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10-Year-Old Traverse City Student Invents ‘Spinyata’ For Halloween

Halloween may look a little different this year, but one Traverse City student is determined to make this holiday a special one.

10-year-old Esch Graetz invented the Spinyata, a cardboard piñata in the shape of a jack-o’-lantern.

“I thought about all the kids worldwide who were going to miss out on Halloween, so I was thinking about other ways to get candy,” Esch said. “I thought about how normal piñatas you hit it, it breaks, it’s over, so I thought of an other way, a more fun way, so it would spew out the mouth.”

When you hit the Spinyata, candy flies out of the mouth of the jack-o’-lantern. Esch went to work in September to get his product out for the season.

“I went to Grand Traverse Container and the very same day, they helped me make 500,” Esch said.

So far, he’s sold 466 of his stock.

“Someone bought one in California, that’s the farthest one I’ve sold,” Esch said. “And then someone in Illinois bought 14, which was amazing!”

It’s not all fun and games for Esch, he’s had to do a lot of business, too.

“The total cost of all the 500 Spinyatas was $1,150,” Esch said. “But I have 34 left, I’ve easily broken even.”

Esch sells his Spinyatas in Traverse City at The Red Dresser, Horizon Books, Cherry Republic, and Tom’s Food Market.

“I am just having so much fun doing this,” Esch said. “I get to think about the prices, I get to think about what people are going to do to it, like how they’re going to hit it and stuff, so I’ve had fun thinking about all that.”

Esch is doing one more restock on Friday at various locations. The last day to purchase a Spinyata is Halloween.

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