How to make an exploding gift box
Exploding Gift Box: try all 15 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
A gift box that bursts open when the lid is lifted. Cut one sheet into a cross, crease it, and fold it into a closed box with a lid; the four walls then fall open flat around the floor.
- You need
- One sheet of thin card, 12 × 17 cm, a ruler and pencil, scissors and a ribbon.
- Start
- Use a sheet of thin card, 12 × 17 cm, white side up, with its long edge upright. Mark the floor, a 5 cm square at the middle of the lower half, with a 3.5 cm band on each side of it. Above it mark a 3.5 cm band for the back wall and a 5 cm square for the lid.
- Tips
- Leave the walls untaped: the lid alone holds them up, which is what lets them fall open.
- Score each crease lightly with a ruler and a dull pencil point first, so the walls turn at the edge of the floor.
- Slip a small gift or a folded note on the floor before you close the lid.
Your model is ready
Your gift box is closed. Tie a ribbon around it to keep it shut. When the ribbon comes off and you lift the lid, the four walls fall open to reveal the surprise.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–6
- 1
Cut away the top left strip
Cut down the left edge of the back wall from the top edge to the floor's corner, then left along the floor's top edge to the paper's edge. The strip lifts away.
- 2
Cut away the top right strip
Cut down the right edge of the back wall from the top edge to the floor's corner, then right along the floor's top edge to the paper's edge.
- 3
Cut away the bottom left corner
Cut up from the bottom edge along the left edge of the front wall as far as the floor's lower corner, then left along the floor's lower edge to the paper's edge.
- 4
Cut away the bottom right corner
Cut up the right edge of the front wall to the floor's lower corner, then right along the floor's lower edge. You are left with a cross: the floor with a wall on each side, and the lid square above the back wall.
- 5
Crease the left wall
Fold the left wall up along its edge on the floor. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 6
Crease the right wall
Fold the right wall up along its edge on the floor. Press the crease and open it flat.
Steps 7–12
- 7
Crease the back wall
Fold the back wall forward along the floor's top edge. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 8
Crease the front wall
Fold the front wall up along the floor's lower edge. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 9
Crease the lid
Fold the lid square down along the top of the back wall. Press the crease and open it flat.
- 10
Raise the four walls
Stand the four walls up at right angles to the floor. Their side edges meet at the four upright corners, and the lid hangs from the top of the back wall.
- 11
Close the lid
Fold the lid forward over the top of the walls. Its edges rest on the tops of the other three walls and hold them upright.
- 12
Lift the lid clear
Lift the lid until it extends straight above the back wall. Keep the walls upright until the lid is clear of their top edges.
Steps 13–15
- 13
Let all four walls fall flat
Let the four walls fall outward until they lie level with the floor. The lid follows the back wall outward, making one long arm of the open cross.
- 14
Raise the walls again
Bring all four walls upright around the floor again, with their edges meeting at the corners.
- 15
Close the finished box
Lower the lid onto the tops of the three walls to keep the box closed.
- ✓
Finish
Your gift box is closed. Tie a ribbon around it to keep it shut. When the ribbon comes off and you lift the lid, the four walls fall open to reveal the surprise.
Fold next
Masu box ↗
Fold the traditional square masu box, with upright walls and both end flaps locked onto the floor.
Masu lid ↗
A matching masu box and lid. Fold the same pattern from two different-sized squares, then turn the larger tray over and fit it onto the smaller box.
Basic box ↗
A rectangular tray with two broad folded rims. This Origami Tutor sequence opens the traditional basic-box shape while keeping its floor flat.
Letter paper box ↗
A deep rectangular box folded from one uncut sheet of letter paper, with narrow rims at both ends. This Origami Tutor sequence opens the traditional basic-box shape without cutting or glue.