Fun History Of Pinata

Discover the fun history of pinata and learn how birthday pinatas are becoming a must for just about every kid birthday party.

Did It All Start In Italy?

No one is sure where the pinata originated. Some say it began in Italy where it was first called a pignatta, meaning "fragile pot."

The pignatta was filled with jewelry, candy or other trinkets and hung from a rope and swung while a blindfolded player struck at it with a stick. Then just like today, when the pignatta was broken, guests would pick up the fallen goodies.

China And Pinatas

Some say the pinata originated in China where it they were used as part of a new years celebration.

European Pinata

As far back as the 14th century, during the Lent celebration, the first Sunday of Lent was called "pinata Sunday."

Did It Start In Spain?

In Spain, the first Sunday of Lent became known as "Dance of the Pinayta."

The World's Largest Pinata

The world's largest pinata was built in March 1990 to help celebrate the Carnival Miami/Calle Ocho. This mega pinata was 27 feet tall and weighed an incredible 10,000 pounds - now that's a big pinata!

Pinatas Today

Today, the pinata is a fun game played by both children and adults. Pinatas are filled with candy and fruit, a tradition brought to us by Spanish explorers.

Pinatas come in all sizes and shapes and can be filled with candy, fruit, toys, jewelry and just about anything else.

There are two kinds of pinatas. The first is the traditional style that you break open with a stick. The second is the "pull string pinata," which is perfect for younger children or elderly adults.

Birthday Pinata

Here are just a few of the fun pinatas you can choose from to delight your birthday child.

Elmo Pull String Pinata

Look at this adorable Elmo pull string pinata that everyone will enjoy.

Cookie Monster Pinata

He loves cookies and you'll love this Cookie Monster pinata for your child's birthday.

Go Diego Go Pull String Pinata

Have fun with this Go Diego Go pinata for your child's party.

Pirate Pinata

Make your Pirate party complete with a Pirate Chest pinata That's sure to make all your little pirates say Aaarrhh!

SpongeBob Pull String Pinata

From under the sea come this SpongeBob pinata.

Race Car Pinata

This fun Race Car pinata makes a fun party game.

Dinosaur Pinata

Have a roaring Dinosaur pinata your birthday child will really enjoy.

Pinata Filler

Here's the perfect Pinata filler that includes fun candy and toys.

Birthday Pinatas

You'll want to see these fun pinatas

How To Play The Pinata Game

Take a look at these simple directions on How to play the pinata game from pinatas.com

The pinata game should always be played with adult supervision.

Step by Step Instructions:

Whether you are hosting an adult or kids indoor or outdoor party, the pinata party game is bound to be the highlight of the party. It’s a great birthday party game.

Furthermore, it’s a great party game idea for any other occasion as well. Traditionally, the pinata party game is the "main feature" of a kid’s outdoor birthday party. Normally, the traditional pinata game as described below is played as an outdoor party game. The exception is when the party area is a large garage, auditorium, or other indoor facility of appropriate size.

If your party game area is limited to indoors, we suggest you look at our pull pinata indoor party game.

1. First, make sure you have everything needed to play the party game, such as a rope, a place from where you're going to suspend the pinata (such as a tree branch, a basketball hoop, two adults holding ends of a rope with a pinata hanging in middle, etc.), pinata candy and/or toy stuffers (can include large confetti), a pinata buster stick and blindfolds for the participants.

2. Fill the pinata with the goodies before guests arrive at the party, so that they won't know what surprises are inside. This gives the kids an element of surprise for the outdoor party game ahead.

3. Before the party game commences, you may use the pinata as a festive centerpiece. When you’re ready to begin the party game, take the pinata and hang it from the designated place in the party game area.

4. Organize the kids in a line, starting with the smallest one all the way to the tallest one. If the boy or girl is very young, they won't require a blindfold. Traditionally, children over 3 years old are blindfolded, then spun around a few times, provided with the pinata buster stick and let loose to play the party game by hitting the pinata.

5. For safety's sake, while a child is hitting the pinata during the game, all other children must be kept away (a minimum 15' radius is recommended) from the hitter. Furthermore, the child should have completely ceased to hit the pinata before you allow the other children to go grab the goodies spilled on floor.

This safety instruction is of utmost importance and cannot be emphasized enough.

6. Allow each child to hit the pinata at least a couple of times before you move on to the next child.

To make the pinata party game even more fun, the pinata must be swung up and down, and guests must be encouraged to misdirect the pinata hitter (if the pinata is down, tell the hitter the pinata is up, etc).

You may also want to throw candy with your hands while the pinata is being hit. To make sure that all kids have fun, make sure that all children have gotten some candy at the end of the game.

Have FUN

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