It's not Friday yet, so ITIAYAQD!

[cyrano]

So does anybody remember, back in school, the kids would fold up a piece of paper in a certain way and then open and close it, open and close it, until finally they'd abruptly decide to stop, and then you'd discover what your favorite color was or how many kids you were going to have when you got married or the name of the therapist you'd spend years describing your childhood and family to?

What are those called, and how do they work?

Comments

[schquee.livejournal.com]

They didn't just decide to stop, the number of times it was opened and closed depended on what was written on the folded up pieces of paper. It starts with 4 choices on the outside, and you have to choose one number, they open and close for that number, and then I forgot what else. I don't know what they're called, but now I want to know!!

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

And thus the student was enlightened. (:

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

It's called a cootie catcher.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

And I finally figured out why!

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I always heard them called "fortune tellers", although I think my origami book had a pattern for one that called them salt cellars (the idea being you could set them on their points and keep salt in the pockets, I guess).

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the non-alcoholic margarita mix--lick your fingers and stick them in the pockets. (:

[amanda_lodden.livejournal.com]

I can definitely answer the first question with a resounding "yes", but as for the second... I've got nothing.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

And now we know. And knowing... is half the battle.

Cootie Catcher

[carabosse.livejournal.com]

With explanations and instructions. It's amazing how many patterns there are online...

ttp://www.liketotally80s.com/cootie-catcher.html

http://www.momsminivan.com/article-cootie-catcher.html

Re: Cootie Catcher

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Cool. ...I guess they're pretty retro, from the looks of it. I was hoping that kids still did this thing. Maybe they do.

Re: Cootie Catcher

[miss-friday.livejournal.com]

Yes, they of the elementary persuasion, still do. They call them "fortune tellers" though.

Re: Cootie Catcher

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Yay for our reporter on the scene!

Re: Cootie Catcher

[miss-friday.livejournal.com]

Speaking of retro, what's really cool right now with the kids is paper airplanes.

Re: Cootie Catcher

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Ooo. I can use that in my game too.

[darth-snarky.livejournal.com]

They are either called fortune tellers or cootie catchers. (There's an alternate way to use them where the can actually "catch" cooties).

There are slight variations, but in general: you take a regular piece of paper. You take a corner, and fold it down diagonally to the opposite side. You then cut off the bottom bit that's NOT under the folded part, and either recycle it or maybe decorate it later to make a bookmark or something.

You now have a folded sheet that looks like a triangle. When you unfold it, you'll have a square. Fold it into another triangle, along the opposite diagonal, and then unfold and it flip it over. Take each corner of the sheet and fold them into the center, to make a smaller square. Flip it over, repeat. You're almost done!

The corners you just folded in should be numbered from 1-8 (each corner gets two numbers, and is conveniently divided in half by the fold). Underneath each fold write a fortune (any fortune--the future weather, kids you'll have, how you'll die, some pithy statement). Put the flaps back down. Flip the whole thing over. You'll have four square flaps. Color each one a different color.

Now, stick your fingers under flaps and push it up and in (if you've seen them before, you know the shape--that's what your making). To tell a fortune, ask someone to pick a color from the four on the outside. Spell out that color, opening and closing the fortune teller for each letter. It'll then be open on four numbers. Tell them to pick a number. Open and close it that many times. Tell them to pick another number. Lift the flap with that number and read them their fortune.

Alternately, to catch cooties, don't bother with the numbers/colors. One you've folded in the second set of corners, lift one corner, and draw tiny little bugs under it, and do the same for the corner directly opposite. Leave the space under the other corners blank. Stick your fingers in, to make it 3D, as with the fortune-telling. Walk up to an unsuspecting victim, and ask "Do you have cooties?" while opening & closing your cootie catcher. Then--making sure it's open to the two flaps that are blank--open both sides and rub it on their hair. Close the flaps, close the cootie catcher, then spin it around on your fingers, saying "it's testing...it's testing...testing you for cooties..." Keep track of how you spin it, because when you open the cootie catcher again, you want to open it so it'll be open to the two flaps with the bugs under them. Lift those flaps, show the bugs and yell "YOU HAVE COOTIES!!! GROSS!!" then run away to the opposite end of the playground screaming "[So-and-so] HAS COOTIES!! RUN!!" (alternately, "so-and-so has boy/girl cooties" depending on their gender). Hide in a corner with your friends and exchange cootie shots.

...I spent all my recesses productively.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

This is so awesome. (:

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

(Do you happen to know if they still do this?)

[wilson-lizard.livejournal.com]

I made one for Kiddo, but I can't say he plays with it.

[my-aerie.livejournal.com]

Marry me? :D