Manning Makes Stuff - Halloween decorations, paper mache masks, costumes, party ideas, and more

Manning Makes Stuff - Halloween decorations, paper mache masks, costumes, party ideas, and more

Making giant paper maché Pez candies


Published by Manning on September 16th, 2018

I made these giant paper maché Pez candies to go with my scary clown Pez dispenser prop for Halloween 2018! I made half a dozen of them, one to go in the Pez dispenser and the others to have strewn around nearby. They were easy to make! Here’s how I did ’em…

Making giant PEZ candies - finished!

I designed the main candy shape in Photoshop and drew it onto pasteboard and cut it out. I traced this onto foam board; a dozen copies for six Pez candies. I cut these out with an X-acto knife.

Making giant PEZ candies - cutting out foam board

I used strips of construction paper for the sides; three layers of paper all the way around to make it somewhat sturdy. (I could’ve used poster board for this if I’d had any on hand, although the construction paper is nice because it’s flimsy enough to curve around the corners easily.)

Making giant PEZ candies - attaching construction paper

For assembling the top/bottom panels and the sides, I made up this technique: I built a small foam board box shape that’s a little narrower than the holes in the top and bottom panels. I taped this box into the panels to act as a support when wrapping the paper strip around them. When the paper strips were secure, I undid the tape and turned the little box shape 90 degrees and pulled it out through the hole. Easy! These little tricks really help speed up a project like this where you’re making many copies of the same thing. If I were only making one Pez candy I’d probably just get everything lined up and attached by hand, which would’ve been hard to wrangle. No way I’m doing that for six pieces of candy!

When the construction paper walls were attached around the edges, I covered them completely with two layers of masking tape to make them a bit stronger.

Making giant PEZ candies - building the indentation

I used construction paper to build out the indentation in the top and bottom panels. I designed the shape through some trial and error; it wasn’t as complicated as I thought it might be. I taped the paper in place and covered it with some more tape.

I then covered the Pez candy shapes with one layer of paper maché, just to cover all the tape and unify the texture of the different parts. You can read about my paper maché process and materials here. The short version is: I use Roman PRO-543 universal wallpaper adhesive (paid link) and normally I do alternating layers of newspaper and brown wrapping paper.

If I’d wanted these Pez candies to last more than one night I’d probably do five or six layers of paper maché.

Making giant PEZ candies - craft foam letters

I made the “PEZ” letters out of craft foam, using a technique I’ve used many times for various intricate craft foam shapes: I printed out a bunch of copies of the letters and pasted them onto sheets of craft foam with the same wallpaper adhesive I use for paper maché. I let that dry completely, and then cut out the letters with scissors (and an X-acto knife for the inside of the “P”). I then soaked the shapes in water for 20 minutes or so, and that allows the paper to slide right off. I then rinsed off the rest of the paste on the foam letters and let them dry on a paper towel for an hour or so. Easy!

I pasted the PEZ letters onto the candies by spreading wallpaper adhesive onto the area and then pressing the letters into place.

Making giant PEZ candies - letters in place

Making giant PEZ candies - spray painting

Painting the candies was easy; I just spray painted one side, let that dry, and then did the other.

Making giant PEZ candies - finished!

Making giant PEZ candies - gluing into dispenser

I glued one of the Pez candies into my scary clown Pez dispenser prop and planned to stacked the others on a counter top nearby.

These were fun! On to the next project!

Interested in commissioning a piece from me? Please see my page about custom paper maché pieces. Please email me; don't put your request in a comment below.

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