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Connected Paper People Chain

Fold a four-layer accordion, cut a person through the entire stack, and unfold four people holding hands. The hand bridges stay uncut.

Preparation + 10 numbered steps

Materials

8 × 3-inch rectangle · 8 × 3 inches

One 8 × 3-inch strip (20.32 × 7.62 cm) of thin paper, a ruler, pencil and scissors. Prepare the strip before starting. Use scissors suited to four layers; adult help for young makers. No glue or separate joining pieces.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Connected Paper People Chain: four cut-out people joined by uncut hands from one accordion-folded strip
Four cut-out people joined by uncut hands from one accordion-folded strip

Follow along

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 track the original halves of the strip, not literal paper colors. Orange marks moving paper or the cutting route. The narrow hand bands at the folded edges must remain uncut.

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 track the original halves of the strip, not literal paper colors. Orange marks moving paper or the cutting route. The narrow hand bands at the folded edges must remain uncut.

  1. 0. Prepare the strip
  2. 1. Fold in half
  3. 2. Fold the front half back
  4. 3. Fold the rear half behind
  5. 4. Draw the person and protect the hands
  6. 5. Cut the upper outline through all layers
  7. 6. Cut the body and between the legs
  8. 7. Lift away the waste
  9. 8. Open the rear person
  10. 9. Open the front person
  11. 10. Unfold the connected chain
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the strip

    PREPARATION · Original measured chain pattern

    Prepare the strip

    Place the 8-inch edge horizontally. The top and bottom edges should be straight and parallel.

    Layers: One continuous 8 × 3-inch rectangle.

    Check: There are no slits or separate pieces yet.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold in half

    STEP 1 · Original measured chain pattern

    Fold in half

    Bring the right short edge to the left short edge and press the vertical middle fold.

    Layers: Move the entire right half.

    Check: A doubled 4 × 3-inch rectangle remains.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the front half back

    STEP 2 · Original measured chain pattern

    Fold the front half back

    Bring only the upper free left edge back to the closed right edge. Crease halfway across that upper layer.

    Layers: Move the upper layer only; leave the lower half still.

    Check: The front panel is 2 inches wide.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the rear half behind

    STEP 3 · Original measured chain pattern

    Fold the rear half behind

    Bring the lower free left edge to the same right edge by folding away from you behind the packet. Press the crease.

    Layers: Move the lower layer behind the packet, not the upper folded panel.

    Check: Four 2 × 3-inch panels form a closed accordion.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldKeep both side hand bands uncut2 × 3 in packet · cut all FOUR layersDraw the person and protect the hands

    STEP 4 · Original measured chain pattern

    Draw the person and protect the hands

    Keep the packet upright, 2 inches wide and 3 inches tall. Measure x from its left edge and y down from its top. Draw the upper cutting route through (0,0.9), (0.8,0.9), (0.8,0.75), (0.55,0.6), (0.55,0.2), (0.7,0), (1.3,0), (1.45,0.2), (1.45,0.6), (1.2,0.75), (1.2,0.9), (2,0.9). Draw the lower route through (0,1.25), (0.45,1.25), (0.45,1.5), (0.35,1.9), (0.2,3), (0.8,3), (1,1.9), (1.2,3), (1.8,3), (1.65,1.9), (1.55,1.5), (1.55,1.25), (2,1.25). Join consecutive points with straight lines.

    Layers: Draw on the top layer only. The marks will guide cuts through all four layers.

    Check: On BOTH side edges, leave the band from 0.9 to 1.25 inches below the top uncut. These are the hands.

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  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldKeep both side hand bands uncut2 × 3 in packet · cut all FOUR layersCut the upper outline through all layers

    STEP 5 · Original measured chain pattern

    Cut the upper outline through all layers

    Hold the four layers together. Cut along the upper route, working in from each side if easier. Follow the head and neck corners slowly. The horizontal section across the top of the head is already the paper edge.

    Layers: Cut all four layers together. Do not cut either protected hand band.

    Check: The head and upper arm outlines match on every layer.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldKeep both side hand bands uncut2 × 3 in packet · cut all FOUR layersCut the body and between the legs

    STEP 6 · Original measured chain pattern

    Cut the body and between the legs

    Cut the lower route through the entire stack. Work from the side edges and bottom edge as needed. Cut the V-shaped gap up from the bottom to the crotch mark 1.9 inches below the top; stop there. Bottom foot edges are already paper edges.

    Layers: All four layers receive the same lower outline. Keep the hands and torso intact.

    Check: Two legs remain on each person. Both 0.35-inch hand bridges are still intact.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLift away the waste

    STEP 7 · Original measured chain pattern

    Lift away the waste

    Keep the cut person packet closed and set the loose upper, side and between-leg scraps aside. Do not pull on the hands. The animation moves the discarded material away before leaving it out of later views.

    Layers: Remove only cut-off waste from all four layers; retain the complete connected person packet.

    Check: You have a four-layer person shape, joined at the side-edge hands.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the rear person

    STEP 8 · Original measured chain pattern

    Open the rear person

    Gently return the rear outer panel along its existing crease until it lies flat beside the neighboring panel. Support the hand bridge as it opens.

    Layers: Open the same rear panel folded in step 3.

    Check: The rear hinge opens without separating the hand.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the front person

    STEP 9 · Original measured chain pattern

    Open the front person

    Open the front outer panel along its original crease, flattening it beside its neighbor.

    Layers: Open the panel folded in step 2; leave the middle fold closed.

    Check: The two outer panels are open; the middle pair is still folded.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldUnfold the connected chain

    STEP 10 · Original measured chain pattern

    Unfold the connected chain

    Open the middle crease all the way, carrying its already opened outer person. Lay the chain flat and smooth the hands gently. Display it as a flat decoration; you may draw faces afterward.

    Layers: Move the original right half as one connected two-person group. No new cuts or joins.

    Check: Four complete people remain connected by three original-paper hand bridges. The overall chain spans 8 inches.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Just Fold Paper, Original measured four-person chain pattern (2026).

Original pattern and complete instructions ↗

This measured geometric person outline, English instructions, diagrams and implementation were authored for Just Fold Paper with AI assistance. Accordion-folded cut-paper chains are a common craft technique; no claim of inventing that technique is made. No external photos, template, wording or code were copied. No project-wide reuse license is granted.

Adaptation: Original 8 × 3-inch strip and four 2-inch panels. A symmetric angular head, straight outstretched arms, tapered body and V-separated legs are specified by ruler coordinates. The 0.35-inch-high hand bridges connect adjacent panels without glue. This is a cut-paper construction, not fold-only origami.

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. Rigid folds retain original material coordinates. The full four-layer stack is partitioned along the person outline before waste removal; three original crease bridges join the four retained people. Discarded material is accounted for separately. Zero-thickness teaching geometry does not simulate scissors, paper thickness or tear strength. Real-paper cutting, folding and durability have not been tested.