DALLAS — It’s the peacemakers who can help shift the mood during rough times.
Nothing is funny about thousands in Texas who are still suffering from the recent extreme freezing weather, but the owner of a party shop in Dallas wants to try to turn U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s trip to Cancun into something that’ll make them smile.
The talk of the town, other than the weather, is a piñata made to look like the senator. It’s the most popular thing selling at the ABC Party shop in Oak Cliff. The backstory of these piñatas has nothing to do with politics.
One of the brains behind some of the most creative piñatas in Dallas is Carlos Delafuente.
He is the owner of ABC Party and his ideas have everything to do with making iconic conversation pieces. He doesn’t care whether you’re conservated or liberal.
“I mean if you want me to make a pinata out of you. I can make a pinata out of you,” he explained.
The papier-mâché version of Cruz looks just like the many pictures and videos taken of him when he was coming back to Texas after going on vacation to Cancun.
From the black, rolling suitcase to the passport in his right hand, and even the stubble beard that was partly exposed under his Texas flag mask, Delafuente and his piñata design team thank social media for keeping them in the know to help figure out what person or character will be a hot item to sell.
“Staying ahead with the news and the trending, what’s going on in the world, with our state, our city, and our town, our community here and it inspires me to turn something negative into something positive. Something we can get a laugh out of,” said Delafuente.
He’s already sold versions of former President Donald Trump, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and a Coronavirus piñata.
Delafuente says this is not to shade Cruz, and it’s all in good fun.
“They’re not going to buy it to beat it. [Customers] haven’t said they were, but they like to have it for their collection or just to have it at home,” he added.
President Joe Biden will be in Texas on Friday and Delafuente says he’ll be ready if customers want a candy-filled version of the nation’s leader.