Original Volcano Paper Squishy

Assembly overview

1. Print and prepare. Choose color OR coloring, and A4 OR US Letter. Print both template pages at 100% / Actual Size, never Fit to Page. Check every 50 mm square. Use 100-120 gsm paper. Color first. Gather scissors, thin craft glue, clear tape and soft tissue. Do not cut yet. Prepare a pencil for step 2.
2. Copy marks, then cut. Before cutting, pencil F/B, W1/W2 and 1/2 on the blank reverse, just INSIDE the outline at the indicated positions. Copy both FILL endpoints on B; join them along the inside edge. Use a window to see through the sheet. Cut the four outlines; keep every tab. Outside cues are discarded; hidden tab labels stay.
3. Fold tabs; curve the walls. Fold the 4 / 5 mm F and B tabs inward about 90 degrees on the dashed roots. Keep all F tabs on the same side. Gently curve the walls around the rounded corners. Dotted JOIN marks align overlaps; they are not sharp folds. Do not crease artwork or color boundaries.
4. Join W1 behind W2. With both printed wall faces outward, glue the 8 mm JOIN of W1 under the plain start of W2. Match the end marked 2 to the start marked 2. The starting edge of W2 meets the dotted line. The enlarged section shows W2 above the glue flap; below is the joined strip.
5. Close the last wall seam. Use loose F as a contour guide. Follow the colored route and numbers in order. At 1, glue the 8 mm JOIN of W2 behind the plain start of W1. W1 sits above the flap, with its edge on the dotted line. Close one complete ring. Keep the F and B tabs inward and both faces loose for now.
6. Dry-fit the rounded corners. Keep F loose, picture up. Match 1 and 2 to the closed ring. Ease W1 along the highlighted right corner and W2 along the left corner. The enlargement follows the real cut edge. Keep both faces unglued. Keep the broad base and rounded summit smooth; do not flatten the sloping sides.
7. Glue F on the inward tabs. Match 1, 2. Apply thin glue to the outward surfaces of the F tabs. Place F above them, picture out, with the tabs under its blank back. Press a few tabs at a time while you can reach inside. Keep the ring aligned to the actual contour; leave B off.
8. Press the corner tabs in contact. As F is glued, press two or three tabs at a time through the open back. The inside enlargement shows tan tabs flat against the blank back of F, with the blue wall touching the curved edge. Repeat around all corners. Keep the wall against the edge until the glue holds; tape in step 9.
9. Tape the front and every wall join. Bridge the entire F perimeter onto the wall with short overlapping pieces of clear tape. Use shorter pieces at tight curves. The enlarged outside views show ALL 2 numbered wall joins: center tape across each seam from F edge to B edge, covering the full 20 mm depth. Keep the back open.
10. Turn over and dry-fit B. Turn the shell over and fit mirrored B with its printed side outward. Match 1, 2; do not turn it end-for-end. Align the pencil arc on the blank reverse of B with four ! tabs on W2. The drawing shows the open back and the separate matching panel. Do not cut a filling hole through B.
11. Leave the marked filling seam. Glue B to the B tabs EXCEPT the four marked !. Leave the continuous 32.6 mm FILL seam between B and the wall unglued and untaped. The dark gap shows the opening. Keep all four tabs accessible; this is one opening, not four holes.
12. Add loose tissue filling. Feed small loose tissue pieces through the single open seam. Spread them gently through the whole body and toward the corners. Keep the 20 mm wall relaxed and both faces shallow. Stop before the seams pull or panels bulge. Keep tissue away from the four loose tabs.
13. Close the four remaining tabs. Move tissue away. Apply a little glue to the four ! tabs and tuck them under the blank back of B. Press B down, matching its contour to the wall. The enlarged section shows B above the tabs. Let the seam hold before taping.
14. Tape the entire back perimeter. Use short overlapping clear-tape pieces to bridge B onto the wall all the way around, including the former FILL opening and any intentional tab-free gap. The side section shows tape turning over the edge. Patch gaps where rim tape meets wall-join tape.
15. Inspect the taped corners. After step 14, check the rounded corners on B. The green traces show short overlapping tape following the edge and turning onto the wall. The section shows that turn. Press out any bridge or gap, then add a shorter patch. Snip only a free tape edge if needed, never the paper.
16. Finish and inspect the toy. Check both full face seams and both wall joins. Let glue dry before squeezing gently. The finished toy is one shallow volcano silhouette with printed crater and lava. There is no open crater, erupting mechanism or separate flame. Keep it dry.