Donald Trump piñatas hard to find in Sonoma County

The Donald Trump piñata — difficult to find at your local Latino supermarket or party store — is becoming a hot fiesta accessory.

But those who are searching for the hollow cardboard figure, complete with a crepe- paper comb-over, are not who you might think.

“I thought they would sell more with Hispanics, but it’s mostly Anglos,” said Andrea Zepeda, whose family owns Dulceria Las Tapatias in southwest Santa Rosa. “I don’t even know why Anglos would want it more than Hispanics.”

Across the Bay Area, Trump piñatas are selling almost as fast as they’re placed on store shelves. The ones sold at Dulceria Las Tapatias on Sebastopol Road come from Los Angeles, via San Francisco, Zepeda said. By the time the vendor gets to Santa Rosa he only has a few left, she said.

Trump, who is leading in national polls among registered Republican voters, has become extremely unpopular among Latinos, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. The poll found that Trump’s favorable rating was minus-51 percent among Latinos. In contrast, other GOP candidates had favorable ratings that ranged from plus-7 percent for Ted Cruz to plus-11 percent for Jeb Bush.

Pundits point to Trump’s unapologetic crusade against the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, and his now infamous claim that Mexico is sending drugs, criminals and “rapists” across the border.

Zepeda assumed local Latinos would be first in line to buy the Trump piñatas. The Los Angeles vendor brought only five Trump piñatas. Four were purchased by white customers and the fifth, which sold Friday afternoon, was bought by a Latino man.

The piñatas, which stand about 3 feet tall, depict Trump in a black suit with a red power tie. His arms extend outward and unruly, yellow crepe-paper hair billows upward.

Juana Cortez, the owner of Chula’s Party Supply on Sebastopol Road, said she’s had about five clients come into the store in the past three weeks asking for Trump piñatas. Most of those inquiries have been from older white customers, she said.

Silvia Camacho, the owner of Camacho Market on Sebastopol Road, said she’s eager to get the Trump piñatas in stock, alongside beloved characters like Batman, Woody from “Toy Story,” Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and a San Francisco 49ers football player.

“My provider hasn’t brought me any, but as soon as he does I’m going to put them out to sell,” Camacho said, speaking in Spanish.

Zepeda said she was at first surprised that her Anglo customers would be more interested in the Trump piñatas than Latinos. But she has a theory.

For the most part, Latino parents buy piñatas for their kids, and the characters they choose are ones their children are obsessed with. The most popular characters right now are Elsa, the Snow Queen from the movie “Frozen,” and Minions, the yellow creatures from the new movie by the same name.

“When Latinos come in to buy a piñata, they’re looking for something for their kids,” she said.

Latinos will come in and take a picture with the Trump piñata and laugh about it, but they won’t usually buy one for a child’s party, she said. On the other hand, white customers often purchase piñatas as a novelty item for adult parties, where a Trump piñata fits the bill.

Zepeda said she expects another shipment of Trump piñatas, possibly next week.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.