# What were these childhood paper creations called, and how do you make them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 2, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501 "2009-06-02T20:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/21 "2009-06-04T13:43:27Z")
[Related t-shirt](http://www.bustedtees.com/futureisinyourhands) ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/22 "2009-06-04T14:05:26Z")
Another vote for fortune tellers, at least in Montana in the '80s. All the flaps had fortunes under them, no bugs. Never heard of “cootie catchers.” ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/23 "2009-06-04T14:11:42Z")
We used to make [hexaflexagons](http://www.flexagon.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=36). ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/24 "2009-06-04T14:14:08Z")
I never called them anything, but I really like hexaflexagon. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/25 "2009-06-04T14:34:06Z")
We called them ‘cootie catchers’, but used them for telling fortunes. Ours used both numbers and colors. I think the age gap vs. object name thing is interesting. I’m 42 and grew up in KCMO. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/26 "2009-06-04T14:56:38Z")
I think ours had a number, then a color, then a boy’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/27 "2009-06-04T14:58:40Z")
Cootie catchers. Grew up in Baltimore, MD, born in 1954. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/28 "2009-06-04T16:51:57Z")
Red Lobster used to have a children’s menu/placemat thingy that folded into one of these; I believe it had a fish print on it, so that it looked like you were opening and closing the fish’s mouth. I only saw handmade ones a few times in school. I don’t know what they were called though. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/29 "2009-06-04T17:44:33Z")
cootie catcher/fortune teller instructions: [http://www.dltk-kids.com/WORLD/japan/mfortune-teller.htm](http://www.dltk-kids.com/WORLD/japan/mfortune-teller.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/30 "2009-06-04T19:02:42Z")
Would you guys believe my boss actually instructed me to find them and make one? Now I have just made one, yay! ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/31 "2009-06-04T21:05:48Z")
We called them fortune tellers. There was also something we made out of paper where you could create a pretty loud pop by flicking your wrist. > [@Enright3](#): > > The hardest part is then positioning it so you can stick your fingers into the crevices. That’s what she said:D ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/32 "2009-06-04T21:37:23Z")
Hey, I remember those! We called them “heaven and hell”, because one side would be colored red with a bad fortune on it, the other one was blue with a good fortune. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/33 "2009-06-05T03:42:50Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > There was also something we made out of paper where you could create a pretty loud pop by flicking your wrist. Paper Popper instructions ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/34 "2009-06-05T06:22:02Z")
We called them chatterboxes. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/35 "2009-06-05T06:49:57Z")
[Paper Popper instructions](http://www.metacafe.com/watch/452433/paper_banger_popper/) You had an extra http or something in your link, this should work now. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/36 "2009-06-05T06:54:41Z")
Well, we have those in Singapore too. I remember seeing it when I was much younger. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/37 "2009-06-05T08:34:13Z")
Yeah, cootie catchers! We used to make 'em back in the 50s. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/38 "2009-06-05T08:50:48Z")
> [@glee](#): > > We used to make [hexaflexagons](http://www.flexagon.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=36). And that’s the first time I’ve heard them mentioned in about 36 years. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/39 "2009-06-05T08:57:52Z")
Hmm, I’ve seen 'em, but neither “fortune teller”, “cootie catcher” (I almost just typed “cootchie catcher”), or “chatterbox” rings a bell. Maybe because I never heard it called anything. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501/40 "2009-06-05T09:04:53Z")
> [@Einmon](#): > > Hey, I remember those! We called them “heaven and hell”, because one side would be colored red with a bad fortune on it, the other one was blue with a good fortune. That’s what we called them over here (Germany), too. Well, of course we called them that in German. I never got what the fuss was all about, frankly – it was just one of those weird things girls did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-childhood-paper-creations-called-and-how-do-you-make-them/498501.md?page=3)