• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Website Terms & Conditions
  • Le Coin De Mel
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Le Coin De Mel

Le Coin De Mel

Food, Crafts, Days Out & Photography Tips for Busy Parents

  • Ramblings
  • Food
    • Free From Recipes
    • Appetisers
    • Starters
    • Main Courses
    • Food on the Go
    • Side Dishes & Breads
    • Sweet Treats & Snacks
    • Desserts
  • Crafty Corner
    • Cards
    • Homemade Presents
  • Home Sweet Home
    • Makeovers
    • Organisation
  • Kids’ Corner
    • Pregnancy & Birth
    • Fun with the Little Ones
    • Eczema & Allergies
    • Learning
    • Party Time!
Home » Uncategorized » Kids' Corner » Fun with the Little Ones » How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me)

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me)

Crafty Corner, Fun with the Little Ones, Kids' Corner, Party Time!

Beanie turned four on Tuesday. By 8 a.m., straight after blowing the candles on her bowl of birthday porridge, she had already decided it was the best birthday ever! That set the tone for the day. It was a very happy day indeed. At playgroup, all the children sang “Happy Birthday” to her. Lunch in the park was followed by pre-school, where she was given a book and a card. After school, we went to the park again with friends (and sweets). Hubby came home earlier than usual and she opened our little presents with excitement. We had dinner in front of Despicable Me, much to her delight. More cake and she went to bed. What a brilliant day for my little girl!

Her birthday party with friends is on Saturday. The kids started talking about having a piñata last week and for some crazy reason, I said maybe we could try and make a papier-mâché one. I know, I know, I can hear you shout at your screen: “Stop there, Mel, don’t even get started; you will regret it!”

It was one of those times when I opened my mouth before I gave myself the chance to think. What on earth crossed my mind when I said that? I have no idea. My last experience of wet newspaper pieces and floury water was when I was about eight. I remember it well: my papier-mâché fruit bowl took ages to make and never dried. That was almost as unsuccessful as my attempts at pottery (a story for another day!).

I had never made a piñata. It is comforting to stick to what you know rather than take risks, but at the end of the day, we had nothing to lose. It could be an enjoyable activity, and if it looked awful, we would just bash it at home. I had a look online, but could not find a tutorial that looked straightforward enough and did not require spending money.

I do have other things to do and even though I wanted to please the children, there was no way I would spend hours and hours making a papier-mâché Minion that would get destroyed in less than ten minutes. It was also going to be a free piñata!

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - materials to get started

On Thursday, Crevette (6 years 1 month) and Beanie (4 years) blew a couple of balloons we had at home.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Inflating Balloons

I used a short piece ribbon to keep them together.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Balloons Attached Together

I then taped together four pieces of card (lengthwise) to make a tube shape around the two balloons. Easy enough!

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Card around Balloons

On Saturday afternoon, Beanie and I got the papier-mâché mixture (1 cup flour and 1 ½ cup water) ready. My little lady loved it! She is keen on messy play, squidgy stuff and generally getting dirty.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Mixture

After ripping a couple of old newspapers into rough squares, we placed our Minion shape in a large bowl.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Newspaper Bits

We then started dipping the pieces in our mixture and sticking them all over what would hopefully become a piñata. Crevette gave up after a couple of minutes, telling me he did not like getting dirty. The look I gave him made it very clear I was not myself a fan of sticky flour mixture all over myself, my clothes and my hair! A lot of muttering followed…

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Getting Started

It was really wet as I put on at least two layers to save time, so we used a hairdryer to take some of the moisture off before leaving it to dry.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Hair Dryer

I turned the piñata around in the bowl on Sunday to start covering the other side. Another two layers were added (on my own) that morning (tut, tut, tut).

Once it was completely dry, I burst the balloons with a needle, cut an opening in the bottom so I could put my hand through it and add a piece of ribbon at the top (for hanging later).

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Opening it

We filled our shell with torn pieces of blue and yellow tissue paper as well as sweets, used masking tape to close the piñata and added a couple of layers of papier-mâché.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Stuffing it

The kids used their dad’s paintbrushes to paint it yellow after school on Monday.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Painting

It did not look promising I have to say and you could still see the newspaper underneath. I added a couple of layers of yellow paint on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Painting again

Once we had a base for our minion, I asked Beanie what kind of minion she wanted, and she requested a one-eyed minion. We went for Carl.

 

What you need next:

Printables for goggles (I made ours bigger) and ‘G’ can be found here.

Card in these colours: black, blue, yellow

PVA glue

Black pen

2 black buttons

Scissors

Black thread (I only had brown)

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - What you Need to Finish

On Wednesday, after cutting round the eye, I cut a couple of strips of black card to make sure it went round the head. It is a good idea not to stick it yet (I made that mistake), but place it to know where the overalls should go.

I quickly traced the outline of overalls and painted them blue.

I then added the eye, traced the mouth, stuck the buttons, ‘G’ badge, hair, arms and legs – 4 x 4cm strips of the width of the yellow card: 4 cm strips – accordion, then black hands (3 fingers), black shoes. Attach your piñata to a broomstick and have fun!

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me) - Carl & Friends

My honest opinion: if you are really into experimenting, arts and crafts as well as messy play, by all means go for it! If not, buy a ready-made piñata!

Here is a visual summary:

How to Make a Minion Piñata (Despicable Me)

 

Post Comment Love
The Reading Residence

 

25/09/2014 · 48 Comments

Previous Post: « A Sewing Project for Beginners – Making a Teddy
Next Post: A Despicable (Me) & Minion Party »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Laura Evelyn Bee says

    26/09/2014 at 6:16 am

    OMG! That is amazing! You are a very talented pinata maker!!! Very impressive! x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 11:46 pm

      Not bad for a first attempt, is it? Now I am hoping it breaks easily enough tomorrow.

      Reply
    • Lori Packer says

      03/12/2016 at 11:46 pm

      I started the same way you did, just put both hands in forward so to speak. If children are not helping you ladies, the only thing I would highly recommend is the liquid fabric starch. It seems a bit more expensive, but in the long run, it lasts a very long time, goes on smooth, you use less coats of it, be careful, I made one that would not break one time due to having too much time, I am older and no kids at home….it’s just so worth it….

      Reply
      • Mel says

        04/12/2016 at 9:22 pm

        Oh that sounds really good. I would look into it if the children were not into helping in the first stages (bless them!).

        Reply
  2. adeline says

    26/09/2014 at 8:09 am

    je lâche l’affaire, t’es trop forte!!!!!!!! je remballe mes ballons de pâques…
    Par contre j’ai cherché ce que veux dire despicable et j’ai trouvé “méprisable” du coup je ne comprends pas bien le sens avec fête d’anniversaire, i need a lesson Miss!!!!!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 8:39 am

      Tu me fais rire, toi! Despicable Me, c’est le titre anglais de Moi, Moche et Méchant!

      Reply
  3. Iona@Redpeffer says

    26/09/2014 at 9:43 am

    Brilliant idea! Although my soon to be 4 year old wouldn’t like the sound of a balloon bursting bless him. I’m hoping he doesn’t realise he can ask for a party and I’ll get away with minimal party type preparations!!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 11:38 pm

      I like having a theme. It makes things a bit easier for planning the party (in my world anyway, ha ha!).

      Reply
  4. adeline says

    26/09/2014 at 10:22 am

    j’avais vu les mignons mais je n’avais pas fait le rapprochement….merci madame la prof!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 11:14 am

      🙂

      Reply
    • Mel says

      28/09/2014 at 11:19 am

      T’es drôle, toi!

      Reply
  5. Mummy Tries says

    26/09/2014 at 11:32 am

    How on earth have you made something so intricate look so easy? You are one talented mumma that’s for sure lovely! Sounds like a fab birthday for your little Beanie xxx #WotW

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 12:34 pm

      It really is not that complicated. I tend to have ideas, but with zero artistic talent, I have to be creative to make my “artwork” look decent! I have to say I am pleased with the Minion, though. I will still enjoy seeing the kids destroy it tomorrow!

      Reply
  6. Stephanie Robinson says

    26/09/2014 at 12:57 pm

    Wow – double the fun! Making it and destroying it! Have a fab time!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 11:05 pm

      Thanks Stephanie, we will. I am secretly hoping the kids struggle to break it so I can have a go!

      Reply
  7. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says

    26/09/2014 at 12:58 pm

    Oh wow that looks fab! I really wish I was more creative x #WotW

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 10:57 pm

      Thanks Kirsty. We always have little projects on the cards around here!

      Reply
  8. thereadingresidence says

    26/09/2014 at 1:47 pm

    Wow! I would buy one, I’d definitely buy one! This looks brilliant, you should be so proud! I’m glad the birthday went well and hope the party is as much of a success. Thanks for sharing with #WotW

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 1:57 pm

      I would not blame you! We are all very excited about the party. I had better start getting things organised!

      Reply
  9. Tania @ Larger Family Life says

    26/09/2014 at 6:32 pm

    That is absolutely brilliant! A shame it would be smashed to pieces though!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 8:03 pm

      Nah! It is all part of the fun!

      Reply
  10. Ce says

    26/09/2014 at 6:46 pm

    You rock as usual!!!!! Don’t know how you do it!! Can’t wait to see it;-)

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 8:04 pm

      Well, you might have to bash it tomorrow if the little ones are struggling!

      Reply
  11. Kim Carberry says

    26/09/2014 at 7:35 pm

    That is absolutely brilliant! Well done!! Sounds like she had a great birthday I hope she has a fab party x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2014 at 10:49 pm

      Me too! Just finished the party bags and getting the kids’ clothes ready. It should be a great party!

      Reply
  12. Tracey @ Mummyshire says

    27/09/2014 at 8:35 am

    I’m absolutely amazed at your energy & your ability to be so creatively crafty. I look on in awe!! Although I may have a go at Papier Mache with Mademoiselle but nothing so grand, as it’s the kind of thing she’d like to do so thnx for the floury mixture tips. Have a lovely birthday party xx

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/09/2014 at 11:16 am

      It was a brilliant party, thanks lovely! If you want to have a go at papier-mâché, wait a couple of weeks, I am thinking of making something else that would be nice and simple. X

      Reply
  13. Hayley @ Hay In A Day says

    27/09/2014 at 3:36 pm

    I love the Minions! Great idea for a pinata! I don’t have any childrens parties to go to but i want to make one 🙂 #WotW

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/09/2014 at 8:41 pm

      Go on, Hayley, make one! x

      Reply
  14. Leandra says

    27/09/2014 at 5:00 pm

    love this so much! so clever.
    Have a great weekend. #wotw

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/09/2014 at 11:33 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  15. Mhairi Little Hands says

    27/09/2014 at 8:31 pm

    This is brilliant, my boys would love this. Well done.

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/09/2014 at 8:44 pm

      Thanks. If you ever decide to make one with them, let me know!

      Reply
  16. Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) says

    28/09/2014 at 2:03 am

    This is my son’s fave! I dont have any events for a piñata but I am thinking of paper mache and some projects in my head! Thanks for sharing this =) #pocolo

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/09/2014 at 3:34 pm

      I am looking forward to see what you come up with!

      Reply
  17. Sara (@mumturnedmom) says

    28/09/2014 at 6:43 pm

    Fabulous! I hope the party went really well… And that the piñata broke easily enough 🙂 #WotW

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/09/2014 at 7:28 pm

      It was a perfect party, thanks Sara! The piñata was sturdy to say the last but it did break eventually!

      Reply
  18. Victoria Welton says

    29/09/2014 at 9:56 pm

    Seriously Mel, this is OUTSTANDING!! Well done gorgeous lady, you are so talented. Thank you for linking to PoCoLo 🙂 x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      29/09/2014 at 10:13 pm

      Thanks, lovely! If you forget about the lengthy drying process, it was really easy to make. I am not buying a piñata ever again (I think)!

      Reply
  19. Sean says

    27/09/2015 at 8:29 am

    What a great idea! I think my youngest would be fine to smash it up at the end but my eldest that would be another story!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      27/09/2015 at 9:19 am

      Sme here. My little man was quite reluctant to smash it up but the girls couldn’t wait!

      Reply
  20. roxanna kerr says

    26/09/2016 at 11:19 pm

    i want to make it bigger what should i do to make it more bigger

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/09/2016 at 11:50 pm

      How big are you planning to make it? I’d say use two large balloons (like the punching ball-type balloons) and use a large sheet of card from the craft shop. Would that work?

      Reply
  21. roxanna kerr says

    27/09/2016 at 12:30 am

    Like the size of a year old boy

    Reply
    • Mel says

      27/09/2016 at 12:33 am

      That was pretty much the size of our piñata I’d say!

      Reply
  22. roxanna kerr says

    27/09/2016 at 12:32 am

    For 3 years old boy

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Despicable (Me) Birthday Party says:
    28/09/2014 at 11:00 pm

    […] singing “Happy Birthday” and cake, the piñata (tutorial here) provided us with a very entertaining finale for the party. I might have been over enthusiastic […]

    Reply
  2. Planning a Halloween Party with Children says:
    02/11/2014 at 12:15 am

    […] thought about making a papier mâché piñata but ended up filling a paper lantern with sweets. It was torn quickly and served its […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Bienvenue!

Mel
Hi, I’m Mel, a mum of four writing about family life, food, adventures, allergies & photography. You can read more about us here.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Disclosure for Affiliate Links

* ’Le Coin de Mel’ uses affiliate links. I always flag those links up with an asterisk. If you click on an affiliate link and then buy a product I recommend, I will get a commission, but you will not be charged any more for it. Thanks in advance!

Mel recommends…

I am a Tropic independent ambassador. If you click on the picture below and buy anything from my shop, I will be paid a commission.

Get the best ‘free from’ flour here:

Le Coin de Mel

Best for rubbish clearance:

Le Coin de Mel

I am a member of…

NEVER MISS A POST

Search by Category

Le Coin De Mel

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

COPYRIGHT · LE COIN DE MEL © 2020 · THYME THEME · WORDPRESS · LOG OUT