MBFF030 - ORIGAMI - CARNIVOROUS FLOWER BY HANS DYBKJæR (FROM A SQUARE)

Action, Flowers, Hans It is with much thanks and appreciation that I am sharing the text instructions, written by well-known Danish origami artist, Hans Dybkjer, for his own intriguing action model, the Carnivorous Flower.

Having taught blind folders in Denmark and elsewhere, Hans has also produced text-only instructions for various other models (available in English and Danish), which you may find on his site at ...

Origami for the Blind - Models

For more info on folding terms and techniques, you can also visit his "Help" page at

Origami for the Blind - Help Page

Designer: Hans Dybkjer, Denmark

Text-Based instructions: Hans Dybkjer copyright 2026

Editing/English translation: Lindy van der Merwe

Type: Action.

Difficulty: Above average

Paper: Square, 15 cm

Description: If you stick a finger down into this "carnivorous flower", it gets caught by four barbs. This means you have to shake the flower quite a bit to get it off again. The paper is not so strong that you can feel it, but it's fun to get others to stick their finger in and get caught.

The flower looks very much like the bell flower you can make from the traditional lily. By making the outside slightly higher, the inside becomes slightly lower, creating a cavity at the bottom covered by the four paper corners.

Folding

Part 1 - Square Base

This method flattens the pockets the way you also need to do in the next section. It's an alternative to the standard pre-fold method used for folding this base.

Start with the outside of the paper facing forward.

Step 1

Hold the paper with a corner at top and bottom.

Step 2

Fold the bottom corner to the top.

Note

The shape is triangular with a point on each side and a corner with two layers at the top.

Step 3

 Fold the right point over to the left.

Note

There are now two triangular pockets on top of each other with their openings diagonally upward to the left.

Step 4

Open the front pocket by sticking a finger down into the bottom of it.

Step 5

Flatten the pocket so the point reaches the top corner and make a diagonal fold on each side.

Note

On the left side there is now only one point. On top of it is a square with corners to the right and left. At the top is a corner with two layers with a point between them.

Step 6

Turn the model over from left to right.

Note

The point is now on the right and lies with its pocket opening diagonally upwards to the right.

Step 7

Open the pocket by sticking a finger down into the bottom of it.

Note

It may be easier to first flip the point on the right over to the left before doing this step.

Step 8

Flatten the pocket so the point reaches the top corner and make a diagonal fold on each side.

Step 9

Check that the four points at the top corner lie exactly on top of each other, and press the folds so they are completely flat.

Note

You now have the square base, with an open corner at the top, two half-open corners on each side on top of each other, and a closed corner at the bottom.

Part 2 - Doubling the Number of Corners

Note

You can view the square base as four pockets that have openings diagonally upward, two to the right and two to the left.

Step 1

Lift the front pocket on the right side to the left so it sticks up from the center.

Step 2

Stick a finger down into the pocket so it opens.

Note

The points at the top must remain together - there is also an extra point between the layers of the paper on the left side. The former side corner now points toward you.

Step 3

Flatten the pocket.

Note

The former corner becomes flat. It must lie exactly on the center line. When flattening, a new, steeper diagonal fold is created on each side.

Note

The flattened pocket has the shape of a soft serve ice cream. The former corner on the right side now lies flat in the center and forms a horizontal edge. On each side of the edge is a new corner. Above this edge, two triangles in the backside color will be sticking up.

Step 4

Flip the new corner on the left over to the right.

Step 5

Now repeat with the front pocket on the left side: Lift it up toward the right until the corner sticks out toward you, open the pocket, flatten it so two new corners appear, and flip the new, right corner over toward the left.

Note

On each side, the front corner has been replaced by two new, but slimmer, corners.

Step 6

Turn the model over from left to right.

Note

Facing up is now a square with two corner layers at the top with two points between them, one on each side of the center. At the bottom is a closed corner. On each side is a half-open corner with pockets with openings diagonally upward to the left and right respectively.

Step 7

Repeat the above steps with the two diagonal pockets: On each side, flip the corner out toward you, flatten it so the corner ends up in the center, and flip the new corner outwards, to the side where the old corner was.

Note

Facing up is now a smooth, inside-color square diamond shape. There is a sharp, closed corner at the bottom. At the top is a right-angled corner with a single layer in front and back with two points between them. On each side there are four obtuse corners where there were previously two right-angled corners.

Part 3 - Octagon

Essentially we are going to convert the square into an octagon. You could cut off the triangles at the top along the line between the side corners, but below is explained how to fold them away instead (for the rest of the time, pretend they don't exist).

Step 1

Valley fold the top front corner down along a fold line that runs horizontally between the left and right corners

Step 2

Turn over.

Step 3

Valley fold the top front corner down along a fold line that runs horizontally between the left and right corners

Note

*The front and back now have a front-side-color triangle with the corner pointing downward. At the top, two triangles stick up with one point upward.

Step 4

Lift the two front left corners over to the right. Turn over and repeat.

Note

There is now a smooth diamond shape front and back again. There are only two single-layered corners at the top, without points between them.

Step 5

Just as above, valley fold the top front and back triangles down along the fold lines that run horizontally between the left and right corners.

Note

The shape is now a triangle standing on its point. If you open it flat, you can see that it is a regular octagon.

Part 4 - Turning the Outside In

Right now the inside part of the model is facing out, so we need to reverse this, which will also change the shape from triangular to a quadrilateral or four-sided shape with an obtuse corner at the top.

Step 1

Open the model. The center is still concave.

Step 2

Push the center so it pops up to convex.

Step 3

Push the model together again, into the existing folds without reversing them.

Note

Make sure there are four corners to the left and right respectively. Inside lie the four original paper corners hidden, distributed asymmetrically. Forget they are there (they could have been cut off).

Part 5 - Slimming

Step 1

Fold the front, right corner down so the top edge lies down along the center. This should be a sharp fold.

Step 2

Fold the corner out again.

Step 3

Press the corner into the model, along the marked diagonal lines.

Note

Essentially this is an inside reverse fold.

Step 4

Repeat this with the front, left corner.

Note

One of the two corners is thicker than the other if you didn't cut off the four paper corners, but instead hid them. Again, ignore this.

Step 5

Turn over.

Step 6

Inside-reverse the front corner on each side in the same way as before.

Step 7

Lift the two front, left corners over to the right. Turn over and repeat.

Step 8

Repeat the inside reverse folds, two in the front and two in the back.

Note

The shape is square again with sharp corners at the top front and back, There are three points on each side between them. and four obtuse corners on each side with a closed point at the bottom.

Part 6 - Shaping the Four Petals

The eight corners must now be gathered two by two into petals.

Step 1

Pull the points at the top apart so they stick out diagonally upward, like eight teeth, distributed in an approximately circular shape.

Note

Between the teeth, the inside-reverse folded corners open partially upward. The model is no longer flat.

Step 2

Push the two back points toward each other.

Step 3

Behind, a corner sticks out. Lay it over to the right side.

Step 4

The inside-reverse folded corner to the right of the two teeth flattens out upward.

Note

The two teeth now lie flat. The back one is opened flat, the other lies folded on top of the right side of the one behind it.

Step 5

Lift the right, folded tooth down into the flower and press flat along the fold line, and only there.

Note

The tooth doesn't reach all the way down. You can't press both the teeth at the top and the one folded down flat. Either the two at the top will flip inward, or the one down in the flower will flip inward a bit. This is what later gives the action effect.

Step 6

Switch to the two teeth sticking up to the right of the folded-down one. Push them together, flatten out behind and to the right at the top, and fold the right tooth down into the flower, just as you did with the two previous teeth.

Step 7

Repeat the above with the last two pairs of teeth.

Step 8

Press the four teeth that were folded down into the middle of the flower a bit, so they settle nicely and sit in tension against each other.

Note

The flower is finished. It has a pyramid shape with four petals. At its center the four folded-down teeth hide a cavity, and only the outside color can be seen.

Action

Show the flower to someone. Tell them it's dangerous. Hold it and ask the other person to stick out an index finger and put it down into the flower. Push the flower a bit so their finger goes all the way down - this also creates a surprise effect. Let go of the flower.

The four folded-down teeth act as barbs so it hangs on the finger as if it's being eaten.

Making origami accessible through text-based instructions.

For non-commercial use only.

Compiled: April 2026

This text copyright 2026 by accessorigami.com and the author.