I’m making a death star pinata for my son’s first birthday. I would love to make it now but it is 2.5 months away. BUT it is one less thing I need to do later, closer to the date. If I make it, do you have recommendations on storage in the garage versus home? I will put the candy in, seal it and everything.
Also if there are 30-35 kids, how many layers do you suggest? 3? 4? I was going off a webpage where she made it with a 20″ beach ball. Also, how long does it take? How much time do you let the layers dry in between?
Thanks so much I love love your webpage!
Heena
Answer from Piñata Boy
Two and a half months isn’t a long time, but during the summer months bugs are more active, so I would keep it in the house if you can. Not only do bugs love to attack the flour and water papier mâché buffet, but some also burrow in and then lay eggs inside it, turning the piñata into a larval maternity ward. If you need to move it to the garage, try closing it up in a plastic bag (but make sure it’s completely dry before you do this) to protect it from bugs.
I’ve never had a piñata last through 30 kids, so understand going into this that most likely not everyone will get a turn. Depending on the age and strength of the players, you might get through half of them before it breaks. One way to make it last longer is to stagger the players in terms of strength. Instead of having all of the smaller kids go first and all of the stronger kids go last, save some of the smaller kids so that after the piñata begins to break, some of the smaller kids can take turns which do minimal additional damage, instead of following immediately with another strong kid who finishes off the weakened piñata.
With a large piñata like that you will probably need 3-4 layers of papier mâché just to make the piñata hold its shape. At that point it might be difficult for the kids to break, but since you have so many players this might not be a bad thing. You can weaken one spot by punching holes in the papier mâché before decorating, or just let some of the stronger kids have a whack earlier to create a weak spot.
How long to let it dry between layers depends on your environmental conditions. If I have enough time, I like to let each layer dry completely before applying the next. On a hot, dry Texas summer afternoon that can take as little as a couple hours, but on a humid or rainy day it can sit in front of a fan all day and overnight and still not be dry. As long as you can handle the piñata with no papier mâché coming off on your hands, you can go ahead and add the next layer, but you want to be sure all the layers are fully dry before you start decorating — for one thing, this will tell you how tough your piñata really is. If the papier mâché is not fully dry, the walls of the piñata will feel weaker.
Good luck, and may the Force be with you!