My son Xavion has been obsessed with everything “police” for the over a year now. So naturally for his 4th Birthday, we just had to have an all out “Cops & Robbers” themed party. Now, I wanted to come up with a unique piñata idea for the party. I thought about making a big money bag, or robber’s head or even a giant vault. But I decided that a “jail cell” was something that was slightly different.
This was the first time that I used a box to make a piñata and not a large balloon & paper mâché like I normally do. In comparison, this box piñata was much easier to make and took half the amount of time.
Xavion wearing all the “goodie bag” items & posing next to the Jail Pinata. 🙂
Things you need:
- Large cardboard box
- Ribbon
- Black or gray crepe paper
- Duct tape or masking tape
- Glue
- Masking tape
- Scissors
- Pictures of criminals (4)
- Cardboard or poster board (for the jail bars) (silver or gray)
- Silver or gray paint (optional)
Step-by-Step for a “Jail Cell” Piñata
Step 1: Tape the bottom and sides of the cardboard box. Also, make sure to tape the inside of the box. Make sure that the box is completely secure and will not open. Note: Try not to use a very sturdy box, otherwise it will be nearly impossible to break open.
Step 2: Cut holes in the top of the box and attach the ribbon to the top. You will need to double or triple up the ribbon to make sure it is very sturdy. Then tape the ribbon using the duct tape both to the inside and outside of the box. Super Tip: Tie the ribbon to a plastic spoon before inserting it into the hole. This will help the ribbon stay securely in place and will not come out during impact.
Step 3: Place all the piñata goodies into the box. Note: For this piñata I made small “evidence” bags. The bags included candy, fake money and some toy rings. In addition I had play money fall out of the piñata as well.
Step 4: Duct tape the top of the box.
Step 5: Tape a large piece of the crepe paper to the bottom of the box.
Step 6: Cut and fray the crepe paper. Then attach the frayed crepe paper with glue to the box.
Step 7: Keep attaching the crepe paper until the box is completely covered.
Step 8: Get creative. Either print out pictures from the Internet or draw your own criminals. For an adult party you can get pictures of real criminals like Al Capone and for a kids party you might want to get superhero criminals like Darth Vader or the Joker. Super Note: I used the Melissa & Doug Make-A-Face pad to get my criminals. We already had this at home, but it is sold on Amazon if you want to do the same.
Step 9: Using tape or glue, stick a criminal’s picture to all four sides of the box.
Step 10: Cut out long bars from cardboard or poster board. Approximately 12 bars. The size of the bars depends on the size of your box.
Step 11: Paint the bars silver or gray. Super Tip: Use gray or silver poster board like I did and avoid the additional step.
Step 12: Glue or tape the bars on top of the pictures.
Step 13: Finally, add something to the top of the pinata. I used police barricade tape. You can also make a lock & key or something “jail” related.
Viola! Now you have your awesome jail cell piñata.
Watch the evidence and cash fall out! The kids were all super excited!
And then the birthday boy jumps out of the pinata (or rather crawls back in to look for more loot)! Hahaha…
Good luck & hope you have an awesome party!
-xoxo-
SuperMommy
