DIY Pull String Halloween Ghost Piñata

A perfect upcycle is this DIY Pull String Halloween Ghost Piñata made from a toothpaste box! Fill it with Halloween candy for a fun surprise.

For more ways to make this the best holiday, check out all of our Halloween posts.

When we were kids, we would go trick or treating with my mom’s two sisters and their kids. The nine kids would go around from house to house, getting delicious candy. That was great. The best part, though, was when our aunts would come over. The would bring a special bag of candy for each kid. So instead of getting one fun sized bar, we’d get a couple bigger candy bars. And we felt so special that only we were getting that.

So this Halloween, if you want to help your kids — or your nieces, nephews, or close family friends — feel special and remember your generosity years after Halloween, you have to make our DIY Pull String Halloween Ghost Piñata.

The idea popped into my head when I was looking at a tube of Crest toothpaste. It took a simple prototype to figure out how to make the pull string function, and then it was smooth sailing from there.

Want more Halloween ghost crafts?

If you’re looking for more Halloween ghost crafts, you’re in luck. Check out our list of Easy Halloween Ghost Craft Ideas.

DIY Pull String Halloween Ghost Piñata

Affiliate links are included in this sponsored post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.

Pull String Halloween Ghost Piñata Supplies:

• Toothpaste box
• Pencil
• White poster board
• White paint
• Paint brush
• Glue
• Black poster board
• Scissors
• Needle
• String
• Small nut
• Tape

How To Make A Pull String Halloween Ghost Piñata:

Place the toothpaste box on the white sheet of poster board. The bottom of the box will be the center of the ghost. You want to make sure it is flat so it can stand, and make sure the rest of the bottom of the ghost forms a straight line. But you also want to make the ghost’s bottom wavy.

The easiest way to do this is to draw a straight line against the bottom of the box, then freehand the rest of the ghost with a pencil. When you have the shape you want, cut two copies of out of the white poster board.

Glue these down to the black poster board, and let them dry completely.

Cut the black paper around the white paper, leaving a border of about an 1/8 of an inch.

Cut out a cute face for your ghost (or scary, whatever you want). Glue that down onto one of the ghost-shaped cutouts. Set it aside.

Open the toothpaste carefully. Make sure to leave the sides in tack. Carefully cut off the top flap.

There should be a little lip on the top flap. Cut that off so you just have the rectangle.

Thread the needle with the white string and push it through the center of the brown side of the top flap. Put the needle through the nut, then come over the nut and back through the same hole. This will keep the nut in place without actually tying it in place. You want it to have a little give to it.

Tie the string into a knot on the opposite side of the nut, leaving enough string to grab and pull.

Paint the thinner sides and the top of the box white. Let it dry completely then add additional layers of paint as needed.

I used the Crest 3D White box because it was already white, so that gave a good base for this. You could use other variants, but you’ll need more layers of paint to cover Crest’s traditional blue box.

Don’t worry about painting the front and back sides of the box. Those will be glued against the ghost-shaped poster board so you won’t see them.

Fill the toothpaste box with candy. Smaller candy works best. Also, don’t overstuff it. If you have too much inside, the candy won’t fall out — and that’s the whole fun of it!

Put a piece of rounded tape on each flap inside the box. Carefully thread the bottom through so that the nut is behind the flaps, the flaps fold down, and the top gets stuck to the flaps with the string hanging down.

Glue the ghost cutouts down onto both non-painted sides of the toothpaste box. Do one side first, let it dry completely, then glue the other side down.

Now, when you’re ready, pull the string and watch the candy fly!

Did you make this DIY Pull String Halloween Ghost Piñata? Let us know in the comments.