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Origami Chicken -It’s a chick and it’s a box!

I just received and watched an adorable video of my two-year-old nephew, Emilio, playing the drum and singing Los Pollitos (The little chicks). Los Pollitos is a Spanish-language nursery rhyme and one of the first songs children learn not only in Colombia, but in many other Spanish-speaking countries (lyrics below*).

In a previous post, we made origami cats for Emilio.  Now, to celebrate his having learned Los Pollitos, I’d like to offer a video tutorial for a charming origami chicken. This is a very special origami chicken, because it’s a box as well. All kinds of delicious treats may be placed in it!

Make many chickens and an origami hen, You will then have all the characters mentioned in this traditional song!

This origami chicken was created by the late Simon Andersen, an origami artist from Denmark.

Simon’s chick seems to have hatched from the eggs laid by my origami hen. While the folding processes are different between these two models the results are quite similar and both may be used as containers!

Much of Simon’s work may be viewed at Hans Dybkjær’s website, Papirfoldning.

Tips and Ideas to make this Origami Chicken

  • Use 3×3-inch paper for making a small model
  • Place a wrapped candy inside to make it look like the tail of the chicken. (Thank you Tricia Tait for the idea!)
  • A 6×6 inch paper will provide room for several candies or small items.
  • Thin paper like “Kami” –known in the US as “origami paper” works well.
  • Office paper works too.
  • Fold the base of each chicken at different angles for individual expression –see video.
  • Use the model during festive traditional or personal occasions such as Easter, a children’s party favor, a baby shower.
  • Make a set of hen and chicks for Mom on Mother’s Day!
  • To make chicks for the hen, use square paper whose side is half or a third of the one you used for the hen.
  • Color the beak red and add a couple of dots as eyes.
  • Decorate a cake with models as we did for Emilio at his baptism.
Emilio-cake

. . . . . . . . .

Emilio-cake2

Here are the lyrics both in Spanish and English.

Los pollitos

Los pollitos dicen
“Pío, pío, pío”
Cuando tienen hambre
Cuando tienen frío.

La gallina busca
El maíz y el trigo,
les da la comida
y les presta abrigo.

Bajo sus dos alas,
dcurrucaditos,
duermen los pollitos
hasta el otro día.

Cuando se levantan,
dicen mamacita,
tengo mucha hambre,
dame lombricitas.

The Little Chicks

The little chicks say
“Pio, pio, pio”
whenever they’re hungry
whenever they’re cold.

The hen looks for
corn and wheat
she gives them food
and shelters them.

Under her two wings
she cuddles them,
and until the next day
the chicks sleep.

When they wake up,
they say “mommy mommy,
we are very hungry,
feed us some worms.

. . . . . . . . . . .

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16 thoughts on “Origami Chicken -It’s a chick and it’s a box!”

  1. I love the little chick. I like that most of your instructions have reference points while you’re folding. It makes creating the model much easier. I might use the chick as an Easter dinner table favour and put a few little chocolate eggs inside.

    Reply
  2. Greetings from Finland!
    Hey Leyla!
    I absolutely love your site Origamispirits.com! I come every morning to check your new videos.
    I have a wish that you make a origami rose, I have seen tons of videos in youtube and I just dont get it.
    You are so good in you’re explanations and I thought that if you make a video about it, then I maybe have a chance to make it too, you are so talented!
    Best Wishes: Anniina Tuomi

    Reply
    • Thank you Anniina. Knowing that you benefit from this website makes me very happy! I’d love to make a rose and it’s an idea I keep in my to-do list. But I cannot promise one too soon, but I will keep your words in mind.

      Reply
  3. Hermosos los pollitos, mil gracias por recordarme la cancion, me llego al alma pues me encantaba cuabdo era nina y hacia mucho tiempo no la practicaba. ademas sensacional el colocarla en Ingles

    Reply
  4. Pingback: Gallina-caja en origami -Video actualizado y mejorado

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