Super Mario Brothers Birthday Party

My children adore Super Mario Brothers, and at least one of them will request a Mario birthday each year. We already had one birthday themed with the little Italian plumber and I really think that once is enough. However, when it came time to plan the big birthday party last year, the theme was obvious because there is only one thing that they ALL love.

Since we have one birthday party for all of the children combined, I don’t mind spending a little extra but I have to say that this was a very frugal party. Dig deep and find your inner DIY Diva and you can give your children a Super Mario Bros birthday party that they will never forget.

Decorations

Since the majority of the party was outside, I focused on the table and used primary colors. We did put some streamers and balloons up here and there but they were all in yellow, green, blue, or red. I also used primary colored tissue paper and curling ribbon.

Super Mario Party Games

PennyMom and Dad rented a castle bounce house as their gift to the children. That made the perfect castle for Princess Peach! Plus, by renting it for Saturday and playing a small delivery fee, it was delivered on Friday afternoon and we got to keep it all weekend long. They didn’t pick it up until Monday afternoon and it did not cost anything extra.

Aside from the bounce house, I did plan one game… a Super Mario Brothers Obstacle Course.

The children proceeded through the course like this:

1. Enter the obstacle course through a tunnel.
2. Hit the coin blocks (made from brown cardstock and a white paint pen) to make the coins bounce out.
3. Jump from pad to pad (large foam pieces).
4. Pick up the red coins (cut from foam pieces) and place them in a basket.
5. Smash the goombas (brown balloons) by either stomping or sitting on them to get the coins out.
6. Knock down the brick wall.
7. Throw three fire balls at Bowser.

We had an adult help at stop 4, 5, 6, and 7 to help reset for the next child.

The Bowser Peel and Stick Giant Wall Decal was my big splurge but when I saw it, I had to have it! I attached it to black poster board and was still able to peel it off and place it in the boys’ room after the party.

As for the fire balls, they were simple to make.

Just take yellow, orange, and red tissue paper and cut it in half diagonally. Place a styrofoam ball in the middle. Close the tissue paper around the ball and secure it with a rubber band.

Party Menu

Food at a children’s birthday party should be just as fun as the games. Yes, I know that cake and ice cream is economical but I like to spend about $30 to $40 on the food. Since I made the cake and cupcakes myself and the chicken was purchased with a gift card, I didn’t even have to spend that much.

The menu consisted of:

• Chicken nuggets with dipping sauces
• Black olives, green olives, and baby pickles
• Cubed cheese and cheese sticks
• Baby carrots and broccoli
• Doritos and tortilla chips with salsa
• Princess Peach’s Punch (Sprite and orange sherbet)
• Chocolate-chocolate cupcakes (Goombas)
• 1-Up Mushroom Cake

This was my first time ever working with fondant and I could not have done it without YouTube. Everyone told me how hard it was going to be but I found it very simple and loved the results. (The figures I used on and around the cake came from Amazon.com.)

Super Mario Favors

My children think that no party is complete without goodie bags but those little thanks you bags can get really expensive. So, I tried to keep each bag frugal but fun. Each bag was a solid colored paper bag with a mailing label attached that read, “Game Over. Wii are so glad you came to our party. Thank you.”

Within each bag, I placed a Super Mario Brothers pencil, notepad, glow bracelet, and set of self adhesive fake mustaches. (The moustaches were a HUGE hit!)

The grand finale was a visit to Super Mario’s Candy Store. Each child was given a zip-top bag and could take their choice of treats.

The only thing I had to make was the Star Coin Cookies but these are simply chocolate sandwich cookies covered in yellow candy melts. (These can be purchased at Michaels using a 40& off coupon from the weekly sales advertisement making them about $1.80 a bag.) Just use the candy melts in a star mold and reserve the rest to cover the cookies. When the stars are completely set, flip the candy mold and gently twist and/or tap to release. Melt the remaining candy and cover the cookies. While the coating is still wet, press a candy star into the center. Simple but the results are awesome.

For the other treats, I printed signs using pictures I found through Yahoo Images. On the  candy, I printed mailing labels with a pretend logo.

The treats available included:

• Super Mario Brothers Gummy Fruit Snacks
• Mario Barrel Candy (My other splurge)
• Toad’s Twists (Twizzlers)
• Bowser’s Bars (Hershey Bars)
• Luigi’s Lemons (Lemon Drops)
• Yoshi Eggs (Jelly Beans)
• Mario’s Fire Power (Red Hots)
• Star Coin Cookies (placed two in a snack-size zip-top bag)

The party was a HUGE success and was even fun for me. The best part? My children had a blast.

Am I brilliant? No! I’m addicted to Pinterest. You can view more ideas and the source for many of the ones I used for this party on my Super Mario Bros. Party board.