Image of a toddler wearing a rainbow colored pinata costume looking in a green treat bag. Tutorial instructions below for how to create the DIY pinata costume.

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids

DIY Pinta Costume tutorial for kids halloween costume. Image of child wearing a rainbow colored pinata costume looking in a green halloween treat bag.

Making DIY Halloween costumes for my kids and family is my absolute favorite way to celebrate Halloween and make memories with my children. Since the start of October is the usual time that my crayon craziness starts for Art 2 the Extreme® and I spend my days and nights until 3am making handmade crayons, I get a jumpstart on my DIY costumes for my two boys in September (I feel like it is the one time I actually start something early, knowing the busy holiday season is to come). 

My absolute favorite, cute costume that I have made for my boys was a piñata costume created from thrifted clothing underneath, felt and foam from Joann Fabrics, and 18 hours of sewing!  You can also shop the list of supplies from Michaels! Making this colorful piñata costume was a great idea for a Halloween costume that even won several contests!

How to Make a Piñata Costume

Over the past few years, the piñata costume video of my toddler makes the rounds on social media and after thousands of people asking for a DIY tutorial for the toddler piñata costume, it is finally here with photos so you can DIY for halloween!

Published October 6, 2023 | Updated October 12, 2024

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 1

DIY Piñata Costume for kids instructions. Step 1 is to sew part of a bodysuit to a pair of pants. Use a onesie bodysuit so the Piñata costume can slip off the shoulders easily.

I love homemade costumes and wanted to go for a colorful piñata costume look that didn't break the bank! For the basic form of the piñata costume, I used a thrifted bodysuit from Goodwill and a pair of toddler-sized pants that I had previously sewn myself from a soft, knit bedsheet. Any pair of loose pants and a onesie will work great together. My special tip here is to use a bodysuit so the piñata costume slips on and off the shoulders easily.  You could make each top and bottom separate when creating the piñata costume, but it worked out so much better as one piece, so I sewed the bodysuit and pants to one another, cutting off the bottom half of the bodysuit. You could even use fabric glue instead. This made the Halloween costumes warm for our midwest, cooler Halloween temperatures we receive in Indiana.

Image of multiple Target themed Halloween costumes for the whole family including dressing like a target basket, the Bullseye Dog, and more!
Check out the NEW family Target Halloween Costumes!

 

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 2

DIY Piñata costume for kids step 2 is to cut long strips of felt and create a fringe by cutting small lines almost all the way to the edge of each strip. I purchased 1/2 yard amounts of felt from JoAnn Fabrics.

I purchased felt from JoAnn Fabrics in 1/2 yard amounts in the colors I wanted for the Piñata costume look. Colors used for the halloween costume included red, yellow-gold, orange, teal, light pink, dark blue, and green to create a colorful piñata costume. The colors chosen give the piñata costume a different look depending on your preference. 

I used a rotary cutter to cut 2" wide strips and made little slits for the fringe all down the felt strips. You could make yours thinner or thicker depending on preference. 

 

Shop rainbow Crayon Stix® for kids from Art 2 the Extreme. Image is of 9 colorful, oversized crayons on a table close up with text that reads "won't roll off the table, and sturdy crayon"

 

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 3

DIY Piñata costume for toddler. Step 3 Piñata costume tutorial. Sew or glue each layer of the fringe felt, overlapping the layers a little each time. Start from the pants and work your way up the Piñata costume. 

Start at the bottom of the pants. Sew or glue (yes, you could easily use a glue stick for this part) each row of felt, layering/overlapping the fringe just a little with every row. When making a piñata costume, is important you start from the bottom. This part took me many, many hours, but you could use a glue gun.

 

DIY Piñata costume tutorial for kids halloween costume idea. Image is of felt fringe being sewn in layers and is half complete going up the bodysuit.

As you work your way sewing each strip of felt, the piñata costume will begin to look like the above image. I used two rows of the same colored felt fringe for the costume. 

I knew with all the time spent on making the piñata costume and for the piñata costume materials, I wanted this kids Halloween costume to be sturdy and last for both of my children, so I wanted to machine-sew this Halloween costume as much as possible.  You can use some of the same techniques to create a pinata costume dress with the fullest part made up of felt strips for a different twist to this unique costume idea for kids.

 

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Love your Stanley Cup? Now you can dress like a Stanley Cup costume from Target as a Halloween costume with the Tumbley Costume!

 

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Halloween Costume Fit Check

DIY piñata costume for toddler. Fit check photo of toddler boy wearing the bodysuit part of the piñata costume with rainbow colored fringe sewn on in layers. 

Continue to sew or glue the felt fringe in layered rows. I did multiple fit checks with my toddler to make sure the halloween costume was fitting well. Fabric glue will work great if you are not great with a sewing machine. The felt layers of the piñata costume should look like the above image when done. 

 

Child holding up a crayon name set gift that spells the name JAYLA in colorful crayon letters. This personalized gift makes a great birthday gift idea for kids and encourages viewers to shop at Art2thextreme.com for custom crayon gifts.

 

 

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 5

 DIY piñata costume tutorial step 5. Image is of the foam hat for the piñata costume top that sits on the child's head. Image says, "glue felt strip or string for the chin tie. Glue felt fringe strips starting from the bottom. "

Once the fringed bodysuit for the piñata costume is complete, it is time to move on to the piñata costume headpiece or "hat" for this DIY kids Halloween costume.  

I purchased chair foam from JoAnn Fabrics to cut and piece together the headpiece. With a bit of cooperation from my wiggly toddler, I got a great fit using the foam and a  glue gun to keep the shape together. It does not have to look pretty underneath because the piñata headpiece will get covered in felt again. 

I glued a skinny felt strip across the top of the foam headpiece to create a chin strap just in case he decided he wanted to take off the piñata costume hat. Luckily, he didn't touch the top of the Halloween costume and did not mind the foam on his head since it was snug and comfy inside, but your child might try and take it off immediately, so a chin strap helps to keep the Halloween costume on. 

 

DIY piñata costume hat or headpiece tutorial. Image is of the top part of the piñata halloween costume for kids and says,"cones and foam were purchased from JoAnn Fabrics and attached with a hot glue gun. "

I purchased two foam cones from the floral section of JoAnn Fabrics and attached using the glue gun as well. Lots and lots of hot glue was used to secure. 
I poked two holes in the tops of the cones to later shove the ends of tiny felt strips into for the "strings" that are shown coming out of the cones in the finished photo. 

 

Starting from the bottom, take the felt fringe strips previously made and hot glue in similar layers to the patten used on the main part of the piñata costume bodysuit, starting on one side. continue layering piñata fringe felt strips until you reach the tops of the cones. 

 

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Shop the NEW Slumberkins Halloween release! 

 

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 6

DIY piñata costume for kids headpiece tutorial. Image of the completed rainbow colored piñata headpiece says to piece together eyes and nostril area. Use a hot glue gun to add the piñata features.

Add long strips to the cones by poking a hole and glueing the ends before wrapping in felt strips.  

Piece together eyes and nostril area for the pinata Halloween costume and glue to the front and sides of the diy piñata costume headpiece. 

 

DIY Piñata Costume for Kids : Step 7

piñata costume for toddler tutorial, Step 7 says to enjoy the piñata costume and win all the Halloween costume contests! Image is of toddler wearing piñata costume standing next to his mother.

You are done creating the piñata costume for kids and it is such a cute costume! Now you can enjoy making Halloween memories with your little ones and win ALL the Halloween costume contests  and costume party fun for kids because this DIY piñata costume is adorable and will put so many smiles on faces. Reuse this Halloween costume for all the babies and toddlers in your life for years to come or pass this Halloween costume on to a friend! 

This DIY piñata costume was hard work, but with the time, you will absolutely love. When I first created this costume, there were no tutorials out there, so I had to create this piñata costume from scratch, based on my own sewing experiences and vision. I love how the piñata costume turned out and this costume won so many Halloween contests when my boys wore it.  Yes, I still have the Halloween costume to pass on to family. No, I am not currently going to sell the pinata costume (you would not want to pay me what it would cost for my time to make this). You could totally make this piñata costume yourself with a glue gun or fabric glue if you are not handy with a sewing machine!

Get a start on all the supplies, fabric glue, foam cones, and cushion foam you will need HERE!

Over the years of sharing this Halloween costume on TikTok and Instagram with millions of views, many of you created your own after being inspired. Please tag me at @art2theextreme on social media if you choose to try this DIY piñata costume for kids out yourself. I love seeing all the different variations of the pinata costume  each year and brings a smile to my face that our Halloween memories from the past are making your Halloween memories of the future!

Kids DIY piñata costume for Halloween. Image is of a toddler boy wearing a piñata inspired costume for a Halloween costume contest.
If you love this DIY piñata tutorial for kids, please take a moment to share this Halloween costume with a friend, on social media, or pin this costume tutorial to Pinterest by hovering over any image and using the "Pin it" button. It seriously gets so many compliments! 
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Shop the Supplies to make the DIY Piñata Costume for Kids  Adults

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