Who wouldn’t want an ice cream cone pinata at their next party? It’s cute, filled with candy and not too difficult to make.

A paper lantern works really well as the form—it already comes with an opening and hanging wire. When building your piñata, hang it from a cabinet’s pull handle or set it on a bowl to prevent it from rolling around. You can even place the bowl on a lazy Susan to make turning the pinata easier.

Ice cream cone pinata instructions

how to make an ice cream cone pinata
Ingredients
  • large paper lantern
  • bowl for mixing paste
  • about 5 cups flour
  • water
  • strips of newspaper, cut 1″ x 5″
  • scissors
  • paintbrush
  • tissue paper, light and dark pink
  • colored paper
  • glue
  • poster board
  • tape
  • 36″ kraft wrapping paper
  • Raffia
  • string for hanging
Instructions
ice cream
  1. Hang lantern or set it on a bowl to provide easy access around the entire form.
  2. Add flour large mixing bowl, then gradually add water until it turns into a paste with the consistency of pancake batter. Add more flour or water as necessary then set aside.
  3. Dip newspaper strips one by one into the paste then use your fingers to squeeze off the excess paste. Cover entire surface of the lantern, starting at the top and working your way around. Smooth the edges down then allow to dry. Once dry, repeat the process once more, covering the entire lantern, then allow it to dry.
  4. Brush lantern with a small amount of paste, then cover it with sheets of dark pink tissue paper so none of the newspaper shows. Allow it to dry.
  5. Cut strips of dark pink tissue paper and fringe one edge—use our process shot as a guide. Starting at the bottom of the lantern, attach each strip, one at a time, using glue.
  6. Cut sprinkle shapes out of colored paper and glue to ice cream.
cone
  1. Wrap poster board into a cone shape that’s approximately 24″ long. Tape to secure then cover it with kraft wrapping paper, using glue to adhere.
  2. Cut 2″ slits at the top of the cone, spacing them several inches apart. Bend them outward then attach the ball of ice cream with glue—refer to our process shot.
  3. To give the cone a textured effect, crisscross strips of Raffia using dabs of glue.
  4. Cut 5″ wide strips of light pink tissue paper to make a ruffle around the ice cream and the cone. Attach with glue.
  5. Fill pinata with candy, hang with string then let the games begin!
Notes
Stack the newspaper and tissue paper when cutting strips or adding fringe to save time.

Ice cream cone pinata