How many children does your balloon wrapped in newspaper and paper mached “last” for?

Answer from Piñata Boy

There are too many variables involved to provide just one answer to that question, but you can expect that if the kids are about 7 or 8 years old, the piñata has three layers of papier-mâché, and each “turn” is one good whack, you should be able to get through 8 to 10 kids on a balloon-sized piñata before it’s shattered.

• If the kids are older, the piñata will break sooner.
• If you add more layers of papier-mâché, the piñata will last longer.  You can add ½ layers of papier-mâché by laying down the strips in a checkerboard pattern with gaps in between.
• If the piñata is larger than balloon-sized, you’ll normally need to add more layers of papier-mâché to make it hold its shape, and in that case the piñata is often too tough for the kids to break, so it has to be weakened by stabbing holes in it with a kitchen knife or scissors before decorating. You can stab holes everywhere, or only in certain areas to create weak spots.

I make a Halloween piñata every year for the trick-or-treating kids in my neighborhood, and we draw about 25 kids aged 4 through about 12.  Most of the time we get somewhere around 18 whacks before it breaks fully open.