how to make a bullet pinata

Answer from Piñata Boy

The easiest way to make a bullet piñata is using a balloon and some thin cardboard. The balloon forms the front of the bullet, and the cardboard forms the case. Cover the balloon in papier mâché, then make a cylinder of thin cardboard with the same diameter as the balloon, and tape it on with masking tape. Apply some papier mâché over the masking tape to cement the pieces together. Then close off the back end of the bullet with a circle of thin cardboard and cement it on with papier mâché.

You might also need to layer the cardboard with papier mâché because thin cardboard is so flexible that your bullet casing might warp when the piñata is hung with the weight of the candy inside. Make sure you support the walls of the cylinder with something on the inside (such as a can or wastebasket, or even just another cylinder of thin cardboard that fits snugly inside the one you’re covering), otherwise the walls of the thin cardboard are likely to warp and become wavy when the cardboard absorbs moisture from the papier mâché.

You can adjust the shape of the bullet tip by putting either the rounded end of the balloon forward, or the more pointed end. Or depending on what size bullet piñata you’re making, you might be able to use a football to shape the front of the bullet, or a large football-shaped Mylar balloon from a party store. Just wrap the football in plastic wrap, then lay papier mâché strips on it, and when it’s dry, remove the papier mâché from the football and attach it to the thin cardboard cylinder.

If you cut away the back of the balloon before attaching the cardboard cylinder, your piñata will have one candy compartment, but you can make a piñata with two candy compartments by leaving the balloon intact. I often make piñatas with two or more candy compartments when I have older kids or a larger number of kids playing, because sometimes one well-placed whack can open the piñata too soon, but having a second compartment keeps the fun going longer.

Good luck!