Gift idea | Papertrophy: paper animals

Frankly, we regret not having told you about Papertrophy during the confinement. It would surely have been useful to you! But, as they say, better late than never, right?

Holger Hoffmann loves wild animals. It is even a passion for him. But as a Berliner, he doesn’t see a lot of them… Of course, he travels. Of course, he takes pictures when he visits nature reserves. But rather than be satisfied, Holger would like to be able to reproduce these animals that he loves so much in three dimensions.

It was in 2015, in a Berlin nightclub, that he had a revelation. The dancers evolve in the middle of immaculate polygonal objects, illuminated by moving lights. He then decided to tackle the computer modeling of animals using only polygons.

Participatory campaign

Made of thick paper, these animals take the form of reproductions with a refined appearance, the size of which varies according to the model. Once the assembly is complete, they can be proudly displayed like hunting trophies.

After refining his idea, Holger funds Papertrophy using an Indiegogo campaign. To say that his idea interests Internet users is an understatement: at that time he received the support of 827 contributors, for a total of 40,666 euros.

To make it easier for the buyer, the kit arrives cut and pre-folded. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s a significant advantage. Cutting out the elements yourself, then folding them properly is quite tedious. Worse, an error of a few tenths of a millimeter can distort the assembly, especially if repeated several times.

The polygons are clearly identified and numbered. A set of dotted lines indicates in which direction to orient the folding of the pieces: in valley for the regular dotted lines, in peak for the discontinuous dotted lines. The edges of the polygons that need to be glued together have the same number: just find them to stitch them together.

A little patience and a good quality glue are essential, but you can do it without too much difficulty. A piece of advice, by the way: when you order a kit, don’t hesitate to add the tube of glue sold as an extra: it will make your job easier!

pink pig

So that you can try your hand, Papertrophy has the delicate attention to provide a test model with the first order. This is a lovely little pink pig that can be used as a piggy bank. We appreciated the precaution which allowed us to practice before tackling our first assembly, in this case a magnificent polar bear. Made up of 55 pieces, it measures 26 x 16 x 46 cm once assembled.

Its assembly kept us busy for three autumn evenings, but we got through it. Some models are much more impressive, such as the Gorilla XXL which still measures 105 x 64 x 103 cm once assembled. Guaranteed effect on your friends.

We also tried our hand at assembling wall trophies. A bit less complex, they are just as impressive when finished. In this regard, our preference is undoubtedly the unicorn in black and gold.

Yes, this animal is totally imaginary… but why settle for existing species? In the same vein, it is possible to opt for the black and red dragon, the T-Rex, the triceratops or even a model of a human skull. Something to satisfy everyone!