I have enjoyed using paper mache to make things for my kids’ birthday parties. So, I told my soon to be 4 year old daughter that I would make her a pinata for her Paw Patrol themed birthday party. I asked if she wanted one of Skye’s head and showed her a few pictures. She told me she wanted me to make the whole bodies of all the 6 original pups. We settled on the whole body of just Skye. I was worried that my Paw Patrol pinata wasn’t going to even be recognizable, but I was really happy with how it turned out.
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How to Make a Paw Patrol Pinata That Looks Like Skye
Materials:
- Balloons
- Masking tape
- Newspaper
- Flour
- Cardboard
- X-ACTO knife
- Yarn
- Paint
- Paint pens (optional)
- Ribbon
- Laminator (optional)
- Hot glue
- Rope (I used paracord)
- Plastic bat
Starting the Skye Shaped Structure:
Before you can start doing any paper mache, you need to make the structure to paper mache on. I made mine from two balloons and some thin cardboard (think cereal box cardboard). First, I blew up two balloons to make the body and head from. I blew up the body balloon bigger than the head balloon and taped them together with masking tape. Then, I cut paper towel rolls and taped them on as the legs and a nose. Finally, I used a piece of cardboard to make a tail.
Starting the Paper Mache:
I still had some structure to make, but I wanted to reinforce what I had already made with a layer of paper mache. I used the same 1 part flour and 2 part water recipe from The Spruce Crafts to make my paper mache paste.
Then, I ripped up a whole bunch of newspaper into long strips. I dipped the strips in the paste and rubbed off the extra before placing them on the balloons. I focused on connecting the head and legs to the body. But, the head became too heavy with the added weight of the paste and wanted to break off. So, I placed a bucket under the head to support it.
Finishing the Skye Shaped Structure:
Now that the main body was in one piece, it was time to add the details. First, I added the feet. I cut paw shapes from thin cereal box cardboard. I turned my Paw Patrol pinata upside down and attached the paws to the bottom of the cardboard tube legs.
Next, I cut ears and hair from thin cereal box cardboard. Then, I cut goggles from the leftover paper towel rolls. I taped all of these pieces on with masking tape. Lastly, I taped wadded up newspaper on the ears and hair to give it more body. I also rolled up a piece of newspaper and taped it to the end of the nose.
Finishing the Paper Mache:
Then, it was time to finish the paper mache. I layered newspaper strips covered in paste all over the Skye Paw Patrol pinata. Between every layer, I let the paper mache dry. I used a small fan to make it dry faster. Once I had several layers, I used a straight pin to pop the balloon inside.
Next, I used an X-ACTO knife to cut a hole in the top of the pinata. I filled it with candy that my daughter had picked out before sealing it with more paper mache. Then, I wrapped a piece of yarn around the pinata’s back legs and neck to hang it from.
Lastly, I placed one final layer to cover up the yarn and finalize the details. I made sure this layer was nice and smooth and showed all the details how I wanted.
Painting the Paw Patrol Pinata:
Lastly, I painted the pinata. I painted Skye three different shades of brown. I also painted on her pink clothes, but for simplicity sake left off her jetpack. To cover the newspaper, I kept painting more coats until I could no longer see it. This was a different number depending on the color. To get better details, I used an acrylic paint pen to draw on the eyebrows, eyelashes, pupils, and nose.
The colors I ended up using were:
- Ears, hair, outer eye- Terra Cotta (Delta Creative)
- Fur- Dijon (Top Notch) Top Notch is Joann’s store brand. I think Dijon (FolkArt) or Yellow Ochre (Artkey) would be a close match
- Nose, feet- Antique Parchment (Apple Barrel)
- Cap- Cameo Pink (Apple Barrel)
- Googles, jacket, iris- Bright Magenta (Apple Barrel)
- Eyes- White (Apple Barrel)
- Top of goggles- Gentle Elephant (Mondo Llama) This doesn’t exist any more. I think Country Grey (Apple Barrel) would work
Last Details:
To finish off the pinata, I made Skye a collar. I used a piece of pink ribbon and a laminated Skye pup tag. This was very similar to what I did to make pup tag necklaces for all the kids. I attached the pup tag to the ribbon and hot glued the ribbon together at the ends.
On the day of the party, we attached paracord to the yarn I added with paper mache. Then, we let the kids use a plastic bat to hit it after they found it in our Paw Patrol mission game. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of it actually hanging up.
Conclusion of Making a Skye Paw Patrol Pinata
This pinata turned out so good that it was a bit of a shame to destroy it. I was kind of hoping that just a leg would break off, so I could fix it afterwards and make it into a decoration. But, some of the boys that came had way too much fun beating it up after all the candy was picked up. At least it was enjoyed. My daughter was really excited by it and it made a great end prize to our Paw Patrol mission game. I love the tradition of making paper mache for my kids’ birthdays and I will definitely continue it.
What kind of pinata would your child like for their birthday? Check out the pinatas I have made for past birthdays along with other paper mache crafts. Are you throwing your own Paw Patrol party? Here are more party ideas.
