This Origami Waterbomb Pumpkin is basically a waterbomb. The only thing that makes it a pumpkin is that you use orange colored paper; there is a green “stem” sticking out the top of the model; and you get to draw eyes & mouth for a jack o’lantern. It is a fun model to make: you get to blow into the hole to inflate the model. It is 3D so it can serve as a table decoration.
Origami Waterbomb Pumpkin Instructions
Step 1:
Take a square sheet of paper and fold it in half (left to right) and unfold. Repeat folding top to bottom; unfold. If you are using origami paper, start with the color-side facing up. |
Turn the paper over. |
Step 2:
Fold the paper along the diagonals. Unfold. |
Step 3:
Collapse the paper along the existing crease lines. To do this, bring the top-edge of the paper down towards the bottom-edge. At the same time, bring together the left & right sides of the paper. |
Keep going until you get a triangular shape with two flaps on the right and two flaps on the left. |
Step 4:
Work with the top flaps only: fold up the corners so they meet at the top of the triangle. |
Step 5:
Work with the top layer of the model. Fold the left and right corners towards the middle so they are just touching. |
Step 6:
Fold the top-corner of the paper down so it aligns with the fold made just above (join blue dots). Unfold and repeat on the right side of the model. |
Step 7:
Pry open the small “pockets” and tuck the flap of paper into the pockets. See next image. |
Step 8:
Tuck the flaps of paper securely into the pockets and press down firmly to flatten. |
Turn the model over. |
Step 9:
Repeat steps 4 to 8 on this side of the model. First, fold up the bottom corners so they meet at the top of the triangle. |
Step 10:
Fold in the left and right corners so they meet in the middle. |
Step 11:
Fold down the top corners so they meet the edge made above. Do this on both sides of the model. Unfold. |
Step 12:
Tuck the pointed flaps into the pockets as in step 8. |
Step 13:
If you want to draw eyes and mouth, this is the time to do it before we inflate. Rotate the model so the hole (blue dot) is pointing up. |
Step 14:
Like turning the pages of a book, flip one “page” from the right towards the left. At the back of the model, flip one “page” towards the right. |
Step 15:
Draw eyes and mouth as desired. Make sure the features are within the square marked by the green arrowheads (not above or below). |
Step 16:
Rotate the model so you are looking at the hole. Splay apart the 4 flaps so they are away from each other. |
Step 17:
Bring the paper to your mouth and inflate the model so it balloons up like a ball. |
 Keep blowing until the origami waterbomb pumpkin is fully inflated. |
Step 18:
Rotate the model so it sits on the base that is opposite of where the hole is located. |
Step 19:
Use a narrow object like a skewer and insert it into the hole to pop out any areas which has not inflated completely. |
 Completed Origami Waterbomb Pumpkin. |
Instructions for Stem
You can use anything as a stem. Just roll up a piece of green paper and stick in into the hole at the top of the model. The method below is kind of cute. Step 1:
Get a sheet of green paper that is about an inch longer than the size of the waterbomb pumpkin. Roll it up into a skinny tube. It must be skinny enough to slide into the hole at the top of the waterbomb. |
Step 2:
Press down on the bottom of the tube. |
Step 3:
Pinch the tube above the flatten area made in step 2. |
Step 4:
Continue pressing and pinching all the way up the tube. Make the press and pinches perpendicular to one another. |
 When completed, you will get a roll of paper that has been pinched or pressed along the length of the paper. |
 Insert this green stem into the hole of the pumpkin. |
 Nice! |
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