"This is going to make a big mess!"

March 24, 2021 1:07 PM

Liz Henry made a coronavirus piñata and cheerfully details how you can too. "All the diagrams of the shape of the virus that I’ve seen have a round shape with at least 3 different sizes of 'protein spikes' coming out from the middle, with each kind being a different height. Each spike has an extra bit on top like a flat top or a sort of flower shape. This is not too hard to make, but doing the 'protein spikes' was a little bit of a challenge."

Maybe you will think of a better way to do that! Or maybe you will have better glue!

But, while I am working on it, it’s so peaceful and meditative. I’m thinking of the vision of the finished object, and also thinking with love of the event and the people I will host and how they will be astonished by the ridiculousness of this project and the ephemeral nature of ritual celebration and destruction! We will BEAT the CORONAVIRUS! Together! With joy and love!! And from it, somehow, we will extract ABUNDANT GOOD THINGS even if those things, when not metaphors, are little bottles of hand sanitizer and chocolate bars and “crispy fruit” packets from Big Lots!

(Disclaimer: I know Liz.)

posted by brainwane (18 comments total)

I really liked that she had this idea: "And from it, somehow, we will extract ABUNDANT GOOD THINGS even if those things, when not metaphors, are little bottles of hand sanitizer and chocolate bars and “crispy fruit” packets from Big Lots!"

Because if I were to make a COVID piñata, I would probably fill it with chocolate pudding or fake blood or bees.
posted by queensissy at 1:36 PM on March 24, 2021 [10 favorites]

> Because if I were to make a COVID piñata, I would probably fill it with chocolate pudding or fake blood or bees.

See, I was leaning more towards "actual coronavirus inside." But your options are way more fun.
posted by pwnguin at 1:37 PM on March 24, 2021 [3 favorites]

I like how it's hanging from a fruit picker.
posted by aniola at 1:52 PM on March 24, 2021

NYT: How to Make Your Own Coronavirus Piñata (and Then Smash It)
NYT: Smash a Coronavirus Piñata. You’ll Feel Better.
Washington Post article mentions coronavirus birthday pinatas.

Birthday pinata.
Party City is offering these.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:38 PM on March 24, 2021

I am 100% doing this in the summer after I'm vaccinated and we can have a backyard party!
posted by kitcat at 2:54 PM on March 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

This is excellent
posted by bq at 3:13 PM on March 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

Last spring, I made a Coronavirus quilt.
posted by orange swan at 5:11 PM on March 24, 2021 [5 favorites]

coronavirus piñata

what are you doing stop are you trying to get 2020 this is how you get 2020
posted by loquacious at 9:38 PM on March 24, 2021 [2 favorites]

Little plastic airplane-style booze bottles inside?
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:15 PM on March 24, 2021 [2 favorites]

A Trump pinata filled with little coronaviruses would be more appropriate, since his policies did seem to favor coronaviruses over humans.
posted by benzenedream at 1:52 AM on March 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

I sent a link to a group chat about coronavirus piñatas recently. Immediate hell nos from the crowd, and this suggestion: "you break it open and it's just clouds of black pepper."
posted by deludingmyself at 6:26 AM on March 25, 2021 [4 favorites]

Personally I, like this author, find the idea of beating one of these with a stick enjoyable to imagine but to each their own.
posted by deludingmyself at 6:29 AM on March 25, 2021

Liz! I adore her to bits. My fellow mefites have great taste.
posted by foxtongue at 6:32 AM on March 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

BrotherCaine, I have done the booze bottle filled piñata for baby showers (uterus piñata! fun to make!) Alongside some artistically painted maxi-pads (use several colors of brown and dark red nail polish) and some condoms.
posted by geeklizzard at 1:52 PM on March 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

My cat has a felted coronavirus toy and seeing her attack it has been downright therapeutic, but a pinata...
posted by peppermind at 2:47 PM on March 26, 2021

Geeklizzard, you are my new hero.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:12 PM on March 27, 2021

It's a really neat project, but as a pinata it's not the best, since it's just one hollow sphere- one good hitt and it'll split completely open. A really fun pinata is one that has limbs that can fly off and scatter some of the candy at a time, slowing more people to have a chance at bat. You can stop long enough to gather treats, and then someone else can get a turn.

One if my favorites was a "Zilla" pinata, where the tail came off, then a limb, and then finally someone took a boken and decapitated it like a Chanbarra film. Three winner world the pinata head like a hat the rest of the party.
posted by happyroach at 1:58 PM on March 27, 2021

I have done my share of paper mache. Use a small beach ball for the form, it will give you a round shape and it won't change size with air temp (wrinkles and tears).
Use strips of grocery bag paper to build up faster and get more strength.

Use a fan not a hair drier to speed things up.
posted by boilermonster at 10:47 PM on March 27, 2021 [1 favorite]