How to Make a Origami 5 Pointed Ninja Star

Money 4-Pointed Star

This Money 4-Pointed Star is an adaption of the traditional origami shuriken (also known as throwing stars or ninja stars). Historically, shuriken were small handheld implements used as secondary weapons. They were thrown at enemies to distract them. Shurikens do not penetrate armor thus they are only effective in exposed parts of the body such as the face, hands and feet.

This $ 4-Pointed Star is not effective in anything except perhaps to please a waiter/waitress because it represents a two-dollar tip.

Instructions of Money 4-Pointed Star

Step 1:

You will need two crisp, dollar bills. Fold the bills in half lengthwise.

Step 2:

Fold and unfold the dollar bill in half crosswise.

Step 3:

The dollar bills will be folded as mirror images of one another.
This means that if one folds towards the left, the other has to
fold towards the right.

Left dollar bill: Fold up the bottom-half of the
dollar bill so the bottom points towards the left.

Right dollar bill: fold the opposite direction so
the bottom of the bill points towards the right.

Step 4:

Left dollar bill: fold the top-half of the dollar bill towards the right.

Right dollar bill

: fold the opposite way so the top-half points towards the left.

Step 5:

Left dollar bill: As shown, valley fold the top-corner down.
Valley fold the bottom-corner up.
It will look like two traingles (base-to-base and offset)
with a bit of an overhang.

Right dollar bill: repeat. Fold the top-corner
down and the bottom-corner up.

Step 6:

Mountain fold (fold behind) the overhanging section of the dollar bills.

At the center of the model, you will see layers of paper forming a slot (or pocket) where other papers can be tucked in (green arrows). These slots need to be visible in the finished model. To achieve this, you need to turn over the dollar bill on the left side.

Step 7:

Place the dollar from the right side over the dollar on the left side.
Rotate the two pieces until the model looks a bit like a swastika.

Step 8:

Valley fold the bottom-right corner of the structure (B) and tuck the tip into the slot located at the center of the model. An easy way to visualize this is to imagine folding over a triangle and sliding the tip of the triangle under the layer of paper (right image). The paper is thick so it is a bit challenging to fold, but the crease line falls right along the raw edges of the paper so it is somewhat obvious where the fold should be located.

Step 9:

Repeat on the top-left part of the model (D).
Again, visualize it by imagining folding over a triangle.

This is how the model looks like.
Hold everything in place and turn
the model over to work on back side.

Step 10:

Repeat steps 8 & 9 on the top-left (A) and bottom-right (C).

Once the tips of the triangles are tucked under the slots, the Money 4-Pointed Star is very stable. You can frisbee it around and it won't unravel. In fact, some people can't figure out how to unfold the star once it has been made.