• Pinatas are hollow paper mache shapes, decorated with bright-colored crepe or tissue paper, and filled with treats. Typically, pinatas are hung from a tree branch. Blindfolded children use a stick and try to break open the pinata. Eventually, the paper mache breaks, spilling treats for children to gather into small bags. Traditionally, pinatas are broken at birthday parties and can be purchased or homemade.
  
  

Paper Bag

• A paper bag pinata is quite simple to make and to break. This type of pinata uses a brown paper bag as the body with a picture drawn on it, like a pattern or a face, with colorful markers. The bag can be lined with a few pages of newspaper to make it harder to break. The bag is typically filled with candy and small toys then the top is folded down and stapled closed. Some people tape or glue a few crepe paper streamers to the bottom of the pinata for color or to create a tail.
  
  

Pull-String

• A pull-string pinata is a good pinata for small children's parties as it may take a long time for small children to break through a traditional paper mache pinata. A pull-string pinata has a trap door hidden at the bottom. This simply involves cutting a square in the bottom of any pinata shape and then tying a ribbon to it. Other ribbons are lightly attached to the bottom of the pinata. When the ribbon tied to the trap door is pulled, the candy and toys spill out.
  
  

Paper Mache

• Paper mache pinatas are simple to make. These types of pinatas typically begin with an inflated balloon layered with paper mache. Cardboard cutouts taped onto the base create pinatas in different shapes. The cardboard is also covered with paper mache. A fringe of colorful tissue paper is sometimes glued onto the paper mache as well.
  
  

Star-Shaped

• A star-shaped pinata is made with both paper mache and construction paper. These pinatas are also made using the balloon and paper mache method. The points are created with brightly colored construction paper rolled into a cone shape and attached to the body of the pinata. These pinatas are also decorated with fringes of colored tissue paper. Small ribbons or strips of tissue paper typically dress the ends of the cones.