How To: Make a Foofa & Brobee Pinata
Thank you Anna for taking the time write out and share with us how you made these wonderful pinatas for your sons party If you don't have time to make your own, just let Anna know, she might make one for you ;)
Instructions for Foofa Pinata:
This was the first time I made a pinata with paper mache. I researched instructions from the internet for basic paper mache pinatas. Youtube has videos on technique.
The Paste: read 1 part flour to 2 parts water. Combine in a sauce pan and boil until it thickens to a goo. Let cool completely before using. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.
2-3 newpapers teared of into 1 to 1 1/2" wide strips.
First, I blew up 2 12" balloons, one smaller than the other (for Foofa's head.) Then I dunk the strips into the paste and layed them on the balloons vertically until fully covered. Then I repeated the process by laying them horizontally on the balloons until fully covered. Then I repeated the process again laying them vertically on the balloons until fully covered. I layed them on the floor in a closed room to dry 24-36 hours, checking and rotating them.
Once dry, I repeated the 3 layers of paper mache and let dry for another 24-36 hours.
Once dry, I cut a big enough circle into the narrow part of the bigger balloon so that the smaller one can sit on it. Then, I cut a circle into the top of the small balloon (the wide end) large enough so that when i sit the wide end of the smaller balloon in the larger balloon, the candy that I would insert from the top of the pinata would fall through to the belly (the larget balloon.) Once it was in the right place, i took strong masking tape to attach and secure both parts together so that I can see the head sitting on the body. I cut a small hole on the top of the head to insert candy later. I made these cuts using a steak knife.
I had extra card stock on hand so i rolled up four sheets (2 the long way and 2 the wide way) and taped them to form 4 tubes. I attached the wider tubes to the bottom forming the legs. I attached the narrow tubes to the sides forming the arms. I stuffed the tubes with newspaper so they can feel stiff. I formed feet with a wad of newspaper and taped it with packing tape. then i attached them to the bottom of the legs. I cut out mitten shapes from cardboard and attached them to the arms for the hands.
Once I felt all was secure, I proceeded to glue on string for the top of the pinata.
I had some festooning in pink which I used to cover the pinata starting from the bottom up. If you don't have festooning, use crepe streamer paper with fringe cut into it. Cover the pinata using hot glue. I enlarged the face of foofa from the coloring pages on nickjr.com and cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. I colored in the mouth and nose and colored the edges of the eyes with black crayon so that they would look sharp. I attached these with hot glue. I created a flower with a yellow center and attached this to the top with glue. I cut out petals and made the collar out of these.
Just fill the belly half way with candy. Too much would make the pinata too heavy.
Insturctions on Brobee:
The Paste: read 1 part flour to 2 parts water. Combine in a sauce pan and boil until it thickens to a goo. Let cool completely before using. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.
2-3 newpapers teared of into 1 to 1 1/2" wide strips.
First, I blew up 2 12" balloons. Then I dunk the strips into the paste and laid them on the balloons vertically until fully covered. Then I repeated the process by laying them horizontally on the balloons until fully covered. Then I repeated the process again laying them vertically on the balloons until fully covered. I laid them on the floor in a closed room to dry 24-36 hours, checking and rotating them.
Once dry, I repeated the 3 layers of paper mache and let dry for another 24-36 hours.
Once dry, I cut a big enough circle into the narrow part of both balloons in the same place so that when put together, they would form one big cylinder with round ends. Once it was in the right place, i took strong masking tape to attach and secure both parts together. I cut a small hole on the top of the head to insert candy later. I made these cuts using a steak knife.
I had extra card stock on hand so i rolled up four sheets (2 the long way and 2 the wide way) and taped them to form 4 tubes. I attached the wider tubes to the bottom forming the legs. I attached the narrow tubes to the sides forming the arms. I stuffed the tubes with newspaper so they can feel stiff. I formed feet with a wad of newspaper and taped it with packing tape. then i attached them to the bottom of the legs. I cut out mitten shapes from cardboard and attached them to the arms for the hands. I took 4 sheets of cardstock and cut them in half. Then using 3 halves, I made cones. I attached them to the head.
Once I felt all was secure, I proceeded to glue on string for the top of the pinata.
I took a roll of dark green and lime green crepe streamer and cut fringe into them. Using hot glue, I started from the bottom gluing the layers of greens staying true to the original Brobee all the way to the top. Then I used some red festooning I had to cover the cones on the top. I enlarged the face of Brobee from the coloring pages on nickjr.com and cut out the eyes, eyebrow, and mouth. I colored in the pieces so that they would look sharp. I attached these with hot glue.
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