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I'm offering someone an origami (rabbit shape) with a QR code written inside. This is the beginning of a series of riddles.

My question is, how could I make the person I'm offering the origami to understand she must open up the folding?

What kind of sentence could I write aside the present so she would think about unfolding (so destroying) the present I gave her? In a not too obvious manner obviously.

EDIT :

I've mixed up some of your idea and here's what I've ended up with !

rabbit origami

C'est ici que tout commence, il suffit de défaire ce qui a été fait.

This means "This is where it all begins, simply undo what has be done." (French) as suggested by @boboquack with a full ear showing the QR Code (Yeah I wanted to be sure she got it ahah)

You are really creative and there's is a lot of interesting ideas I'll keep aside (especially the "For stories untold, watch this one unfold" from @bass), thanks for all your replies guys.

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    $\begingroup$ @NaeemShaikh It is a puzzle-related question, and I think that it is related enough to be on topic on this site. From the tour: "Puzzling Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for those who create, solve, and study puzzles." (italics mine) $\endgroup$
    – boboquack
    Commented Jan 14, 2019 at 8:09
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    $\begingroup$ @rhsquared: See boboquack's comment. This site is not just a site to find puzzles to answer. Its a site about puzzling. Most questions are puzzles, its true but the scope of the site is also about puzzles more generally including how to create them. Meta, as has been noted is only for questions about the site and the functioning of the site - ie discussion of whether something is on topic, why a moderator did a certain thing, etc. A question about creating puzzles is completely on topic for the main site itself. $\endgroup$
    – Chris
    Commented Jan 14, 2019 at 17:35
  • $\begingroup$ How much does the recipient know about origami? I.e. would she recognize origami terminology or symbols? $\endgroup$
    – 1006a
    Commented Jan 14, 2019 at 21:33
  • $\begingroup$ unfold my rabbit? $\endgroup$
    – JMP
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 5:52
  • $\begingroup$ If the receiver has watched any Prison Break episodes, change the shape of a rabbit into a swan. This might be easier to understand, but I just liked the idea to share ;). $\endgroup$
    – Paul Karam
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 7:41

13 Answers 13

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Why not open with a short riddle to start with—perhaps a couplet? For example, on the ears, you could write in suitably mysterious type:

Here you are at number one

To start, undo what has been done

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    $\begingroup$ Or some variation on "Follow the White Rabbit"? $\endgroup$
    – Chronocidal
    Commented Jan 14, 2019 at 9:05
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    $\begingroup$ "For stories untold, watch this one unfold" $\endgroup$
    – Bass
    Commented Jan 14, 2019 at 19:57
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    $\begingroup$ Literally made and account to thank you and @Bass . Awesome ideas, will definitely steal $\endgroup$
    – MindSwipe
    Commented Jan 15, 2019 at 15:50
  • $\begingroup$ There should be a comma between "start" and "undo". Unless deciphering opaque wording is meant to be part of the puzzle. $\endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    Commented Jan 15, 2019 at 19:25
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    $\begingroup$ A first line like "The rabbit path has just begun" also sounds good. $\endgroup$
    – Egor Hans
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 12:57
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You could have a small part of the QR code visible on the folded origami. Just small enough that it's not immediately obvious what it is at first.

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    $\begingroup$ Print the QR code to fill one side of the paper, then when it is folded disjointed parts of it will be visible. I would have thought that would be enough to recognise it as a QR code. $\endgroup$
    – batwad
    Commented Jan 15, 2019 at 9:55
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    $\begingroup$ She might think OP just happened to use a piece of paper with a QR code on it to make the origami and not realize she’s supposed to open it and scan it. $\endgroup$
    – pacoverflow
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 6:47
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Perhaps a variation of...

"To understand something, sometimes we have to trace back to the first step that started it all."

or

"It all starts at the first fold..."

this may be too obvious... Depending on how well you know the person, you are possibly the best person to put together a sentence with enough in it to convince them without telling them what to do.

As op mentions they want to write this on something (not necessarily the gift/origami)? So it may be okay to have a little length to it, perhaps a simple play on words.

An alternative idea may be along the lines of one of the other answers. Perhaps a drawing of something that points or goes into the final fold, this could be paired with some text to give the recipient an idea to unfold it and look inside the final fold.

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Make the origami object be a box, which seems to contain a "real" present.

Other origami designers have published more ornamental boxes, which also encourage opening. Many of them have separate pieces or assemblies for a lid and a main container. Tomoko Fuse is famous for such models.

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  • $\begingroup$ Some of them even have both a lid and a container. From one piece of paper. $\endgroup$
    – somebody
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 0:22
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Write the word "imagiro". In other words, reverse the origami.

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You could glue the end of a thread next to the QR code, fold the rabbit and let a bit of thread jut out from somewhere strange (i.e. not the top, it could be mistaken for a hook). This will look out of place and beg for an unfolding to see what it's about.

If a written note sounds better to you, how about:

Pulling rabbits out of hats is such a cliché,
Let's go one step further this time.

Drifting away from the rabbit theme (and into somewhat gruesome territory), you could make a cat and write on it:

Why so curious?
I'll still have 8 left.

Joker makeup is optional. Applying the proverb "Curiosity killed the cat" literally would leave the origami cat with 8 out of 9 lives left, and the QR code visible.

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You can let an enigm as : "White Rabbit loves play cards but... But it's an hungry rabbit Where are the clubs... ?"

Just an idea :D //

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Follow my White Rabbit
Into a new world

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You could just write the word "Aphrodite" on it as a clue that the answer is at the rabbit's "heart" as in center.

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You could make the origami out of money and instruct them to by themself some coffee or something with it (so they don't feel bad about unfolding it).

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  • $\begingroup$ But would you print a QR-Code on a bill? $\endgroup$
    – Rafalon
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 10:03
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    $\begingroup$ @Rafalon just print the QR code on a separate square of paper and tuck it inside the folds :) $\endgroup$
    – Quentin
    Commented Jan 17, 2019 at 10:00
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I have an idea that would require some more work, but it would probably pay off in terms of being interesting to solve. You might include a riddle that, in and of itself, is completely unrelated to the origami. However, that riddle is the beginning of a side trail that leads to a Burr puzzle. Only you, knowing your friend, can judge how difficult the Burr puzzle should be, however it's important that the Burr puzzle has a distinctive shape. I'll present the further steps at the example of the PicassoTiles Barrel Burr puzzle, which can be found in this bundle and has instructions here.

Anyway, when unassembled, writing would become visible in the inside of the barrel's tiles. When the pieces are put next to each other in the right way (if put next to each other wrong the result wouldn't make any sense, as in literally not proper text), the writing would read "The rabbit and the barrel... More alike than they seem...", which should bring your friend on the track to do the same with the rabbit as she did with the barrel, i.e. disassemble (unfold) it to find a clue inside.

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How about labeling the folds in reverse? So the receiver gets the origami and sees an arrow and a number 1. They open that fold and see an arrow and 2, etc.

I'm imagining this because, if I were given origami, I would be reluctant to open it for fear that I could never get it back to the right shape. If there is a series of arrows and numbers pointing into the origami folds, I feel like I might be able to redo it after opening it.

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    $\begingroup$ Well... if it uses more complicated folds (likely for a rabbit) it's not exactly going to be easy to unfold it, let alone refold it $\endgroup$
    – somebody
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 0:24
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"Find the carrot." -- a clue that they need to look for what's inside the rabbit (i.e., what it's eaten).

(Of course, if you do that, you'll want to actually draw a carrot next to the QR code, so they know they've succeeded at following the instruction.)

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    $\begingroup$ Or cunningly encode a second data segment so the QR code includes a carrot icon $\endgroup$
    – Grump.
    Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 5:48
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    $\begingroup$ Actually QR codes have no problem with having icons at the center piece. That's something companies do a lot for QR codes linking to their pages. $\endgroup$
    – Egor Hans
    Commented Mar 18, 2019 at 16:54

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