I have made two pinatas for my son’s last two Bdays. I was wondering if you could help me with making a square pinata this year for his minecraft themed party. I have only done the balloon kind before with the help of you wonderful website!! Thank you-you’re amazing at it!
Answer from Piñata Boy
When you’re making a square piñata (like Wendy Murphy’s fantastic Minecraft Ghast), using cardboard of some kind is the best way to go.
You can get big sheets of either thin cardboard (like cereal box cardboard), or thin corrugated cardboard from Sam’s or Costco for free. Each one has benefits and drawbacks for making this kind of piñata:
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD will hold its shape better and won’t warp under the weight of the filled piñata. You can also skip the entire papier mâché step and decorate directly onto the cardboard. But even the thinnest corrugated cardboard can be difficult for kids to break. If you use corrugated cardboard, I recommend stabbing a lot of holes in the sides of the piñata to create weak spots. And be sure to use the thinnest corrugated cardboard you can find — a piñata made from ordinary moving box cardboard can be impossible for kids to break.
THIN CARDBOARD is easier to break, but requires strengthening with papier mâché. If you don’t strengthen it, the square piñata will warp under the weight of the candy inside. Applying papier mâché to thin cardboard will soak the cardboard and make it wavy, so you lose the smooth, flat sides. To prevent this from happening it’s best to support the thin cardboard by placing it over a sturdy box or something during the papier mâché work. Once it’s dry, you’ll probably need to stab a lot of holes in the sides, because even thin cardboard can be tough for kids to break.
I would recommend trying thin corrugated cardboard first, because you can quickly make an undecorated prototype and test it out to see how easily it breaks. If the thin corrugated cardboard turns out to be impractical, you haven’t lost much time, but if you find the right balance of strength and breakability, you can save yourself a lot of time and still make a fantastic piñata.
Good luck!