Based on the form of traditional origami frogs, these bent-laminated wooden frogs leap and flip in the air to make for a whimsical coffee table toy. 

The frogs are made with 3 layers of straight grain maple veneer using a vacuum press for the front legs and a

two-part mold for the back.  

The finish on the black frogs is India ink and a satin sprayed on lacquer. The green frogs contain an extra thin layer of green paper and are finished with a satin sprayed on lacquer.

Process and model making

It all started with one flimsy paper frog. I wanted to see if it would be possible to create an object based on that form out of bent veneer.

The biggest challenge being making it thin enough to jump! 

I went through several designs for construction method before settling on a two-part process of bending the front legs in a vacuum press and bending the back legs with a two-part mold.

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Pictured above is a prototype of one of my earlier ideas which consisted of a crazy five-part mold!

The form went through several iterations before I made a frog that was both functional, well-proportioned, and kinda cute. 

Happy with the form, I constructed two pairs of frogs, and you can bet they JUMP!