Huge Cardboard Paper Mache Piñata!

Piñatas are super fun, you get to smash them and eat candy!

This instructable will show you how to make a strong cardboard + paper mache piñata sure to impress at any birthday party or event. I have used this method of making piñatas with both cardboard and paper mache and it does not disappoint! It is important to know however, that this tutorial will show how to make any cardboard piñata and not a rocket ship.

Tools:

• Scissors
• Utility knife
• Paper cutter (optional)
• Cooking sheet (area to put glue on)
• Pencil/Sharpie
• Rope (to hang)
• Measuring tape (optional)

Materials:

• Corroded cardboard/Cardboard boxes
• Tape (Duck tape/Masking tape/Packing tape)
• Paper/Newspaper
• Liquid glue/Paste made from flour & water
• Crepe paper/Tissue paper
• Glue sticks

Use tape (I like to use Duck Tape) and cardboard to construct the shape of your piñata. Be sure to use images to get the dimensions and looks just right for your piñata (measuring tape comes in handy here). It can be tricky to know how to build a good looking model, so here are some tips to build some basic shapes.

Square/Rectangle - Cut 6 sides then tape together with pieces of duck tape.

Dome/Cone - Cut lots of acute triangles then fold and tape them together to form a dome or cone.

Sphere - Make 2 domes and tape them together.

Cylinder - Take a sheet of cardboard and fold it with the ¨grain¨ of the cardboard until it forms a cylinder.

Finish cutting out and taping together the cardboard base of your piñata. Don't worry here if your piñata is flimsy, it will get a lot stronger, just make it strong enough to stay together right now.

Fill a cooking sheet (or any flat area for glue to spread out) with liquid glue (or paste made from flour and water) then tilt sheet so glue covers it completely. Cut strips of paper or newspaper with a paper cutter (or scissors) about 2 inches wide by the length of the paper or 10 inches with newspaper. Place protective floor mats or a tarp for dripping glue. Dip strips of paper into glue, lightly covering one side. Place strips on cardboard overlapping previous strips about halfway. Not overlapping the strips will give you a weaker piñata so if that's what you want then go for that.

Continue placing strips on your piñata until it is completely covered. Let the glue dry and you will find a thick shell of paper mache! This will protect the piñata as well as rounding out the curves and making it look better.

Fold crepe paper over itself until a you have a rectangle around 4x7 inches. Cut the sides off to form a stack of individual rectangles. Cut into paper every half inch to about one inch from the top (the picture shows this, cut red lines). Use glue sticks to glue the top strip of the crepe paper and stick on your piñata. Place strips overlapping each other about halfway so no paper mache is seen underneath. Keep in mind to face all crepe paper the same way.

Continue putting crepe paper on your piñata until it is completely covered, make sure to use the right colors for the right spots. Print any images or important details for your piñata and use glue sticks to stick them on. finally cut a couple flaps for candy with a utility knife, going all the way through the piñata. Congrats you have finished your piñata!

Use paracord, rope, thick string, etc, to hang up your piñata. Fill your piñata with as much candy as you can, then tape the candy flaps closed and hand out the baseball bats!