Our son Frank (not his real name) turned 7 last month and he really wanted a Dogman party. Dogman is a book series by children's author Dav Pilkey. Pilkey is also the creator of the popular Captain Underpants book series. Frank loves Dogman and reads the six books in the series back to back and then all over again. Dogman party supplies do not yet exist and I had to get creative, which is fine because I'm cheap and I don't want store bought crap that results in extra waste.
I suggested a pinata and picked the character 80-HD from the Dogman series as my muse. I figured 80-HD would be easier since he is round and I needed something easy because I've never made a pinata before. When 80-HD is his superhero persona, he is known as Lightning Dude, and that is what Frank wanted.
80-HD as Lightning Dude, as depicted in Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey.
Your first step is to blow up your balloon. My mistake here was going way too big. I used one of those punch balloons thinking it would be more rounded but it wasn't. Someone told me to use watered down Elmer's glue to dip the strips of newspaper in but I didn't think it worked great and I didn't want the waste of all of those bottles. After the first bottle of Elmer's, I switched to the flour and water mixture that I had read about online. I liked that a lot better. Just mix two parts flour to one part water and dip the strips of paper in the mixture and use your fingers to clear off the excess. Apply the strips to the balloon and wait for it to dry. You need at least three layers of newspaper strips.
Here it is after a couple of layers.
After you let your paper mache dry, pop the balloon and let the air out slowly. I cut a tiny hole and let the air out super slow because I was worried the whole thing would implode. Mine turned out so thick that the risk of implosion was unfounded.
Removal of the balloon.
After removing the balloon, I used a hole puncher to make the holes to string the ribbon. This is the top and these ribbons are what you will use to hang the pinata. I stuck one end of the ribbon through a hole and then used tweezers to pull it out through the other hole. I covered up the hole from the balloon with more paper mache after getting the ribbons how I wanted them.
Ribbon holes.
Once you have your ribbons in place, you are ready to decorate! I made the arms and legs out of cardstock and taped them to the sides and then reinforced that with a couple layers of paper mache. I suggest you put some tape on the first half inch or inch of paper connected to the pinata to prevent tears. The cape is made from tissue paper and cardstock and we used double sided tape to attach it. I chose to paint the pinata before applying the tissue paper so that the print underneath wouldn't show through as much. I used tissue paper cut into squares that are bigger on the sides of the pinata than the top to create a rounder look. Decorate everything except for the very top and the bottom where the flap will be if you are making a pull string pinata like I did. Tip over the pinata and place the undecorated top portion into a bowl to balance it while you get to work on the flap. Draw your flap in marker and then carefully follow the lines with an Exacto knife or kitchen knife.
Your perfectly carved flap.
Once your flap is cut, enlist help from Superman, or any other available superhero, to help you fill that bad boy up with non-nutritious, waste creating snacks and treats.
Thank goodness Superman was there to save the day!
Once the snacks and treats are in, it's back to work. For a pull-string pinata, you need to make several small slits where the pull strings go on the flap. Make your husband use the Exacto knife to make these slits so that he feels useful and handy. Exactly ONE of the pull strings will open the flap. Feed that string through a slit and tie a washer onto it. I used a bead and it ended up pulling through without opening the flap.
I used a bead for the string that will open the flap, use a washer instead.
Feed the rest of the strings through the other slits and pull them in several inches. I used a knife to push the ribbon strings through the slits. The strings will stay in place on their own.
This is the inside of the flap with all ribbons in place.
Once you have everything in place, carefully tuck all the strings inside the pinata and use some regular scotch tape to hold the flap shut. Continue decorating around the area on the bottom that houses the pull strings. I didn't bother to avoid the seams with glue and tissue paper.
Strings in, flap taped, and decorations completed.
Gently turn your pinata right side up and hang it where you can finish decorating the top area that was previously unfinished. I hung mine in the closet and threatened to mortally wound any child who dared to touch it before the party. I just know I can't trust them not to pull those strings. Here is the finished product:
This project turned out pretty good overall. I think I could have done a better job rounding out the top a bit but Frank loves it and that was the point. My husband and I figure that I spent between 20 and 25 hours working on this beast. Don't let that deter you! It took a lot longer being my first one and I had an issue with the tissue paper and had to tear half of it off and start over. I'm also an OCD suffering perfectionist and that adds a lot of time to many of my projects. I chose to do a pull string pinata because March in Minnesota doesn't allow for a good old outdoor pinata beat down and also because Frank wanted to keep Lightning Dude in his room after the party. I'm planning to make a big egg for the kids to beat the crap out of for Easter. So much fun.
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