I can remember all the fun games we used to play at birthday parties when I was a kid. There were multiple versions of pin the tale on the donkey, bean bag tosses, and at the best parties, a pinata, full of candy and small toys.
Now that I’m a parent, I love coming up with games and activities to go with whatever theme my children have chosen for their party. I’ve made Halloween party games for my daughter’s Halloween themed birthday, hunted down the best Star Wars party ideas, and even built a dragon pinata.
This year my daughter asked for a Monster High birthday party. Since her birthday is in October, it meant plenty of spooky party items could be found in the dollar store. (I love the spiderweb paper plates we found.)
When she asked if she could have a pinata for her party, I had a peek at a few in the stores. I just couldn’t justify spending $20 on something that is supposed to get torn up in just a few minutes.
Thankfully making a paper bag pinata is super easy, and this DIY Monster High pinata can be made in about an hour.
This simple paper bag pinata would be fun at a Monster High party, or even as a cute DIY ghost pinata for a kids Halloween party. (Yes, I know it’s supposed to be a skull, but on a rectangular bag it makes a pretty convincing ghost.)
Depending on the ages of your child, you could even make this a fun activity to do together.
Monster High Pinata Tutorial
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Materials:
- Large Paper Bag (We used one from the grocery store.)
- Craft Glue
- Scissors
- White Tissue Paper
- Pink Tissue Paper
- Black Tissue Paper (optional)
- Pink Construction Paper
- Black Construction Paper
- Yarn or Cord (to hang pinata)
Before you start building your paper bag pinata, place the candy, toys, or other small filler items inside your bag. Fold the top 2 inches (5 cm) of the bag down, and thread a length of yarn or cord through the fold, creating a way to hang your pinata when it’s finished. Seal the bag shut, over the yarn, with glue or tape.
Cut 2 inch (5 cm) wide strips of white tissue paper. (You will need enough strips to cover your entire paper bag.)
Use scissors to cut fringe into strip. To lessen the chances of tearing, cut the fringe so it is at least 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide. Also, I have found that it is easier to cut tissue paper if you are cutting several layers at once. Don’t worry about making perfectly straight lines or having them all the same size. Once it is put together no one will notice.
Starting at the bottom, glue the white tissue paper strips to your bag pinata. Be sure to glue just the top of each strip (not the fringe part).
Go around the entire bag: front, back, and both sides. Once you have one row of tissue paper finished, do the row above it, allowing the fringe of the top strip to overlap the one below it. Continue until the entire bag is covered in white tissue paper fringe.
Next, cut out eyes and noses from black construction paper. To make 4 identical eyes all at once, fold your paper in fourths, draw your eye shape with pencil and then cut out all 4 at one time. Glue eyes and nose on the front and back of the pinata.
Use pink construction paper to make 2 large bows to glue on the upper corner of your Monster High pinata.
Now to make that bow really stand out.
Cut 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares of pink tissue paper. To glue them on, stick your finger in the middle of each square and wrap the tissue paper corners up around the tip of your finger (or the end of an unsharpened pencil). Work in small sections, covering the construction paper with glue and then just pressing the center of the tissue paper square to it.
You can do the same with black tissue paper for the eyes and nose if you wish. Our homemade pinata was made the day before the party, and I didn’t have black tissue paper on hand, so I left it with the construction paper face.
Your paper bag pinata is ready to hang once the glue completely dries. Since it costs almost nothing to make, your wallet won’t take a beating as the kids have fun whacking the heck out of it to get to all the goodies inside.
A Monster High pinata is the perfect addition to a Monster high birthday party or a kids Halloween party.
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OneMommy says
Yes, you can definitely use the paper bag idea for other themes. I did one earlier for my son that was a dragon. You can see it here if you want to take a peek: https://theresjustonemommy.com/2014/05/18/diy-dragon-pinata/