Kids love pinatas! Just something about whacking the crap out of a container full of candy until it breaks is magical. I have yet to meet a child that doesn’t absolutely go nuts over this. I always have one at my girls’ birthday parties. The price tag, however, does not agree with me. Most pre-made character pinatas run about $25. I might as well hang up my $25 and whack it to shreds with a stick, because that is such a huge waste of money!!!
Especially when you can make your own pinata for literally pennies.
Yep. I said pennies.
Want to know how to do it? Read on below!
How To Make Your Own “Minion” Pinata:
Before embarking on this adventure, plan ahead! While this is a super-easy process, you need to start making your pinata about 5 days before your party because he needs a couple nights to dry. (In other words, you have to go buy a $25.00 pre-made pinata if your party is tomorrow. Sorry. This is just not something that can be rushed.)
- Step 1:
Gather your supplies. You will need:
- 2 balloons (It doesn’t matter which color because they won’t show.)
- Some poster board
- Tape
- Newspaper, torn (not cut) into strips. (I just use the weekly sale ads that come in the mail for free.)
- Flour
- Water
- String or rope (I used black parachute cord)
- Assorted candy/small prizes of your choice
- Spray paint in blue and yellow
- Black pipe cleaners
- Acrylic craft paint in white, black, and silver
- Step 2:
Assemble the paper mache mold.
Inflate the two balloons, and cut the poster board into smaller pieces.
Line your poster board up into one big strip, and tape it all together.
Tape the 2 balloons together at the bottom.
Roll the balloons up in the poster board, attaching with tape as you go.
You might need a little helper to hold it still while you finish up the taping. 🙂
- Step 3:
Prepare your paper mache station.
You need to mix the paper mache. For each coat you will need:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
Combine the flour and water until it is a nice, smooth paste. You should make sure you have plenty of newsprint torn into strips and your assembled mold ready to go. I didn’t cover my work space, because as long as you clean up while the paste is still wet it wipes off easily. If you are worried about the mess, then cover your work space with a plastic tablecloth or some extra newspaper.
- Step 4:
Get your hands dirty, and start paper macheing!
Dip each strip of newsprint into the paste, run your fingers down it to wipe off the excess paste, then smooth it onto your mold. Repeat the process with each strip. Remember to saturate each piece, but wipe off as much of the extra paste as possible. If you use too much it will take forever to dry and could saturate the poster board, which will make your minion look warped.
Cris-crossing the strips makes a strong pinata. If you lay all the strips going the same direction, it will end up having weak spots.
Continue laying strips until you have no more openings. The entire piece should be covered in your first layer of paper mache, without being able to see any poster board or balloons. Resist the urge to keep paper macheing. If you make your first coat too thick it will take forever to dry. Let dry overnight.
Once dry, it will look like the picture above. Repeat the paper mache process and do a second coat over the entire piece. Allow the second coat to dry overnight again. If you are making the pinata for a large group of children or bigger kids, I recommend doing a third coat as well. If you have a smaller group or just little kids, 2 coats should be strong enough. (Remember to make sure you leave enough dry time between coats – overnight is best!)
- Step 5:
Fill him up with candy and prizes!
When deciding what to fill your pinata with, consider your crowd. Little kids? Go with stickers and fruit snacks. Big kids? A good candy combo. Does anybody have allergies? Make sure your candy doesn’t contain nuts. So now that you have your treats picked out, let’s fill him!
Using a sharp knife, poke a hole into what will be the top of your pinata. Do not be alarmed when you hear the balloon begin to deflate inside! As long as you applied at least 2 coats of paper mache and allowed your pinata to dry properly, it will be very sturdy and hold it’s shape. Using a sawing motion with your knife, cut a flap big enough to fit your hand inside.
Deflate the other balloon, and pull the balloons out. These are a choking hazard. It is OK to leave the poster board inside. Dump all your candy and prizes inside. Now is also a good time to poke holes and attach the string your pinata will hang from. Poke 3 SMALL holes, surrounding the candy opening. Since my pictures for this didn’t turn out, I made you a diagram below. 
Thread the string through each hole from outside to inside. Reach your hand inside and tie the end of each string into a giant knot, so that it can’t come back through the hole. Here is another #madpaintskillz diagram for you:
Once your candy is inside and the strings are attached for future hanging, close the flap back up with masking tape. Do one layer of paper mache over this entire top section to seal everything back up nice and cozy. Allow to dry – you guessed it – overnight.
- Step 6:
Turn him into a minion!
Get your future minion, spray paint and a tarp. Spray the entire guy yellow. Apply multiple coats as needed, because your first coat will soak right into the paper mache. Mine took 2 full coats to cover the newspaper.
Allow to dry at least 2 hours, then tape off his top half. I just used masking tape and construction paper, because that was handy at the moment.
Spray his bottom half blue. Mine only took 1 coat of blue to be covered. Allow to dry another 2 hours.
Remove the paper and tape, and bring him inside to put his face on!
Use white craft paint for the eyes, and outline with silver craft paint for the goggles. Use the black craft paint to make his pupils, band for his goggles and a smiley mouth! Allow to dry. Then cut a small slit in the top of his head using a sharp knife. Poke pieces of black pipe cleaner into the slit, and bend them to resemble minion hair.
- Step 7:
Hang him up and get the party started! The pinata rules we follow are:
- Treat bags for candy/prize collection are labeled with names and passed out before the pinata starts
- Birthday kid goes first
- The other kids follow in age order from youngest to oldest
- Each kid gets 3 hits, missed swings don’t count
- Once the pinata breaks, it is every man for himself
- I always keep some extra candy/prizes to the side in case some little kids get boxed out and don’t get to grab any candy
Be ready for the chaos once he breaks! Ahhhh! So fun!
Aren’t you glad that didn’t cost you $25.00?!
Have fun, you party animals!
🙂 Kaitlyn