Make a Piñata

Having a piñata at your party is a great way to provide decoration and entertainment all in one. There's no need to go out and buy a pinata for your next party, though. With these simple steps you can build your own, and you might find that making pinatas can be just as fun as breaking them!

Steps

Starting Your Piñata

  1. Choose a shape for your pinata. Make your pinata whatever you like! The easiest shape to make is an oblong sphere based on a balloon form, but you can make anything you want.
    • To create a more elaborate shape, tape or glue cardstock and cardboard onto your balloon form.
    • Traditional pinatas are made with a ceramic pot as the form, but these can be messy and dangerous. Stick with a pliable form made from paper products.
  2. Protect your work area. Making your pinata has the potential to get a little messy, so make sure you give yourself plenty of room to work. Cover your work area with layers of newspaper or a disposable plastic tablecloth. This will keep your tabletop clean, and make cleanup afterwards a breeze. Keep yourself clean too by wearing an old shirt or apron as well as latex gloves.
  3. Make the paper mache paste. In a bowl, mix 2 cups (473 g) of flour, 2 cups (473 ml) of water, and a tablespoon of salt. Stir the mixture until it starts to thicken like a batter. Don't worry about breaking down all the lumps; you want the batter to be relatively smooth but it will likely still have chunks of flour in it.
  4. Prepare your paper mache strips. Tear some newspaper into strips that are about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} wide and {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} long. This will make the newspaper lay nice and flat on the balloon. You will need to prepare many of these strips of paper, so that you have enough to cover your balloon in several layers.

Forming the Piñata Base

  1. Inflate your balloon. This will form the body of your pinata, so make sure you make it nice and big. Round balloons are preferable because they will create a larger space for all of the candy. You may also use a box if you prefer a square shape for your pinata. Add any additional shapes to make legs, arms, tails, snouts, hats etc, using cardboard, newspaper or construction paper. Tape these shapes on with masking tape or clear tape.
  2. Apply the paper mache paste to your paper strips. Dip the strips into your paste and remove any excess paste by running the strips through your pinched fingers or dragging them along the edge of the bowl.
  3. Apply the paper mache to the balloon. Lay the strips down all over the balloon in a crisscross pattern until the entire balloon is covered. Leave the knot of the balloon uncovered to make removal of the balloon easier. Complete this step 3 to 4 times, allowing each layer to dry before adding another.
  4. Let the pinata dry. Once you have finished adding layers of paper mache, let the pinata sit until it is completely dry and has hardened. How long this will be will depend on many factors, including how thick the paper mache is, and the humidity and temperature of the air. In general, plan on several days.

Decorating the Pinata

  1. Paint the piñata. Use a single color to smooth out the paper and to create an even surface. It does not need to be especially well-painted, just enough to cover the paper. Choose a color that matches the decorations you'll be adding on or to match the animal or character that you're turning your piñata into, as it'll probably show through.
  2. Glue crepe paper to the pinata. This will give your pinata a more traditional look. It is also a festive and inexpensive touch. Cut or tear strips of crepe paper and glue it onto the pinata. Leave the paper in strips, or bunch it up into small tassle-like balls and glue on.
  3. Add finishing touches. Once you've gotten the base of crepe paper on, add other neat details to your pinata. Colorful cupcake liners and brightly colored tissue squares can be added as fringe. If you made an animal, add googly eyes for a fun look.

Filling the Piñata

  1. Cut a hole for the candy. If the balloon has not yet popped, go ahead and pop it and remove it. Since you did not cover the knot of the balloon with your paper mache, you should have a small hole already.
  2. Make the hole bigger if needed. If the candy doesn't fit, cut away at the edge of the hole until it is large enough to pass the candy through.
  3. Punch two small holes around the main hole. Tie a string or ribbon to the holes to create a loop. This will come in handy later when it comes time to hang the pinata.
  4. Put the goodies in. Start adding in candy, streamers, stickers, confetti, small toys or anything else you like.
    • Avoid adding any candy that is not wrapped,
    • Toys that might break easily or is also a poor choice.
  5. Cover the hole. Glue down some crepe paper on top of the hole, or use masking tape. The goal is to prevent the filling of the pinata from falling out before you've actually hit it.
  6. Hang the pinata. Tie another piece of string, ribbon, or rope to the loop you've already made and use this to attach the pinata to whatever you'd like to hang it from.



Tips

  • Don't limit your decorations to crepe paper! Feathers, glitter, and fake flowers all make festive decorations for a piñata.
  • Use a thicker string if you are making a heavy piñata, this makes the piñata stronger.
  • Use candy that will not melt before breaking the piñata.
  • Don't ever use duct tape to make a piñata! It would be practically unbreakable.
  • Use a punch balloon for a bigger pinata.
  • Fill the piñata with individually wrapped pieces of candy. Bulk candy may be cheaper, but keep in mind that the contents of the piñata will spill all over the floor and kids will eat them no matter where they have fallen. Buy cellophane and individually wrap bulk sweets if you choose this option.
  • Fill the pinata with sweets that don't damage fast.
  • As an alternative to using the starch mixture; use glue and water mixed together, but only add a little bit of water so the glue won't be too watery.
  • Instead of cutting a flap open, you can leave a hole at the top of the balloon (i.e., don't cover it with papier-mâché) and fill the piñata through this hole.
  • Try making a themed pinata for your party. You could decorate a fish with shiny scales cut out of Mylar or tin foil or create a flower with petals made out of large pieces of crepe paper.
  • Do not cheat! Make a pinata, fill with goodies and share it with friends. Now get a stick.
  • You may also use a cardboard box if you don't have a balloon. Make sure the box is not so hard that it can't break.
  • You can make an easy heart piñata by taping the ends and rolling a piece of tape to stick the sides together(for stronger piñata use cardboard cereal boxes for the first layer).
  • You can tape a string to the top of the piñata in order to hang it, but this is not very secure; if you want the piñata to stay up longer, punch two holes in the piñata and pass the string through the holes. For extra reinforcement, pass the string through a plastic lid from a coffee can or use a cardboard tube from an aluminum foil roll.
  • Use peanut free candies, you never know if someone allergic.
  • Use a cork or a rock for the lid on the piñata it helps if you glue the rock or cork.

Things You'll Need

  • Balloons
  • Several newspapers
  • Water, flour, and salt (to make the glue) or starch
  • Scissors
  • Paint
  • Crepe paper (and other decorations if wanted)
  • String or ribbon (to hang the piñata)
  • Candy (for filling)
  • Wooden baton about 18 inches/45 cm (to hit with) or a big stick or bat

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Make_a_Piñata&oldid=359304"