Not a Pinata Pinata: A More Equitable Game

The problem with a piñata is that either the first child breaks the thing wide open or it takes forever.  The latter happened at my sister's wedding - round after round of children twacking that Dalek and it was not breaking one bit.  This scenario is slightly better than the first one, because there is great pleasure in being given permision to try and break something with a bat.  However if you have lined up, and gotten all excited about this activity and the first or second child manages to break the piñata, everyone else is left with quite the empty feeling.  

The party planning industry has come up with an inbetween zone, where each person pulls a string.  Which while more equitable and less violent, is in its own way somewhere between lame and creepy.  Pinterest boards offer punch cup games.  These are homemade versions of an old Price is Right game.  Cups attatched to a box with openings covered in paper. This has that thrill of breaking something, and the chance for all to have the break something feeling.  However I must admit to my weariness at the suggestions of DIY that take much more time than what most people I know have to give.  

Those Pinterest boards did offer a suggestion that involved a string with balloons, where toys and candy were inside the balloons on a string.  Enough balloons to break  for all partiers and some effort to get to the toys, but who wants to put stuff into tiny balloon openings all day!  And the sound of a balloon popping isn't my favorite anyways.  

Instead I used small colorful paper bags.  
Then I folded these bags over and stapled them to my thin rope. 
 Very easy, very low effort, very colorful.  

We then followed the typical piñata game rules as each child had the chance to hit not one but two bags.  The guests watched intently, ooooing and ahhing and cheering with each hit.  Some bags busted quickly, and some took several hits.  Nevertheless candy and toys went flying,and it was safely explosive.  

The one lesson learned is DON'T PUT HARD CANDY IN THE BAGS.  The paper is thin and the thwaking is hard!  The softer the better for the games and candy.