Tag Archives: paper airplane

Fast Paper Airplane

Text: Pictured below is the fully-folded fast paper airplane.

Context:

The image above shows the paper airplane that was made. This airplane is specialized to be faster and go farther than other paper airplanes. The creator of the airplane knew how to make many different planes, and assured me this one was the fastest. It landed in second place in a paper plane throwing contest. The creator of the airplane used to fold these planes while playing in elementary school.

Analysis:

The multiplicity and variance in paper airplane designs illustrates the folk dispersal from children in action. Different kids compete against each other to showcase their better, faster, more advanced folk items. This specific element of competition leads to more folk items being created, and those items, the paper airplanes, to be constantly optimized, until a fastest airplane is made and disseminated. Other factors also affect a plane’s popularity, like its ease to build, and its durability. Ultimately, paper planes are a great example of folk item culture amongst children, and showcase children refining and expanding their folk knowledge, as they compete amongst each other while playing.

How to Make a Paper Plane

Context:

My informant is a college student from Arizona and learned how to make this paper plane in elementary school from one of her classmates.

Text:

Take a loose-leaf piece of white paper and fold two corners of the top of the paper to the middle. Then fold the paper in half. Take one half and fold that in half again. Repeat to the other side. Now you have a simple paper airplane.

Analysis:

This is a common childhood craft that many children learn how to make when they are bored. People often learn different variations of the paper airplane. In this case, C learned how to make a simple version of the plane. Since this is such as simple craft, this piece of material folklore is easy to pass from person to person.