Welcome to Origami Course Week 4: Action Origami
Fb link: http://bit.do/OrigamiCourseW4
Action origami models are unique in that they move. The most obvious action models are the paper airplanes . But the oldest action models have been with us for over 400 years.
The cootie catcher may have been invented in the the early 1600's. This device has had many names: "salt cellar", "fortune teller", "flipper", and "scrunchies". The inflatable waterbomb was documented by J. Webster in 1614. In his play "The Duchess of Malfi", he mentions paper containers where flies were kept so that little boys could hear them buzz. This is taken as strong evidence that paper folding was known in England in the early 1600's. it also shows that the waterbomb is almost 400 years old!
The flapping bird may have been invented near 1870. It is suggested that a traveling magician, unable to remember the paper crane, invented the flapping bird by accident. Read more about this in David Lister's essays from BOS.
Traditional action origami models like the flapping bird, the shuriken, and the jumping frogs (shown above) are relatively easy to fold. But some modern action models like Spring Into Action created by Jeff Beynon can be quite complex.