My godson Vito turned five last Saturday and his Mom, Martine, put together an animal circus themed party for him over the weekend. Vito loves animals and one of his favorites is the zebra, so Martine thought it would be a great idea to have a zebra piñata at the party. I’ve secretly been wanting to make a piñata (Okay…if you know me, it’s probably not so secret), so I gladly volunteered to make one for him!
The materials I used are the following: big empty cardboard boxes, black and white crepe paper, black construction paper, white glue, white paint, paint brush, scissors, cutter, masking tape, glue gun and glue sticks
1. I flattened a cardboard box and drew an outline of a zebra, approximately 2 ft long and 1.5 feet high. I made two pieces and cut them out.
2. I cut four inch wide strips of cardboard, and using some hot glue, created a wall around one of the zebra shapes. I left a portion on top open, like a flap, so later on, we can easily put candy inside the piñata.
Tip: To avoid candy getting stuck inside the legs, I walled in the body separate from the legs.
3. I took the other cardboard zebra cutout and glued it on top to create a box. Then I painted the whole thing white.
Tip: Carboard is still pretty strong so to make the piñata easier to break apart, specially if a small child will be hitting it, create weak points around the body by making holes or slits.
5. I cut 1.5 inch wide fringe made out of of black and white crepe paper. Then alternately glued them onto the box. I started from the snout up to where the ears will be and then from the feet up the legs and finally, from the rear end all the way towards the neck.
6. Once I’ve covered the whole thing with its black and white crepe paper fur, I added the final details: the ears on each side of it’s head using cardboard, the eyes and brows made out of construction paper and the tail which is a rolled up piece of cardboard covered with the same black and white crepe paper fringe.
At the party, Martine filled it up with assorted sweet treats. We hung it up a tree in the garden and when it was time, Vito using a wooden stick, hit the zebra piñata with his Dad’s help until all the candy fell out! The kids (after a brief moment of stunned silence upon seeing the zebra smashed) scrambled on the ground for their share of goodies. It was a fun game for the kids and quite an entertainment for the adults as well!
I’m happy I finally got to make a piñata AND to have been able to make it for my godson. Vito loved it! And I’m quite excited to make another one for the next birthday party in the family!
Photos taken by Nica Cosio and Peppy Salita
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