Towel animal
Encyclopedia
A towel animal is a depiction of an animal
created by folding small towel
s. It is conceptually similar to origami
, but uses towels rather than paper. Some common towel animals are elephant
s, snake
s, rabbits and swan
s.
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 handkerchief animals or napkin folds.
Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line
, Royal Caribbean
, Disney Hotels and Holland America Line
cruises will often place towel animals on a patron's bed as part of their nightly turndown service. Towel animals are also appearing in higher-end hotels and resorts such as Grupo Vidanta
's Grand Luxxe Residence Clubs in Nuevo Vallarta
and Riviera Maya
.
Carnival offers their guests a book by pre-ordering before the cruise, or on board ship in the Formalities shop. Holland America makes a similar offer. There are several other books available on the subject and these books illustrate how one can enhance the towel animals by the simple addition of cut-out eyes and button noses. Some of the creations in the gallery require the use of multiple towel
s and at times, hand towels or washcloths. The Grand Luxxe uses flower
s or flower petals and the tips of palm
branches to enhance some of their creations such as the one pictured to the left.
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
created by folding small towel
Towel
A towel is a piece of absorbent fabric or paper used for drying or wiping. It draws moisture through direct contact, often using a blotting or a rubbing motion. Common household textile towels are made from cotton, rayon, bamboo, nonwoven fibers or a few other materials.-Types of towels:* A bath...
s. It is conceptually similar to origami
Origami
is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form...
, but uses towels rather than paper. Some common towel animals are elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, rabbits and swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s.
The exact originator of towel animals is unknown, but their popularity is often attributed to Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
. The ancestors of the towel animals are perhaps handkerchief animals or napkin folds.
Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line company owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company and is headquartered in Celebration, Florida. The business is run by President Karl Holz. Disney Cruise Line operates the Disney Cruise Line Terminal,...
, Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
, Disney Hotels and Holland America Line
Holland America Line
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line...
cruises will often place towel animals on a patron's bed as part of their nightly turndown service. Towel animals are also appearing in higher-end hotels and resorts such as Grupo Vidanta
Grupo Vidanta
Grupo Vidanta is a resort developer in Mexico, specializing in the construction of new tourist destinations, hotel operations, urban infrastructure and real estate. It also owns and operates the Mar de Cortés International Airport and the Grupo Vidanta Foundation...
's Grand Luxxe Residence Clubs in Nuevo Vallarta
Nuevo Vallarta
Nuevo Vallarta is a planned residential-resort community located in Mexico in the state of Nayarit. It is about fifteen minutes north of Puerto Vallarta's Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport by automobile. Nuevo Vallarta receives many tourists from both the United States and Canada...
and Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya, also known as the Mayan Riviera, is a tourism district following the coastal Highway 307 which parallels the Caribbean coastline of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula...
.
Carnival offers their guests a book by pre-ordering before the cruise, or on board ship in the Formalities shop. Holland America makes a similar offer. There are several other books available on the subject and these books illustrate how one can enhance the towel animals by the simple addition of cut-out eyes and button noses. Some of the creations in the gallery require the use of multiple towel
Towel
A towel is a piece of absorbent fabric or paper used for drying or wiping. It draws moisture through direct contact, often using a blotting or a rubbing motion. Common household textile towels are made from cotton, rayon, bamboo, nonwoven fibers or a few other materials.-Types of towels:* A bath...
s and at times, hand towels or washcloths. The Grand Luxxe uses flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s or flower petals and the tips of palm
Palm
Palm may refer to :* Palm, the central region of the front of the hand, see Hand#Human anatomy or metacarpus.-People:* August Palm , Swedish socialist activist* Conny Palm, , Swedish electrical engineer and statistician...
branches to enhance some of their creations such as the one pictured to the left.