History Main / OrigamiGag

** In [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E20HookyMermaidManAndBarnacleBoyII "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II'']], [=SpongeBob=] is riding on his heroes' Invisible Boatmobile and while fooling around with the controls, accidentally hits the origami button, which folds the whole thing into a paper crane.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': Jack Skelington is studying Christmas and tries to make a simple paper snowflake. He folds a piece of paper into a triangle and cuts it up, then opens it to reveal a hexagon with a spider in the middle.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeMyValentineCharlieBrown'': Charlie Brown tries to teach Sally how to cut construction paper to make Valentine cards, but she first cuts out a clubs shape and then only manages to cut out a simple diamond instead of the heart she was trying for. By contrast, with a flourish of scissors, Snoopy manages to cut his paper so as to form a complex, moving carousel that even plays music.

When the item being folded is a [[{{Toon}} cartoon character]], then this is a subtrope of ForciblyFormedPhysique.

Note that this trope is specifically about doing [[RuleOfFunny something funny, strange, or unexpected]] with paper (or whatever material); simply folding or cutting paper does ''not'' fall under this trope

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/BeMyValentineCharlieBrown https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/origami_gag.jpg]] ]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Just a snip here, and a fold there...]]

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-->'''[=McCroskey=]:''' Johnny, what can you make out of this?
-->[hands him the weather printout]
-->'''Johnny:''' This? Well, I can make a hat! I can make a brooch! I can make a pterodactyl--
-->[[=McCroskey=] snatches the report out of Johnny's hands]

** Someone takes an ordinary piece of paper and folds it into a wildly improbable item, such as a complex clockwork mechanism.
** Someone folds a piece of paper and cuts it up to make a snowflake. When he unfolds it, the resulting figure is anything ''but'' a snowflake.
** Someone makes an intricate origami figure using something other than their hands.
** Someone takes a rigid, non-paper item and manipulates it as it if were paper.

* In one sketch from ''ComicStrip/TheAddamsFamily'', Wednesday cuts out a string of paper dolls, one of which inexplicably has a third leg.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', Jack Skelington is studying Christmas and tries to make a simple paper snowflake. He folds a piece of paper into a triangle and cuts it up, then opens it to reveal a hexagon with a spider in the middle.

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
* Alluded to in ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', where air traffic control officer Steve [=McCroskey=] asks {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Johnny to interpret a weather report. Johnny grabs the printout and proceeds to excitedly [[LiteralMinded list the various objects he can make]] with it.
* The credits for ''Film/LiarLiar'' has a HilariousOuttake where Creator/JimCarrey crumples up a piece of paper and turns it into [[LargeHam "a goose!"]].

* Played for extreme GallowsHumor in ''Literature/InterestingTimes'', where Lord Hong has promised a man to [[ExactWords not speak nor write orders for his execution]]. When the man inevitably [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness]], Hong shows his guards an origami man -- without a head.

* It should be no surprise that a game called ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' does quite a bit with the origami motif. Many standard ''[[Franchise/SuperMario Mario]]'' enemies appear as origami versions of themselves, while [[BigBad King Olly]] transforms other characters into intricate shapes like a dog, a beetle, or a fried egg. Meanwhile, series villain Bowser is [[BadassInDistress reduced to a basic rectangle]], hopping around like a greeting card.

* In the ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' Strong Bad Email "parenting", a flashback shows Strong Sad and Strong Mad practicing changing the diapers on their [[ItMakesSenseInContext banana-pudding babies]]. Strong Sad makes a paper boat instead, while Strong Mad ends up with a paper crane and squashes the "baby" in the process.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeMyValentineCharlieBrown'': Charlie Brown tries to teach Sally how to cut construction paper to make Valentine cards, but she only manages to cut out a simple diamond shape instead of the heart she was trying for. By contrast, with a flourish of scissors, Snoopy manages to cut his paper so as to form a complex, moving carousel that even plays music.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In “Irrational Treasure”, while following a series of clues, Dipper and Mabel find a parchment full of seemingly nonsensical symbols. Spotting one that might represent fire, he concludes that a clue will be revealed by burning the parchment. Before he can, though, he turns to see that Mabel has already taken the parchment and folded it into an origami hat… which actually turns out to have been the correct thing to do as she [[AchievementsInIgnorance has unknowingly folded it into a map that leads to the next clue.]]

** In "WesternAnimation/MouseWreckers", Claude Cat is being [[{{Gaslighting}} gaslighted]] by mice Hubie and Bertie. He goes to a book on psychological disorders and says, "Here it is, the very page!"... then tears out the page and folds it into a [[NapoleonDelusion Napoleon hat]].
** In "WesternAnimation/PorkyPigsFeat", the hotel manager hands Daffy [[MyCard his card]]. Daffy responds by taking out a hole puncher and using it to make a paper doll chain out of the card.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePatrickStarShow'': In "Home ECCH!", when Squidina demonstrates how to make a bed, she folds up the blanket like an origami crane.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", one of the many problems that [[TheMillstone Homer]] causes on the father-son rafting trip involves him folding Ned's river map into a hat and wearing it.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls”: In “Irrational Treasure”, while following a series of clues, Dipper and Mabel find a parchment full of seemingly nonsensical symbols. Spotting one that might represent fire, he concludes that a clue will be revealed by burning the parchment. Before he can, though, he turns to see that Mabel has already taken the parchment and folded it into an origami hat… which actually turns out to have been the correct thing to do as she [[AchievementsInIgnorance has unknowingly folded it into a map that leads to the next clue.]]

Of course, other paper-folding shenanagans are possible. Might actually be justified if the character is a PaperMaster.

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'''Indices:'''
* ComedyTropes
* PaperTropes
* ThisIndexIsHighlyImprobable