Throw a Monsters, Inc. Inspired Birthday Bash!

by Fancy Free Diva

It all started with a costume.  Last August, when my son was only two and a half months old, we took him to Walt Disney World.  While we were there, I spied a Sully costume.  It was perfect: the little tail, the hat with the horns.  Adorable!  The only problem was that it didn’t come in infant sizes.  And that’s when it hit me.  I purchased the 18-month size, just in case, and started planning my son’s first birthday party (only 9 months or so early!).  Once I settled on Monsters, Inc. for a theme, the ideas started coming!  There were so many possibilities, from joke book party favors (because laughter is more powerful than screams) to a Child Detection Agency scavenger hunt.

As my brain whirled with this party planning thought-storm, my next stop was Pinterest.  If I was coming up with great ideas on my own, imagine what could happen when I combined some of those ideas with all of the brilliant moms and party planners out there in the ether.  I set up a board and started scouring the web for ideas I could beg, borrow, and steal.  There was a lot out there, and I started to get even more energized.  I stockpiled Subway kids’ meal bags for the party favor gift bags and scoured the clearance aisles of all of my local stores for marked down monster items leftover from Monsters University.  Around Halloween, I spotted even more scary stuff, including some monster-themed rubber duckies from Oriental Trading Company.

Planning the activities for the party was a little bit more challenging.  I knew I would have kids of all ages at the party that I would have to entertain, so I set up multiple stations for them to visit.  First, I printed out some Monsters, Inc. mazes and games for the kids to color on while we waited for everyone to arrive.

Everyone also got to pick out a monster-themed party hat.

Once everyone arrived, the kids could color a monster face mask.  I found these on Oriental Trading Company.

The kids could also make monster finger puppets out of chenille stems (pipe cleaners) and pompoms and create a sticker scene using monster foam stickers and construction paper.

After these crafts, it was time for some hands-on fun.  The kids played “Pin the Eye on Mike” using a game I found on Amazon.com.

We also made monster slime using cornstarch, water, and food coloring.  Tip: Be sure to have a hand-washing station or some wipes nearby for any messy little hands!

I also set up a “Scary Stories with Roz” reading station with some Monsters, Inc. books and had a more challenging monster magnet craft for the older kids.

After all of the crafts and activities, the kids had worked up an appetite, and it was time for some snacks and some cake.  When I made the party food and set up the table, I worked with Mike and Sully’s colors: lime green and aqua with some touches of purple.  Half of the table was dedicated to Mike-inspired snacks, while the other half held Sully-inspired snacks.

The cake was the piece de resistance, combining the best friend monsters’ iconic colors, and using Wilton’s grass tip to create the effect of Sully’s fur.

Some of the more popular snacks at the party included the monster-inspired candy-coated Oreos.  I used Bakerella’s candy shreds to create the effect of Sully’s fur on the blue Oreos and candy eyeballs on the Mike cookies.

For decorations, I raided our supply of Disney stuffed friends (of which there are many) and pulled out all of our Monsters, Inc. themed toys to spread around the party area.  We played the first Monsters Inc. movie quietly in the background on the big TV, too.  I also downloaded some cute printables from Etsy to cover the water bottles and create the birthday banners.

In the end, the kids all had a “scream” at this scary soiree!  Hopefully these links and pictures will help give you some ideas if you want to throw your own monstrous bash!  Because we only get to Walt Disney World once a year, it’s important to try to preserve some of that Disney magic and spread it throughout the year.  Hosting Disney-themed parties is one way to help make that happen!