The Andi Mack Paper Crane Project was a fan project started by Sadie (@disneymack on Tumblr, @dailymackcast on Instagram, @sadieannerue on Twitter). The project started in April 2019 and ended with the show in July. It entailed fans sending their appreciation for the show and wishes for its continuation in to be written on the wings of 1000 paper cranes, a nod to There's a Mack in the Shack in which Andi folds 1000 paper cranes as a wish. These messages were posted on Instagram (@andimackpapercraneproject) and the cranes were sent to Disney Channel Headquarters in California. The initial goal was to get the show renewed for Season 4 but when the show was cancelled, it became a thank you letter to the cast and crew for creating such a groundbreaking show.
The entire main cast as well as many recurring cast and crew members acknowledged the project, as well as Disney Channel themselves. Paper cranes became a major theme in send-off for the show, on farewell cakes, letters, and presents for the cast and crew. On July 24, the cranes themselves were featured at the finale party. Many cast and crew members took the cranes home.
| Cynopsis | : | What viewer reaction most affected you? |
| Terri Minsky | : | The Andi Mack Paper Crane Project. I can’t even describe the feeling. Originally, it was a project to send a thousand origami cranes to the Disney Channel to get a season four pickup, but it was announced the show was ending with season three before the project was finished. Now it’s a love letter to the show in the form of an Instagram account – @andimackpapercraneproject – pictures of origami cranes, each with a message from a viewer about what the show means to them: #617: “Andi Mack has empowered me to be myself.” #557: “It’s the one thing I can watch with my mom.” #535: “I didn’t realize that I had dyscalculia until I learned about T.J.’s and I eventually opened up about it and now I’m getting the help I need.” #33: “Andi Mack pushed me to finally learn sign language.” #77: “Andi Mack has helped me with anxiety and just getting through my everyday life.” Every single image brings tears to my eyes. |
| — Cynopsis - interview with Terri Minsky, June 13 | ||
| “ | For three seasons, everyone working on "Andi Mack" wished that the stories and characters we delivered would both entertain and positively affect kids and families. The beautiful expression of appreciation from fans -- @andimackpapercraneproject -- told us that our wish came true. The 1000 paper crane masterpiece is the centerpiece of an occasion honoring the cast and creators of "Andi Mack." We are grateful for all that it represents. |
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| “ | Andi Mack fans have been nothing if not devoted: One reportedly assembled 1,000 paper cranes, each with a message for the show’s cast and crew, that was delivered to the Disney offices in Burbank, Calif. [Joshua] Rush shares that he routinely reads messages from young LGBTQ viewers who say the show has helped them find solace for their own coming out journeys. “I’ll read, ‘I’ve been in the closet. My parents are homophobic, and my sisters are, too. But one of them loves “Andi Mack”,’” he says. |
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— Variety - article, July 25
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| “ | @sadieannerue created so much more than an expression of appreciation for the show. it was a love letter, in the form of a thousand delicate, beautiful paper cranes. a number, a message, a heart, and #renewandimack written on each and every one of them. though sadie’s 1,000 crane wish didn’t come true, mine did. we made a show with a cast and a crew and fans that are so much better and so much more amazing than I could have ever asked for. thirty of sadie’s paper cranes will hang proudly in my home, where i will forever remember her project, and by extension these amazing fans who we made the show for. i will be joined by the cast, writers, and producers of our show in this. you were just as much of a part of our show as i was, as the entire crew was. we made it for you. though in 33 hours Andi Mack will be over, i know it lives on in your hearts and minds. |
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— Joshua Rush on Twitter, July 25
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