How to Make a Waterbomb

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 16, 2023

The Waterbomb is an origami cube made to hold water. You only need one piece of paper to create this marvel. You will start by making a triangle base, then fold it into a square, and finally lock the sides together and inflate your cube. If you get really good at it, you can make waterbombs to substitute for water balloons!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making a Triangle Base

1
Get a square piece of paper. The obvious choice is to use origami paper. If you don’t have any, just cut a square from regular printer paper and color it with a crayon of any color. For added water resistance, you could use wax paper.
- Coloring printer paper with crayon will leave a waxy layer that helps the paper better withstand water. Just be sure to color the side that will become the inside of the water balloon, as that is the side that will be in contact with the water.
2
Crease an “X” on the paper. Fold the top left corner to meet the bottom right corner. Crease along the line and open the paper back up. Now, fold the top right corner to the bottom left corner and crease again. When you open the paper up again, you will see that you have a creased “X” inside your square paper.

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3
Make a horizontal crease. First, turn the paper over so that the middle of the paper is sticking up (this happens because of the “X” that you creased). Fold the paper in half from top to bottom. Crease along the centerline. Rotate the paper 90° and repeat.^{[1]
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4
Fold the paper into a triangle. Fold the paper along the creases you have made. This will give you an origami triangle base. This is the starting point for creating a waterbomb.^{[2]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Folding the Waterbomb

1
Fold the triangle into a square. Take the corner flaps on the top side of the triangle and fold them up to the center. Flip the triangle over and do the same with the back side. You should now have a folded square.^{[3]
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2
Turn the square so that the centerline is vertical. This will put your square in a diagonal position with the top and bottom corners as points on the centerline. This orientation makes it easy to distinguish the respective corners of your square. This will allow you to fold the square to make pockets.
3
Create pockets. Fold the side corners toward the center. The tip of each corner should touch the center line. Flip the square and repeat this process on the opposite side. You should now have pockets along the edges of these folds.^{[4]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Sealing the Waterbomb

1
Fold the top flaps into the pockets. You will start by folding down the top flap to make a small triangle. Then, insert the point of the triangle into the flap. Fold down and crease along the edge of the flap. Repeat this with the other flap on this side of the paper.^{[5]
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- Only one side of the pocket is open. Make sure that you are folding the correct flap so that it will go into the open side of the pocket.
2
Repeat the last step on the other side. Flip your paper over. Fold the top flaps down into triangles, and then fold the points into the opening of your pocket. Crease along the edge of the pocket.^{[6]
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3
Inflate the waterbomb. Find the hole at one end of the waterbomb. Blow into this little hole to inflate the waterbomb. The end product should be a cube of paper with an opening at the top.^{[7]
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- If you used wax paper, this step is a little difficult, so you may want to stick a straw in the hole.
4
Fill your waterbomb with water. Use a dropper or a straw to carefully fill the waterbomb through the hole. Avoid overfilling it, as this could distort its shape and mess up the waterbomb. Also, try not to get water on the outside of the paper. This will help your waterbomb last as long as possible.^{[8]
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Community Q&A

Question

Where can I get origami paper?

Community Answer

You can find paper at a lot of craft stores like Michael's, A.C. Moore's, and places like that. You could also check at Walmart.
Question

How do I explode it?

Malia Brown

Community Answer

You throw it at something or someone and it will explode all over them. Just make sure to not throw it at people's faces or anywhere that could hurt them badly.
Question

Will the paper soften?

Community Answer

Yes. Most types of paper will eventually absorb water and soften. You can slow this down by using paper with a wax coating.