Frugal Disney Party

[fairy74]

My nephew will be visiting us (with his mom) for 1 week in May. His birthday happens to fall while he will be here. He adores all things Disney and his mom was able to purchase discount park tickets for them. She will take him there on his actual birthday. DH and I would like to throw a small disney themed party for him (maybe 10 guests family and close friends only) any ideas on frugal Disney themed ideas: cake, decorations, favors, activities. I will make the invitations on the computer. We got 2 sweatshirts off the Disney outlet website for under $14.00 and we will probably add one more toy in the $10 range (for the gift). My nephew will be turning 8. Any suggestions are appreciated. Also I will have a kitchen available as DH's SIL has offered us use of her large backyard.

[kealina]

gotta think about this one... i love parties... does he like any particular disney characters... do you have a particular disney theme (ie. lion king, tarzan, um... atlantis)...

or are you going to do the classic characters like mickey and minnie, etc... i think a cupcake cake (where they take a bunch of cupcakes, lay them out in a shape and then frost them so the top looks like a cake) shaped like mickeys head would be adorable...

i would look on craigslist and maybe in the dollar stores... guess that's all i can think of off the top of my head... depends on what specific them you're going for...

[LuxLiving]

Ohhhh...hit the garage sale & thrift store toy bins and buy a bunch of the small Disney themed toys for favors - bring them home and either run them through the dishwasher or let them soak in some bleach water.

Depending on your budget you could conceivably find some Disney t-shirts at the thrifts for the kiddos to slip on over their party clothes so everyone is dressed Disney as well. Of course, wash them too! And don't forget to explain to the cashier what you're doing and ask if you can have a small discount.

Sounds like you are a fun auntie!!

[ozzy gurl]

You can probably make the cake yourself. There are a lot of 'Disney' tins that aren't necessarily the cheapest, but probably cheaper than if you ordered a cake. Or you could do the cupcake thing...I know for a fact Disney makes those cupcake papers (my mom buys them every year for her classes).

I would find out if he has any favorite ride/movie from Disney...if he likes the pirates, you can stack up your newspapers and have the guests make pirate hats, you can find plastic swords at the Dollar Store, you can hide a bunch of fake gold coins (also Dollar Store) in the backyard and have them go on a treasure hunt. (I know he might be too young for the movie, but the ride is really popular, and little boys usually like pirates!)

I'll try to come up with more themes and ideas...it's a little early for me...but I would definitely try to find out if he has a fave movie or ride.

[fairy74]

Oh thank you for the great ideas everyone. Actually, I think I'm going to go with all the Disney characters that way whatever I find at the dollar store or thrift store can be used. Great idea about the cupcakes and cupcake liners---hadn't thought of that! I found some free disney craft ideas on the web yesterday so I think we'll do those and then set up a little soccer obstacle course so they can run the sugar off a little! If you have any more suggestions/ideas let me know---these were great thanks again!

[ozzy gurl]

I don't know how frugal this will be because it's been ages since I've had them, but they sell those Mickey Mouse ice cream bars (the ones that are shaped like Mickey). I looooooved them as a kid. I actually don't know how common they are now, because I haven't really seen them lately (but again, I'm not exactly looking for them!). I do know they sell them in the park, but kids really love them.

[disneysteve]

Dollar Stores and the Target dollar spot always have lots of Disney items that would be good for favors and/or decorations.

[fairy74]

Good suggestions everyone, I'll let you know how it turns out!

[kealina]

wow, came back to check and you had lots of great suggestions... good luck and i'm sure it will go great..

[creditcardfree]

Oh, maybe a game of hidden Mickey's. Make black construction cut outs and hide them around the house. The cut out would be a circle for the head and the ears...very simple. This is a game people play in the parks, as Disney has put the mickey head in many hidden places. Have fun!

[fairy74]

creditcardfree, I love that suggestion for a game!

[creditcardfree]

Originally Posted by fairy74

creditcardfree, I love that suggestion for a game!

Well, here's one more game idea. You could put a disney character name on the back of each person...just tape on a piece of paper. The goal is to talk to other people to get clues about the character on your back. So, it's a guessing game. First one to figure it out wins!

I'll let you know if I have any more.