The piñata originally comes from Latin America - Mexico and Spain, and now it has become an inseparable part of every children's party. Traditionally, hollow figures are colorfully decorated at Christmas and Easter and filled with delicious fruit. The filled hollow body is hung above the children's heads with a rope. Blindfolded and armed with a stick, each child tries to hit and break them so that all the treats fall out. In the past, the figure was made from clay pots and decorated with colorful papers. Today, different materials can be used for this, but especially those that are light in weight. Popular motifs are mainly animals, such as donkeys, horses, llamas, unicorns, but also abstract and geometric shapes such as balls, cakes, hearts and many others. Instead of fruit, sweets, candies, small chocolates and other small things are usually used for the filling. You can make a piñata and give it to a child for their birthday, but also to an adult on a special occasion.
Making a piñata – what do you need?
The motif and the materials used can be freely chosen. There are no limits to your imagination. Traditionally the figure was made of ceramic, but this could be dangerous for children. Therefore, it is mainly worked with paper materials such as cardboard, cardboard, papier-mâché. The fringed look is typical, which on the one hand imitates animal fur, but on the other hand looks extremely decorative. To achieve this effect, colored paper is used and its edges are cut into fringes. Crepe paper rolls are ideal for this and are also available in a wide range of colors. What you fill the piñata with is up to you. Small children will definitely look forward to chocolate, sweets and gummy bears, and for a bachelor party the choice will fall on other little things.
Horse, donkey, llama or unicorn
A horse, a donkey, a llama or a unicorn can all be made in a similar way. To do this, you can use cardboard or stronger cardboard and shape all of the animal's body parts out of it. Assemble them with tape or secure with hot glue if you have one available. Either fill the animal's stomach beforehand or leave an opening so that little surprises can be put in later. Don't forget to attach a rope to the back of the figure so that the piñata can be hung later, for example from a tree.
Additional elements such as ears, eyes, tail, mane or the unicorn's horn are added when the whole figure is already finished. A precise design of the selected animal is not necessary. It can be presented very simply. You can design the figure using the laminating technique and using a balloon. You should allow a little more working time because the whole thing has to dry very well. Then the sweets and little surprises are filled in. Finally, the piñata is decorated colorfully and atmospherically.
To decorate your home-made piñata, you can use a variety of craft papers and decorative adhesive tapes imaginatively. We'll show you two inspiring ways to decorate a unicorn: traditional Mexican - with fringed strips of paper or typically girly - in pink and mint green with washi tape.
Simple idea from a paper bag
A beautiful and imaginative piñata is really easy to make. All you need is a paper bag and any craft papers you like. With these materials and our instructions, you can quickly make a great cloud yourself. First, create a stencil in the shape of a cloud. You can decide how big your piñata should be using the paper bag that is used for this. The bag handles should be oriented upwards so that they can be used later for hanging.
Use the template to shape the paper bag into the desired cloud shape. Prepare several strips of white paper and cut fringe into them. Start placing the paper strips on the cloud from bottom to top, covering the entire area. For this purpose, you do not need paste and it is best to use double-sided adhesive tape. You can cut out additional elements such as colorful raindrops, eyes and perhaps a smile from craft cardboard and use them to decorate the cloud in an atmospheric way. Your creative cloud is already ready!
Make a paper mache piñata
Most often a piñata is made from papier-mâché. We have reported on this craft technique several times and it is very suitable for children. In this case, we recommend using homemade paste made from flour and water instead of normal paste. A large balloon is also needed. To decorate you canInsert paper strips made of crepe paperor as shown in the example in the picture above, using geometric figures to create a beautiful pattern.
First, the balloon is inflated and the small pieces of paper are glued to it using the paste. Repeat this process several times, placing the new layer of paper on top of the already dry one. For best results, leave the pasted balloon to dry for approximately 48 hours. Then pop the balloon and fill the hollow body with sweets, confetti and other things to increase the surprise effect. Cover the opening with paper and start decorating. There are no limits to your imagination when it comes to decorating the closed piñata.
Great gift idea for adults
You can also make a beautiful piñata for adults. You design these a little differently and fill them with different things than those for children. Here we have a great idea for small gifts that beautifully complement the festive table decorations. Small boxes are atmospherically decorated with strips of crepe paper and filled with chocolates.
To achieve the wonderful gradient effect, as shown in the picture, get several crepe paper strips in different shades of a color of your choice. Cut fringes in advance and attach them one on top of the other. Work from bottom to top and from dark to light.
Design the whole box this way. Attach a loop of string or decorative ribbon to the lid so that the box can be opened easily. For the filling, choose fine, high-quality chocolates. If you wish, you can personalize each model with a name or design it individually in a different color.
Usually a game is played. The figure is hung full of sweets so that you cannot reach it with your hands. Blindfolded and carrying a stick, each child or adult tries to hit and break them. It goes on one after the other until the piñata bursts and it rains candy. The winner gets to choose something first and then all the other children.
Have fun crafting and playing!