Amy has always loved dolphins, so on her tenth birthday she wanted to smash one to pieces with a stick.
This was the first piñata I made with multiple candy compartments. The kids were getting older and stronger, and I didn’t want one good swing to bring a quick end to all the dolphin-loving fun.
I made three compartments using ordinary party balloons, then built the dolphin’s body around the three balloons. Each compartment had its own hanging string.
The fins and flukes were shaped using wire shirt hangers. I taped newspaper over the wires and stuffed them with newspaper to fatten them up a little, then layered papier mâché over them. Once they were stiff enough I cut a small slit and pulled out the newspaper stuffing. This completed sculpture is the only photo I took of the piñata before it was finished.
The eyes were ping pong balls painted gloss black. I know real dolphin eyes don’t look like that, but I liked the way the black contrasted with the blue and white of the rest of the dolphin. It’s a piñata, not a marine biology lesson.
The first damage was to the dolphin’s side. The kids relentlessly attacked the weak spot, eventually exposing two of the three round candy compartments inside.
Two of the compartments were opened with this hit. The last one, in the dolphin’s head, didn’t last much longer.
This dolphin is tuna-safe!
If you want to make an easier undersea piñata, take a look at the Tropical Fish. Or if you want to spend a completely ridiculous amount of time making a piñata, make a Porcupine Pufferfish.
