What Origami Sorcery is This?!

From 2-dimensions into the realm of the ambient third dimension, a large circular coaster can pass through a small square hole...

Can you pass a circular disk through a slightly smaller square hole? 

Instinct tells you no. But you haven’t seen this latest video from Numberphile, in which Standford University’s Tadashi Tokieda demonstrates that, by folding a sheet of paper in just the right way, a round peg really can go in a square hole. 

“I made a square hole in this sheet of paper, and a coaster, a circular coaster,” explains Tokieda in the video. “I fold the paper in a mysterious fashion, and I can pass the coaster through the hole.” 

But, as Tokieda stresses, he is not cheating at all. “I didn’t stretch, let alone tear, and yet when I fold the sheet back in a judicious way, the coaster does go through the square that is bigger than the hole. How is this possible?” 

Well thankfully for the likes of you and me, Tokieda doesn’t leave us baffled for too long, and gets down to explaining exactly how he achieved the seemingly impossible. 

“I’m willing to give away the secret for free on this occasion,” Tokieda says. “It has to do with the intrinsic, or inner dimension, of this piece of paper, which is two dimensions, and the fact that this sheet evolves, or flourishes, in the ambient three dimensional space. There is some elbow room, there is some ambient space.” 

Ahhh, well I’m glad that’s cleared up! 

Nope? Still as confused as us? Well it has to do with the fact that, while in two dimensions the hole is indeed too small for the coaster to fit through, by taking the paper into three dimensions, you are able to bring two sides of the square together, which forms a wider slit than the disk and allows it to pass through. 

“This is all possible because when we do this maneuver, you’re allowing the whole thing to come out into 3D and then come back down [into 2D],” Tokieda continues. “This fact that you can escape into the ambient third dimension and come back in... gives you this.”

Hat tip:  British Origami Society

Origami Warm-up

The trick wasn't well executed.  I know the flaw/mistake I'm making that's an easy giveaway; but will do better in the future:

Origami Sighting on Penn & Teller

The ninja-like models on the background wall:

The princess and the origami frog

Magic Mailbox

Hat tip: Van Zundert-Vink Elly

Bringing a Dollar Bill to Life

Manipulating the audience....





Sorry for the sad camera angle.  I should have had someone else film.

Instant origami spray

Cool!  Just spray some tissue and "voila"!


Not really, of course.

Hat tip:  Peter Mielke on Origami-L

Previously posted:

Origamagic Crane

Origamagic Crane Arrived!

Magic Crane Review

Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend in Monterey Park

Last Sunday in Monterey Park at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.....


This is one of the first things I do in my demo, asking who in the audience has folded paper before (most people have probably done a paper glider) and as a lead in to action models.



My indoor stage demo was scheduled at 3pm on Sunday but then changed last minute to 4pm to accommodate another performer.

I've been doing this festival since 2002 or 2004.  I think it may have been my very first one and "big break" in doing things like this.  The first year I was outdoors with a booth.  I think my second year I had been given the center of the indoor gymnasium with 4 tables boxing me in.  At some point, I was asked to start doing stage demos.  That's when I had Yami and Joe with me, too.

I talk a bit about the evolution from traditional models into modern origami; including practical application nowadays into physics, sciences, and technology.  Then show off modern works of art.

My material has become such that it's growing a bit stale; but I follow a formula that I don't even need to rehearse, because I've done it so many times now.  Once I start talking about different moneyfolds, it segues into the realm of origami magic.

Us paperfolders love magic:




I'm a fungi:



After teaching Yami's banger to the group (really small crowd I thought, this year), I engage them in a "quick fold" contest for prizes:  Who can fold a banger (doesn't have to be the one I just taught) and make it pop first?





The big finish:

Descanso Japanese Gardens Origami Introduction

This is part of my warm-up introduction.

There weren't too many people sitting at the table beforehand, like on other days; but this gives me a chance to build up interest before we start teaching.

I like to talk about modern origami, show off complex and fun action models; segue into moneyfolds; then from there...magic!

Origami Magic by Tom Phoenix

Magic Crane Review

A while back I had discovered a fun little gimmicky magic act:  The magic crane.  Over a year ago, I filmed a magician who incorporated it into his stage act.

I couldn't find the one I had ordered from Seo Magic for this past weekend.  Paying another $26 dollars seemed a bit harsh on my wallet, so I thought I'd check into any alternatives.  (The jumbo version is $45).

I ended up finding ones on eBay for about $6, cheapest.  Fortunately, the photos were accurate and not misleading.  I knew exactly what I'd end up getting:  Crappy folded cranes:

I don't know who they got to fold these, but you'd think they'd actually find someone who can fold at least a bit more neatly than this.  How hard can that be?

The ones ordered from Seo Magic are higher quality, as far as folding neatness goes.  And pricing and affordability is all relative and dependent upon how you measure and value the payback dividends.

I'm not disappointed in the ones I got off eBay, considering the price differential; and they still accomplish the trick they're meant to do.

The people at Seo Magic USA seem nice (located up in Torrance) and I may order from them again.  The contact there offered to coordinate and meet with me to drop an order off instead of shipping (and last time when they shipped, it arrived pretty much next day).

Here's an alternate presentation of the magic crane:

"Origami" magic with Arthur Trace

The Carbonaro Effect

Hat tip:  Van Zundert Vink Elly

Another Robert Neale trick

Here's another variation of the same trick:

Paper tricks

Single Fold Party Trick

Robert Neale's Magic Trap Door

Paper tricks

The Origami Effect

The magician who apparently designed this dollar butterfly- Andrew Mayne- also has a dvd called The Origami Effect, released in 2010:

Instantly turn a slip of paper into the origami shape of the animal a person is visualizing in their mind. Turn a borrowed bill into a butterfly. Tear up a newspaper and produce an animated origami rabbit. Andrew Mayne presentsThe Origami Effect; powerful, visual magic that lets you give form to thoughts. 

The effects on the video:

The Origami Effect: A spectator thinks of an animal from a list of over 40 different origami shapes and you change the Post-It-Note into the animal instantly before their eyes.

The Recycled Rabbit: Tear a sheet of newspaper to pieces and then restore it into an origami rabbit that can't sit still. Great for kids and grown-ups alike. Takes only minutes to prepare.

Psychic Origami: Borrow a dollar from a spectator and change it into the animal they're visualizing in their mind. Includes multiple presentations.

Wineglass Origami: A devious way to change a borrowed bill into an origami shape right under your spectator's noses.

 Review at The Magic Cafe Forum:

The effects that are provided of the DVD are ones that allow the magician with the skills to turn simple slip of paper and imposable turn it into an Origami animal. The different types of paper include post-it notes, newspaper, and dollar bills. Because of the option of being able to use different types of paper it provides the magician with many different types of environments in with the effect could be used. Including but not limiting to close-up, walk around, and parlor.  

The skills of folding the Origami animals are well explained, and easy to follow. Andrew goes in great deeps in explaining how each stage of the folding is to be done. Thus making the learning of the making the Origami animals as much fun as performing the effect.  

As far as the skill level of sleight of hand needed to perform the effect is mid-level. By this I mean that one only needs to understand how to control ones angle of view.
This is a great effect that literary packs flat and plays big, and would make a great addition to any table hopper’s arsenal.

Another review here.  Excerpt:

Some may argue that this isn’t a ‘magic’ effect. Some may interpret the ‘magic moment’ as you simply being REALLY fast at origami.

Well, being primarily an origamist with an interest in magic rather than a magician with an interest in origami, this wouldn't be a negative.

One more review:

Folding a sheet of paper into an animal or an object is the beautiful art of Origami.  If you conceal the physical part of folding the paper, it becomes magical because you now transform a lifeless piece of paper into a representation of an animal or an object.  This was what Andrew Mayne attempted to do in The Origami Effect DVD.

~~~

If you are fascinated by origami and want to use it in magic, this DVD is a very good place to start – it will motivate you to come out with your own presentations. 

Here's also a clip of him performing his dollar butterfly effect:

Andrew Mayne is awesome.  Just be careful not to trust him.

2015 Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival

This was from last weekend. 

Excerpt from Saturday's 40 minute stage demo:

Joseph Wu's Usagi Yojimbo:

This kid Reilly had some of the most delightful reactions and facial expressions while playing with the polypopagon.  All 3 kids were pretty funny with the model hitting themselves in the face:

There was a new magician (not on the schedule) who performed on Sunday.  A 17 year-old kid, I think he was the nephew of one of the puppeteers.  I happened to film part of his magic crane act after I heard him make mention of one of the 3 pictures on cards he had for a volunteer to choose from, was that of a paper crane.  I guessed that the tsuru would be the forced card and anticipated what he was about to do in time to film it:




Another paper mischief from him here.

Allen and Wayne are the regular magicians who come annually.  Wayne plugged origami in his dollar bill transformation trick:

Allen thought his performance was on Sunday (it was supposed to be on Saturday) and closed out the Sunday indoor stage shows.  So we had 3 magicians in one day!



Marti Reis came out to help me on Saturday; and on Sunday, I had Pam Miike.  Slow traffic, but still had fun. 


Photos here.