To view these folds from multiple angles, before learning more about them, see the video showcase here:
I was wrong. Ever since seeing my first HyperCard (Fig. 1), I’ve never understood the appeal of this seemingly impossible card fold. I posted my frustration with this image online and the resounding response was that it was both perplexing and fascinating. When I look at it, I can instantly unfold the object in my mind, but this isn’t a universal ability. (Don’t worry, my spatial superpower is limited to folding paper, as anyone who has witnessed me parallel parking my car can attest.)
The fold is over 50 years old. Martin Gardner and Karl Fulves introduced it to the magic world in a puzzle set in the Pallbearers Review (Volume 10, Issue 10). Since then, creators like Robert Neale, Mel Stover, Ben Harris, Tom Frame, Don England, and Michael Weber have introduced their own magical twists. What follows are my experiments with trying to understand the source of this folded fascination. In doing so, I’ve learned to appreciate how a simple twist can be a thing of beauty. I hope the ideas will prompt your own explorations, which is why I’ve presented them more as a showcase than an extensive “how to make” description.