Piñatas are soft containers, frequently shaped like colourful animals, that are suspended from a hook during celebrations. The aim of the game is to strike the piñata with a stick, often while blindfolded, until it breaks, revealing the goodies inside. They're great fun for both children and adults, and are a great way of making the day memorable.
If you want to add an extra dose of fun to your child's birthday party or to an event, look no further! We've put together this guide on how to find the perfect piñata for your occasion, with plenty of top tips. We'll even save you time by counting down our 10 favourite piñatas in the UK, available to order online to your door from Amazon.
Quick List - Top Piñatas
CarsonChase
Magical Unicorn Piñata With Blindfold and Bat
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Table of Contents
Piñatas come in many shapes and sizes, but did you know that there are only two types of piñata? Traditional piñatas are likely the first thing that comes to mind. The objective is to repeatedly whack the piñata with a stick, eventually smashing it and revealing the goodies inside. You can vary the rules of the game as you see fit. For example, you could make a quiz where each correct answer is rewarded with a turn.
The main issue with traditional piñatas is that your child may be reluctant to smash it, particularly if it resembles one of their favourite characters! Instead, pull-string piñatas are a great alternative, children take turns pulling a series of strings, and then one of these strings eventually opens the piñata, allowing the prizes to drop.
Because you don't need to smash pull-string piñatas, they can be kept as ornaments afterwards. They're also ideal for younger children without enough strength to break a traditional piñata. Of course, there's no guarantee that they won't open on the first turn, but the great thing is that most pull-string piñatas can also be whacked open!
Every piñata ends up the same way - smashed to pieces or emptied of their contents, at least in the case of pull string piñatas. However, this doesn't mean they can't look fabulous before they meet their fate. In fact, piñatas can serve as a centrepiece that tie all of your other decorations together.
The best plan of action is to go for something that relates to the party's theme. For example, an Iron Man piñata at a superhero party or a flamingo piñata at a tropical party. Where possible, go as large as you can. Piñatas typically range between 40 and 60 cm in height, so if you stick towards the top end of this scale, you'll end up with something sure to bring a smile to guests' faces.
Piñatas are enormous fun, but it's the sweets and treats they get from the piñata that'll keep smiles on the kids' faces after the party's over. All piñatas have a small hole that allows you to fill them with goodies, but not everyone has the same capacity. Therefore it's a good idea to know roughly how many sweets a piñata can hold before making your purchase.
When it comes to the right capacity, consider how many guests you'll have at your party. The average capacity for a piñata is around 900 g, which isn't a huge amount. We recommend not going below this capacity unless you plan to stock up on party bags!
Fill your piñata without making them hyperactive with the Best Sugar-Free Sweets!
Piñatas are made to be broken, and there's more than one way to achieve this goal. One of the simplest is to get yourself a bat explicitly made for breaking piñatas. If you want to turn the piñata bashing into a game of skill, rather than the mindless beating of a piece of cardboard, a blindfold is also a good idea.
Fortunately, many piñatas come in sets that include a bat and blindfold. Not only does this save you time and money, but you'll often find that the bat and blindfold have a colour scheme that matches the piñata — nice! Of course, this advice doesn't apply to pull-string piñatas, which don't require bats to be opened.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CarsonChase Unicorn Pinata Bundle with a Blindfold and Bat | ![]() | Magical Unicorn Piñata With Blindfold and Bat | |
2 | amscan Gold Foil Star Pinata | ![]() | A Glittery Piñata With a More Grown-up Look | |
3 | amscan Red T-Rex Pinata | ![]() | A Roarsome Centrepiece for Dino-Loving Kids | |
4 | Eseewigs Number Pinata with Plastic Stick and Eye Mask | ![]() | Add a Personal Touch to Their Special Day | |
5 | Unique Party Harry Potter Sorting Hat Pinata | ![]() | A Magical Pull String Piñata for Potterheads | |
6 | amscan Pink Flamingo Paradise Party Pinata | ![]() | Fun Flamingo That’s Perfect for All Ages | |
7 | Unique Party Disney Cars Lightning McQueen Pinata | ![]() | Detailed Lightning McQueen Piñata for Younger Kids | |
8 | Fornite Llama Loot Pinata | ![]() | Stock up on Fortnite Goodies With This Breakable Loot Llama | |
9 | Unique Party Avengers Iron Man Pinata | ![]() | Avengers Assemble for Superhero-Themed Fun | |
10 | Quickdraw Space Rocket Pinata | ![]() | The Perfect Way to Celebrate Your Budding Astronaut’s Birthday |
Unicorns are hugely popular among young kids, so this piñata would work great as your centrepiece at a fantasy-themed party. Unlike many piñatas, it comes with a blindfold and bat, turning the event into a game rather than simply an attempt to smash up a piece of cardboard!
Better still, it's made from a strong material that takes more than a single hit to break. This means the fun will last much longer, so that everyone can have a turn. To top it all off, this piñata can hold a whopping 2kg of goodies. Perfect for larger parties or - if you're feeling brave - for giving each child more sweets!
Piñatas aren't just for kids. This star-shaped piñata has a sparkly design that could even complement the glitz and glamour of a dinner party. It's a piñata that you can take seriously, but when it comes to it, it will provide just as much fun as any kid-friendly option.
That's not to say it's only for adults. It'd work just as well at a space or princess-themed children's birthday party, especially as it has room for up to 900 g worth of treats!
Dinosaurs have never gone out of style, and they're hugely popular with young kids. Without a doubt, this T-Rex-shaped piñata is guaranteed to go down a storm at children's parties. In addition, it comes in a shade of red which, while not true to life, gives this piñata a vivid appearance that's hard to ignore.
This, combined with the 56cm height, makes for an impressive centrepiece. So much so that your child might be reluctant to smash it to pieces!
Reaching a certain age is a massive deal to little ones, and this number-shaped piñata lets you join them in celebrating a specific milestone. It lends a personal touch to their party decorations, and allows you to quickly date photos when you look through them years later!
The rainbow colour scheme is versatile, complementing most party themes nicely, and it even comes with a blindfold and bat. It's 45cm tall, and while this isn't huge, it's sizeable enough that you can enjoy it as a decoration before it gets smashed! We've used the number 5 as an example, but other numbers are available.
This piñata is ideal for Harry Potter or magic-themed birthdays. It's shaped like the Sorting Hat and would look fantastic against a backdrop of Wizarding World decorations and props. Just as the Sorting Hat sits at the centre of the Great Hall, so will this piñata sit as the centrepiece of their birthday celebration.
It's a pull mechanism piñata, which helps keep things in order when the fun begins. What's more, because they won't need to smash it, they can even keep it in their bedroom once the fun's over!
First things first, this flamingo piñata looks fantastic! Those dangly legs are sure to give anyone happy feelings in a way that no other piñata can. At 58 cm tall, there's enough space for nearly a kilogram of sweets inside this charming fellow.
It's perfect for both kids and grown-up parties. Of course, flamingos are all the rage among little ones and are always a hit at the zoo. However, this piñata would also serve as the ideal centrepiece at your tropical-themed garden party this summer.
This piñata is the ideal choice for younger kids' parties. It's shaped like Lightning McQueen - the star of Disney's Cars franchise - and it looks just like their favourite character from the films. Wheels, windows and bonnet are all crafted with impressive attention to detail.
The bright colours make it a cheerful centrepiece that's sure to enliven parties and celebrations, and it's easy to fill with your own selection of sweets and treats. Plus, it can be pulled open using the strings, just in case your vehicle-loving little one doesn't want to smash it up!
This piñata is shaped like the famous Fortnite supply llamas that drop ammunition in the game's battle royale. Not only will this appeal to gamers, but it also makes perfect sense as a piñata design - it even resembles the traditional piñata donkey!
Unlike traditional piñatas, this llama drops toys rather than sweets. It includes a 4-inch Rust Lord figure, ten weapons, four back bling, and eight exclusive building materials. While this isn't ideal for parties, it's a nice treat for a single child. There are also several ways of opening it - hang it and hit it like a standard piñata, or tear it open with your hands!
If you're planning a party for an avid Marvel fan, this Iron Man piñata is simply a must-buy! It's incredibly detailed and, at over 60 cm tall, it'd make a great addition to any superhero-themed party.
It can hold up to 900 g of sweets, which isn't bad, but is a little disappointing considering how giant this piñata is. The only potential downside is that your little one may feel uncomfortable giving Tony Stark a whack. Unfortunately, Thanos-shaped piñatas are in short supply.
This rocket-shaped piñata is ideal for celebrating a budding astronaut's special day. It's impressively detailed, with bright colours and fire blasting out of the nozzle. We think it would look perfect hanging in a room decorated with stars.
Despite appearances, this is not a pull string piñata, but a traditional one that your child must smash. This is something of a shame, as it'd make a nice object for keeping in a space-themed bedroom. However, it does come with a handy hanging hook, which is always helpful!
Written and researched by Ben Willimett
No. 1: CarsonChase|Unicorn Pinata Bundle with a Blindfold and Bat
No. 2: amscan|Gold Foil Star Pinata
No. 3: amscan|Red T-Rex Pinata
No. 4: Eseewigs|Number Pinata with Plastic Stick and Eye Mask
No. 5: Unique Party|Harry Potter Sorting Hat Pinata
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