September 16, 2022 – Piñata

The National Museum of Play just announced the 12 finalists for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Every year there seems to be a wildcard on the list (sand??? stick?!) and this year is no different. The finalist that caught my eye this year is the piñata. I mean…I guess it’s a toy? The 3 inductees will be announced in November.
You might assume piñatas are Spanish or Mexican in origin – but it’s actually Chinese! The Chinese version was in the shape of an ox or cow, and was filled with five types of seeds. It was used for the New Year, and was decorated with symbols and colors meant to produce a bountiful growing season. Marco Polo discovered this tradition on his travels and brought it back to Italy in the 14th century. The word piñata comes from the Italian word for “clay pot” because that’s originally what they were made out of it. In Italy and Spain, piñatas eventually came to be associated with Lent.
The piñatas were brought to Mexico in the 16th century by Spanish missionaries. However, there was already a similar tradition there! The Aztecs used a version of a piñata to celebrate the birthday of their tribal god. Priests decorated a clay pot and then when it was broken with a stick, the treasures inside would be used as an offering. The Spanish missionaries used this existing tradition as a parable for good versus evil. Traditional piñatas are 7-pointed stars, one cone for each of the 7 deadly sins. People were blindfolded while trying to break the piñata to represent having blind faith. And the treats inside were used to symbolize the rewards of overcoming earthly temptations.
Today, the piñata is still most strongly associated with Mexico. There, piñatas are most popular during the celebration of the 12 days before Christmas, called Las Posadas. Traditionally, they’re filled with fruit and sweets, like guavas, oranges, pieces of sugar cane, and wrapped candies.
The largest piñata was a huge M&M, measuring 47 feet tall and nearly 38 feet wide! It was made in honor of M&Ms Pretzel Chocolate Candies’ first birthday, and the massive piñata was filled with 1,500 pounds of Pretzel M&Ms.  Learn more here.