Easy Pinata How-To

My oldest daughter's 11th birthday is today, and she really wanted a pinata for her sleepover.  We checked at Target and the ugly only pinatas there were Mexican style fiesta donkeys,  princess crown and baseballs, all of which were $17.  And that is just the empty pinata shell.  It costs more to buy things to put IN the pinata.  She really wanted an animal pinata, so I suggested we just make it.  She decided on a panda bear. We already had balloons at home, so all we needed to buy was some black and white tissue paper which cost $2, and a few things to put inside (candy, silly bands, glow stick bracelets, mini bubbles) that cost about $8. 

I warn you--I am NOT crafty, so if I can do it, anyone can do it!  Here's what to do to make a super simple panda bear (or any bear, really!):

1.  Just FYI--the entire project takes about 2 hours of actual crafty time (about an hour to make it, and another hour to decorate it).  It takes a couple of days to dry, so don't wait until party day to make the pinata!
2. Make the paste by mixing together 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 flour and bring it to a boil in a medium sized saucepan.  When it begins to thicken, remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little bit.
3. Cut old newspaper or store ads into strips. I used my Kroger ad from last week :) Also cut some white printer paper or plain white paper towels into strips.
4. Blow up 2 balloons--1 small one and one larger one--and tie the ends.  Tie the two balloons together with the smaller one on the top for the head.
5. Cover your table with an old sheet or tablecloth to protect it from the starch.
6. Get messy!  Dip your hand or a pastry brush in the flour paste and smear it over a large portion of the top balloon, then lay the newspaper strips over the paste, covering the entire balloon.  Smooth away bumps and bubbles. The paper strips should not be totally dripping (too much paste), and they should not be dry (not enough paste); if they are pliable and damp you have it right.  Repeat with a second layer of paste and strips, then do a third layer with the white paper or paper towels, smoothing away the bubbles and bumps again-add more paste if you need to. This will be the final layer, and having it white makes it MUCH easier to decorate.
7. Repeat the paste/paper strip process for the other balloon. IMPORTANT--leave a small area of the bottom balloon showing--about a 2" or 3" circle--and don't paste any paper strips there.  This will be the fill hole.
8. To make the neck (the hardest part) where the two balloons meet, lay pasty strips vertically from the head to the body all around.  Lay several more pasted strips horizontally around the neck, like a collar.  Repeat both layers again to make it sturdy.
9. Set the paper covered pinata over a large bowl or container and allow to dry.  Turn it every 12 hours or so, or the bottom won't dry.  If it is hot and dry outside, set the pinata outdoors to speed the drying process.
10. After the paper is dry and hardened, it's time to decorate.  To make the panda like we did, just cut a bunch of black and white tissue paper into 2" squares.  We searched on Swagbucks for "Panda photos" and used one we liked as a reference.  We just squeezed a line of Elmer's school glue across and covered it with overlapping squares of tissue paper to simulate fur. We used cardboard to cut out round ears and covered them with glue and tissue paper, then attached them (with glue) to the head.  The nose and eyes are cut from tissue paper, and the mouth was drawn on with a black Sharpie.  We opted to omit the legs, but you could easily glue on tissue paper covered paper cups for the legs if you wanted.
11. Set the tissue paper covered bear aside to let the glue dry.  When the glue is dry, pop the balloon in the bottom (no need to pop the balloon in the head) and you will have a nice hollow panda belly.  Fill it with candy and trinkets, then glue some strips of tissue paper over the fill hole to hide it.  Voila!  A homemade, made-to-order pinata for less than $10, including the fillers.

Here are photos of the pinata as we are starting to glue on the tissue paper to the hardened paper strips, and the final product with the birthday girl.  Isn't he cute 'lil panda?  We kind of hate to smash him to bits!