A towel animal is a depiction of an animal created by folding small towels. It is conceptually similar to origami, but uses towels rather than paper. Some common towel animals are elephants, snakes, rabbits and swans.

The exact originator of towel animals is unknown, but their popularity is often attributed to Carnival Cruise Lines. The ancestors of the towel animals are perhaps the handkerchief animals or the napkins folds.

Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America Line cruises will often place towel animals on a patron's bed as part of their nightly turndown service.

Carnival offers their guests a book (by preordering before your cruise, or onboard ship in the Formalities shop) called "Carnival Towel Creations," published by Navigate Express. The third edition contains an illustrated guide to make nearly 40 different towel animals.

Further reading

• Campbell, Deanna Towel Folding 101, Barnes & Noble Books (April 2006) ISBN 0-7607-7959-7
• Jenkins, Alison The Lost Art of Towel Origami, Andrews McMeel Publishing (October 2005) ISBN 0-7407-5563-3
• Mulanax Carol How to make a towel monkey and other cruise ship favorites , Tiny Tortoise Publishing (August 2006) ISBN 0-9787477-0-4

External links

• Towel animals