, with a short band still visible between them.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReturn the upper foot flap

    STEP 10 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Return the upper foot flap

    On the vertical inner edge of the upper-right packet, mark two thirds of an inch (about 1.69 cm) below its top point. Join this mark to the outer right corner of that packet. Fold its lower portion outward and up.

    Layers: Move only the upper-right packet, including its band layer.

    Check: A short triangular flap projects outward; its inner root stays folded.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReturn the lower foot flap

    STEP 11 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Return the lower foot flap

    Mirror the last fold: mark two thirds of an inch above the bottom inner point and join it to the outer right corner. Fold the matching portion outward and down.

    Layers: Move only the lower-right packet and its band layer.

    Check: Two matching foot flaps project at the right, ready to align when the body closes.

    Explore this step ↑
  13. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldClose the full bear body

    STEP 12 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Close the full bear body

    Fold the entire upper half down along the horizontal center crease, matching the lower outline. Smooth the bear flat.

    Layers: Carry every upper layer, including the left corner and upper foot.

    Check: A short muzzle at the left joins a broad full body, with folded foot flaps projecting below the right side.

    Explore this step ↑
  14. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldAdd an optional eye and nose

    STEP 13 · Origami Club Bear · full-body profile

    Add an optional eye and nose

    Leave the paper plain, or draw an eye near the left muzzle and a small dark nose at its upper-left tip. The example shows these marks. Keep the completed bear flat for a picture or card.

    Layers: No paper moves. The eye and nose are optional ink, not holes or added pieces.

    Check: The short muzzle, broad full body and projecting foot flaps remain one connected sheet.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami Club; diagram copyright credit: Fumiaki Shingu, A Bear (undated web diagram).

Complete Bear diagram ↗

The reference diagram credits Fumiaki Shingu. Diagram copyright credit does not establish the model designer or a design-reuse license. This guide does not label the design traditional or public domain. No source media, wording or code is reproduced; these English instructions, geometry, SVG diagrams and PDF are original.

Adaptation: Uses the complete full-body Bear, not the separate animal-face bear. The shown center guides are taught with actual folds and full reopening. Paired corner folds are separated. On the six-inch square, the right band is one inch wide. Left-corner hinges join the upper/lower center-edge points to marks one inch above/below the center on the left edge. Right corner hinges use 45-degree lines; each foot return starts two thirds of an inch down/up from its center-edge point and ends at the outer corner. These are authored measurements for the reference’s approximate fractions and unmeasured dotted lines. The last fold closes the whole upper half onto the lower one, exposing a full body and projecting foot flaps. The flat profile does not claim four separately articulated legs or standing behavior. Optional eye and nose are learner-drawn ink.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility.