DIY Piñata
Tutorial
How to make a really big piñata, fast.
Presented by
The Original Panty Piñata Artisan
Introduction
There’s a piñata revolution brewing!
More and more, piñatas are part of the
entertainment at weddings, birthday
parties, anniversary celebrations and bridal
showers!
But grown-ups don’t want silly candy and
plastic whistles to fall out of their piñatas.
They want good stuff. Bigger stuff.
So that’s why we, The Original Panty
Piñata Artisans, are sharing our exclusive
Wet-Dry method for creating piñatas.
Using this method, you can make any size
piñata you’d like, with as little as one hour
of paper-maching. The result will be a
piñata that is big, strong enough for grownups, and finished in a jiffy!
Visual Learner?
Check out our YouTube video, where we
demo this exact method in under 15 minutes!
Click on the picture above, or visit our Panty
Piñata YouTube Channel
What kind of piñata will
you build?
Pull-String vs Bashing
Pull-String
Bashing
Gentler, nonviolent” piñata
 No bats or
blindfolds, even
Grandma plays!
 Can be played
safely indoors
 Contents fall out
all at once
 Fragile stuffers
can be included
 Easy clean-up


Most familiar
version of piñatas
 Someone in a
blindfold swings a
bat, very funny!
 Competitive spirit
comes out
 Excitement builds
as piñata begins
to open
Part One
PREP MATERIALS
• Tear newspaper into 2
inch strips
• Tear again to desired
length; 8 inches long
works well
• Neatly stack strips for
working ease
• While you’ve got the
paper out, put some down
to protect your work area
• In a large bowl, mix
approximate 2 cups flour to
2.5 cups water
• This “paste” should be the
consistency of thick
pancake batter (but not
nearly as tasty)
• Blow up your balloon (any size)
• Place balloon in a bowl
• Option to tie a string to balloon
(more on this later)
• Set balloon in a bowl, hang
optional string out of the way
• Yes! Oil the balloon; any
kind of oil will do.
• Oiling the balloon will help
with the release later
• Oil your hands while you’re
at it: you’ll thank me later
Part Two
BUILD THE FIRST
FOUR LAYERS
• Drag one strip of newspaper
through the paste mixture
• Get one side thoroughly
saturated, the other
side…not so much
• Use two fingers to squeeze
excess paste off paper
• Aiming for wet, but not
lumpy paper
• Lay pasted strip of paper on
balloon
• Take care to lay strips flat, as
lumps will only get worse with
each layer
• Cover the entire balloon, allowing
strips to overlap slightly
And now…introducing
the
TIMESAVING TRICK
that is
revolutionizing
piñata-making
around the world!
We call it
THE WET/DRY
METHOD!!
• Lay dry strips of paper right over
the wet layer
• Dry layer will adhere to wet layer
• Cover the entire balloon, allowing
strips to overlap slightly
• Loose edges are not a problem
This DRY layer will literally take only a minute or
two. We call this the “free” layer, because you
have so much “free” time leftover!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Dip strip of paper in paste
Remove excess
Put on balloon
Cover entire balloon with a layer of wet paper
Add dry layer of paper
Part Three
ADD RIBBON FOR
STRENGTH,
STRUCTURE, AND
HANGING
• Lift balloon off the bowl, set aside
• Choose a ribbon you like, it will
be used to hang the piñata later
• Cut ribbon into two lengths, each
long enough to wrap around the
balloon, plus 12 more inches.
• Center the first ribbon and drape
it across the bowl opening.
• Center the second ribbon and
drape it perpendicular to the first,
creating a “X” over the center of
the bowl.
• Replace balloon in bowl
• Bring each ribbon to itself around
the balloon
• Then tie the ribbons to each other
• Use optional string to clip ribbons
out of the way while you work.
• If no optional string, keep ribbons
clear of paste while you work
Part Four
SECURE,
STRENGTHEN,
LAYER AND DRY
You need at least one more wet and one more
dry layer to secure the ribbons in place
Who’s
playing?
Pull-string
Bashing
Children
6 layers
6-8 layers
Women
6 layers
8-10 layers, more if you
want the fun to last
Men
6 layers
10-12 layers, more if you
want the fun to last
• Scoop up paste with fingers
• Smooth a thin layer over wet
paper strips to work out any
lumps. Makes nice surface.
• Entire balloon is covered, but
it should not be dripping wet
• Dip 2 inch strips of office
paper into mixture of 1 part
white glue to 4 parts water
• Apply final layer of paper to
piñata for smooth, white
finish, perfect for decorating!
• Hang the piñata to dry
• Warm and drafty is ideal
• DO NOT hang in direct
sunlight, as it could dry too
fast and crack
Part Five
CUT ACCESS HOLE
• Use a sharp knife to cut a
pie-shaped access hole,
with the point of the pie
being the “hinge”
• The balloon will pop and
should pull away easily
• This is where you’ll insert
the stuffers, so make
sure it’s big enough
• If you added the optional
string to tying the ribbons
out of the way, you can
remove it
Are you finished? It depends!
Bashers are now ready
to decorate!
Pull-String
Bashing
Need more than six layers?
No
Yes
Access Hole
Yes
Yes
Trapdoor
Yes
No
Magic String
Yes
No
Decoy Strings
Yes
No
Decorations
Yes
Yes
Pull-strings have a
few more steps!
Part Six
CUT TRAPDOOR,
ADD PULL-STRINGS
• As with the access hole,
use a sharp knife to cut a
pie-shaped access hole,
with the point of the pie
being the “hinge”
• This is where the stuffers
will come out; make sure
the hole is big enough!
• Use something pointy and
sharp to poke a hole
towards the edge of the
trapdoor
• Push the “magic string”
through the hole in the
trapdoor.
• Tie it securely!
• Make sure ALL your
ribbons match the magic
string, so no one can tell
which is which.
• Use any kind of light tape
to close the trapdoor
• You don’t want to tape it
so well that it can’t be
pulled open.
• You’re just trying contain
the contents in until the
“magic” string is pulled.
• Use “ZOTS” or any other
kind of light glue matrix
to adhere “decoy” strings
to the piñata.
• These strings are meant
to hide the magic string.
• Choose ribbons that
blend together.
• Add as many ribbons as you have guests, plus
about 5. If you have a REALLY big group, then
you might want to limit the number of ribbons to
just 20 or 30, so guests don’t get too bored.
• You can use your decorations to further hide the
“magic” string and blend in the decoys.
• For ideas on using tissue paper to hide where
your strings attach, watch our video on YouTube!
You just built a really big piñata, fast!
Now you’re ready to decorate!
Part Seven
DECORATE
(SORRY, YOU’RE ON YOUR
OWN FOR THIS ONE!)
Visit
www.pantypinata.com
• Link to our companion video tutorial
• Tips on what to stuff inside a piñata
• Ideas for creating an unforgettable bridal shower.
Watch the Tutorial