The aim of this paper-folding activity is to make the monarch, president or historical character on a currency note smile. Conversely, you can also make them frown.

You will need a note with a person's face on it where the face stares pretty much straight out. Queen Elizabeth II is a great example on UK notes but you can make President Lincoln smile on five-dollar bills. This is all the more fun for the fact that his portrait is not known for its smiley disposition.

How to do it

Hold the note with the face towards you.

Folding the left-hand side away from you crease the note from top to bottom through the person's left eye. You need to make a sharp crease. Then folding the right side away from you fold a sharp crease top to bottom through the person's right eye.

Bring the two creases together so that there is a dip between them, do NOT make it into a crease but have it more like a letter U than a letter V.

You've done it. For best effect, pull the note so it is not so creased but not completely flat.

Now, lean the note backwards and the person will appear to smile. Lean it forwards and it will frown. You can adjust the amount of smile by adjusting the U between the creases - the deeper the U the bigger the smile.

Practical uses

Have a note pre-creased in your wallet or purse. Ask people questions and let the note show whether you agree with them or not. Wonderful with children.

It's also useful when haggling in a country where you don't speak the language - especially if you use their local currency and can make their own monarch/president/despot smile or frown on their offer! You may need to check if they still have the death penalty for mocking the ruler before you do this in some places.