I’m making the rainbow Zebra piñata.
How do I attach the legs, neck and face to the main body part? Thanks.
Answer from Piñata Boy
Most of the time when I’m making a structured piñata, I make each body part separately and then attach them together after the papier mâché is dry but before decorating. To attach them I usually just use some masking tape to hold the pieces together, then cover the connection in a few layers of papier mâché to really cement it together. I use masking tape because it tears easily and doesn’t cause a problem when the kids start whacking the piñata.
Sometimes you’ll need to cut away a small section from one or both of the parts that are being connected in order to make the two pieces fit together better. For example, if you were making a small snowman piñata using two stacked balloons and you set one papier mâché balloon on top of another, they would meet only at a single point. This makes it very difficult to cement them together. In a case like this I would cut a circular hole in the top of the bottom balloon so that the top balloon sits in the hole and the connection point between the two balloons goes all the way around the circle. I would use a few vertical strips of masking tape like stitches across the line where the pieces meet, then apply (usually) three layers of papier mâché over the joint, allowing each one to dry before applying the next one.
When you’re using balloons to make a structured piñata it’s common that every piece has a convex surface, and the convex surfaces don’t fit together. Always think about which piece is better to cut before you make the cut. Generally I prefer to make the cut out of the top of a piece if it’s potentially a candy compartment. For example, with our snowman mentioned earlier, you could cut either the top of the bottom balloon or the bottom of the top balloon to fit the two balloons together. I suggested cutting the top of the bottom piece because that way the top balloon doesn’t have a hole in the bottom, and can also be used as a candy compartment. If one of the pieces being joined together is a candy compartment and the other is not (like attaching a leg to a body), I usually make the cut in the non-candy-containing piece. I can’t always do it this way, though — in the end it will depend on the size and shapes of the two pieces and how they will best fit together.
When I was making the Rainbow Zebra piñatas, I cut away a section on the inside of the top of each leg so that they would sit better against the body. The base of the neck was already an open cone, so I just had to fit it to the body. After the neck was attached to the body I cut a hole in the top of the neck to fit the head. Each time I used a few strips of masking tape to hold the pieces in place, and cemented them with many layers of papier mâché strips. (I had to cement them on pretty hard since they were supporting a lot of weight, and they weren’t target areas.)
Just remember there is not just one “right” way to do this. Anything that works is the right way. 🙂
Good luck!