No parent or guardian can predict the things their kids will like. Maybe they’ll be a fan of basketball, maybe they’ll be obsessed with rainbows & unicorns, or maybe they’ll just want to bake cookies all day! But whatever your kid fancies, chances are they’re going to want a themed birthday party around it.
My youngest child is obsessed with Curious George. In case you aren’t familiar, “George is a good little monkey and always very curious”. He often gets mixed up in messy and silly situations. To say the least, he’s very fun!
So when she was about to turn two, it only seemed natural to use her love of Curious George and throw a themed party around it!
But how?
Well, to start, I asked myself some basic questions to get some birthday party ideas:
1. Could I replicate Curious George’s setting?
George’s story is often told at a circus where there are a number of distractions and curiosities. I decided to throw the party in the garage where we could create a contained space that allowed the kids access to all their bikes and outdoor toys as well as provide walls and surfaces to decorate.
As the guest list grew, so did my need for additional seating so I included the kitchen where I could set a fun feature table. To bring the circus theme inside and achieve this look, I draped streamers loosely from the ceiling and soon the room began to take on the feel of the big top tent!
I didn’t have a circus, per se, but I did have the basics.
From there, I would let the children’s imagination fill in some blanks!
2. Could I use familiar colors from Curious George?
As I started thinking about our tabletop setting, I wanted a basic but effective way to replicate the feel of Curious George’s world.
A fun way to do this was by creating yellow hats out of the plates and cups by adding a black stripe with electrical tape.
We laid them out on a red tablecloth with blue napkins, which quickly dictated our primary color scheme.
This was perfect for my curious birthday girl!
3. Could I make Curious George treats?
With the indoor seating area finished, it was time to make all the delicious treats that the party goers would no doubt get their hands in!
We had two cakes – because why not? Seriously though, we had a lot of extra batter and frosting, so we went there! The first cake looked just like Curious George’s face – almost. (seen above)
The second was a puffy mound of light frosting puffs that had a little Curious George cake topper nestled right on top.
For the snack bar, we wanted our health conscious neighbors and guests to feel welcome, so we found a great recipe for granola covered bananas and gluten free chocolate muffins with a sugar free swirl topping.
We then filled a bowl with those classic orange marshmallows that come in the shape of peanuts, and of course we put out an array of old school animal cracker boxes and cupcakes for everyone to delight in!
Another big hit was the circus popcorn we made with red, yellow and blue M&M’s and sprinkles.
4. Could I plan Curious George style games?
Corralling the kids to organized activities was easy. I simply created a ‘Willy Wonka’ licking wall on the inside of the garage doors by mounting long strips of edible candy dots to the back of them.
The kids came running once they heard their hands would be bound behind them and they had to gnaw off as many as possible!
This may not have been exactly out of Curious George, but it sure was silly, and the kids got a kick out of it!
For photo booth fun, we painted a monkey, with a face cut out, holding some balloons against a blue sky.
Planning what to do at a birthday party can be a daunting task, but these simple games gave everyone some good laughs!
And last but not least…
5. Could I invite any Curious George characters?!
For our finale, we had a special somebody dress up like The Man in the Yellow Hat (George’s best bud) and surprise our birthday girl.
This costume took some extra digging in the closet, but was well worth it! When she saw one of her favorite characters come to life, she thought she was dreaming!
A pretty amazing gift for any kid.
It can be overwhelming to throw a birthday party, let alone a themed birthday party, trying to make sure the color, costumes, and food are just right!
But I wouldn’t get too bogged down with all that.
Simply listen to your child’s stories and note their interests and your theme will come together in no time!
The setting will unfold as you select appropriate colors and think about the nuances of your theme.
And if you need an extra hand, remember that Kikiboxes.com has flexible party theme boxes that are designed to morph into any specific character driven party.
Not to mention, Kikiboxes is an awesome way for you and your kid to spend time together while you unpack the fun!
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