How do you add a hanging hook to a store bought piñata?

I bought a piñata from Amazon and it came without a hanging hook! Any suggestions on how to add one without destroying the piñata?

Answer from Piñata Boy

Most store-bought piñatas are made of cardboard.  Depending on what the piñata looks like, you may be able to cut a rectangular hole in it, add a hook, and fold the door shut to where it can’t be seen.  You can see where we cut a hole like this on the Cutting a candy opening page.

If it’s a not a large piñata and the kids are fairly young, you might not need a heavyweight hanging hook.  Sometimes you can get away with just punching two holes in the top of the piñata (not too close together!) and running a string through them.  This might work for you especially if the top of the piñata feels like it’s made out of stiff cardboard.  Here’s one method for doing that.  It’s basically punching two holes in the top, threading a piece of string through them, and tying the string off off so you have a loop of string running through the top of the piñata.

1)  Cut a wire shirt hanger and bend it into a J-shape.
2)  Push the end of the J into the top of the piñata from the outside.  This is the first hole.
3)  Turn the J rightside up, and see if you can push the end of the hanger out of the piñata from the inside to create the second hole.
4)  Bend a loop in the end of the J with needlenose pliers, and tie the hanging string to it.
5)  Carefully back the shirt hanger out from the piñata.  This will drag the string into the second hole and out from the first one.
6)  Tie off the string, pull the knot around to the top of the piñata to help hide it, and you’re ready to go.

Just be sure that the knot is secure and won’t pull out if it’s tugged on really hard.  If you can’t get the shirt hanger to make that second hole from the inside, then take the hanger out and use it to poke a second hole in the top of the piñata from the outside, right about where you think it should go.  Then  reinsert the shirt hanger and try to find that hole from the inside.  It takes some fishing around sometimes, but I’ve had to do this kind of thing from time to time.

Leave a Comment

  • (will not be published)