How to Make a Party Pinata

A piñata is a fun activity of parties for all ages, and one we have all enjoyed at some time or another. Participants are blindfolded and then swing a stick, hoping to shatter the piñata and collect the goodies inside. Making a piñata we found is a much more complicated task than breaking it and one that takes a lot longer than the minutes spent swinging at it hanging high in the air.

The first thing that we did to make my piñata was to blow up two balloons, one smaller (about half the size) than the other. Then, we covered them with 3 layers of paper mache, in which we mixed pink paint so that if the paper didn't cover part of it, then it would still be pink. The nose is made out of paper mache, which is the only part that we didn't completely cover with the crepe paper, other than the ears. Feet for the pig were constructed out of paper towel rolls, covered in paper mache and were additionally secured after it dried with a glue gun.

Petunia proved to be sort of top heavy when we applied the paper mache so it ended up being a task for two people. One applying the paper mache and one steadying Petunia's head.

After several days of drying with fans aimed at the piñata, we were ready to work further on the piñata. Petunia was one "cool" pig at this point but we were working to beat the clock so we had to dry her as fast as possible! In no time Petunia was ready for the finishing touches.

Before we began to cover the body with the crepe paper strips, we attached the ears and feet more securely using a hot glue gun. Then, we began to cover the pinata in light pink crepe paper which was cut in narrow fringe like strips. This took a lot longer than we anticipated. The closer the crepe paper strips are placed, the fluffier your pinata will appear. Plan accordingly for your needs.

A purple bow and eyelashes were added to give "Petunia" some personality. Those who have seen Petunia think purple is Petunia's color. And Finally we put a sign on her side stating, " Comer el pollo, la otra carne blanca!", in Spanish. Does anyone here know what it says?