{"title":"How to Make a Paper Dinosaur - Easy Origami Triceratops","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/paper-crafts/how-to-make-a-paper-dinosaur","category":{"slug":"paper-crafts","name":"Paper Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Easy Origami and Crafts","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5YtPtkKYR7oC3sxd_H1tPA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuMeiN2Ordg"},"tldr":"Fold an origami triceratops from one square of paper. Clear step-by-step folds for the base, head, horns and legs. No glue.","quickAnswer":"Fold an origami triceratops from one square of paper. A medium project: about 20 minutes. You need 2 things, including bone folder. The 10 steps start with fold the Origami Paper Square Along Both Diagonals, fold Each Corner of the Paper Square to the Center, fold the Top and Bottom Edges to the Center Crease, reverse Fold the Corners of the Origami Dinosaur Base and fold New Diagonals on the Origami Dinosaur Base.","totalDurationSeconds":770,"videoDurationSeconds":770,"difficulty":"medium","project":{"difficulty":"medium","projectMinutes":20,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":20,"estimatedCost":null,"yield":"1 origami triceratops"},"tools":["bone folder (optional)"],"materials":["1 square of origami paper, 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inches)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Fold the Origami Paper Square Along Both Diagonals","text":"Lay the square colored side down. Bring one corner to the opposite corner to make a triangle, line the points up exactly and press the fold hard. Unfold it. Fold the other diagonal the same way and unfold that too. You now have an X of creases. They are guide lines for nearly every fold that follows."},{"number":2,"title":"Fold Each Corner of the Paper Square to the Center","text":"Take the top right corner and fold it in so its point lands where the diagonal creases cross. Crease it well. Repeat with the other three corners, then unfold all four. The paper should now show a square of creases inside the X. Nothing is folded down yet, these are all reference lines."},{"number":3,"title":"Fold the Top and Bottom Edges to the Center Crease","text":"Fold the paper in half horizontally and unfold. Then fold the bottom edge up to that middle crease, and the top edge down to it, creasing both. Unfold them. Fold the paper in half vertically and unfold. Fold it in half again and keep it folded. The square is now covered in a grid of guides."},{"number":4,"title":"Reverse Fold the Corners of the Origami Dinosaur Base","text":"With the paper folded, open the right side a little at the top. Push the corner in along the diagonal creases you made earlier so it folds inside itself. That is a reverse fold. Do the same on the left side. Rotate the paper and repeat on the other two corners. Then fold down the two small top flaps."},{"number":5,"title":"Fold New Diagonals on the Origami Dinosaur Base","text":"Flip the paper over. Using the existing creases as a guide, fold a new diagonal that runs from the top point to the middle of the right side. Line up the corners before you press. Do the same on the left side. Flip back and fold up the two small flaps at the bottom, then turn it over again."},{"number":6,"title":"Fold the Origami Base in Half and Align the Edges","text":"Fold the paper in half. Carefully bring the straight edge up to meet the diagonal edge above it and crease. Then fold part of the paper back down, lining it up with the fold you made. To make the following step easier, turn the paper sideways and unfold this last step so the creases are ready."},{"number":7,"title":"Fold the Left Side Over to Finish the Dinosaur Base","text":"Open the paper again. Fold the left side over the right, using the two small diagonal creases you made as your guide. Then fold part of it back to the left along the other lines. The result is the long dinosaur base, with layered body sections at one end and spiky points at the other."},{"number":8,"title":"Reverse Fold the Head of the Origami Triceratops","text":"Fold the head section diagonally and crease it well. Unfold it, then use those lines to reverse fold it, pushing the head inside so it angles away from the body. Turn the model over and repeat the same fold on the other side so both halves match. This gives the triceratops its neck and head."},{"number":9,"title":"Fold the Horns on the Origami Triceratops Head","text":"On the first layer of the head, bring one corner to another to make a short reference crease, then unfold. Fold the edge to the end of that line, close the corner and leave it folded up. That is the first horn. Turn the model over and make the second horn the same way, starting with the reference crease."},{"number":10,"title":"Shape the Legs of the Origami Triceratops","text":"For the front legs, gently pull the head layer back a little so the legs drop down. At the back, fold the corner to form the hind legs. Finish by folding the last corner on the head into a small third horn on the nose. Stand it on the table and adjust the legs until it balances."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-08T15:19:56.893Z","published":"2026-11-08T15:19:56.708Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}