Super 19th Birthday

Hi, all!

So I'll be turning 19 in exactly one month! :)

After seeing "The Avengers", I've decided to have a superhero-themed birthday party!
Yes, I'm a freakin' 4 year old at heart, okay?
Are you ever too old to be super?


In case you or your kiddos wanna have a superhero party as well, here are some ideas I have so far! :)




1. INVITATIONS

THIS webpage has an awesome invitation! I used my slightly advanced technological skillzzz and edited the text a little bit to make it more adult. (So it wouldn't say things like "play clothes".)

I signed the letter as "Director Gabi." I think, at the party, I will wear a badge with "Director Gabi" written on it.

Also, I will provide name tags of some sort for my guests to write their 'superhero names' which they can create themselves. :)

I printed off THESE and pasted them onto envelopes for the invites, as instructed on the aforementioned website.~

2. DECORATIONS

My absolute favorite part about any party!


IF YOU WANT AN "AVENGERS" PARTY:
I visited Party City (which is the Taj Mahal of party supplies-- they have every theme I could think of!) for some ideas.


First, I saw an Avengers end-cap with a bunch of costumes, including the Iron Man chest piece (the glowing circle on his chest) which made me want it really bad.

Next, I saw they had Avengers plates, cups, buckets for snacks, tattoos, wristbands, and even Avengers streamers!

See the activities below under "ACTIVITIES" for ideas for games. :)

IF YOU WANT A CLASSIC COMIC BOOK SUPERHERO PARTY:
I decide to go with an old-fashion superhero theme (like the invitations-- old-timey, comicbooky heros).

Such a theme includes basic colors like green, blue, red, and yellow.

So I went to Dollar Tree and picked up yellow utensils, green plates, and red cups.

For a tablecloth, I'm going to be using newspaper as seen HERE, as newspaper is a common theme in superhero stories. ^^

I'll be using streamers and balloons of the aforementioned colors. :)

I like to scatter balloons along the floor and put streamers in doorways for guests to scramble through.~

Balloons with characters on them should have helium inside and float to the ceiling or be tied down. :)

White crayon looks so cool against a black background! I picked up some black poster board (2 for $1 at Dollar Tree!) and I'm going to either draw windows or paste yellow construction paper as windows, onto the blackness.~
These will be background props. :)








3. ACTIVITIES

GAME 1: Able to Leap Tall Buildings
When I was in Tae Kwon Do, we would stack up sparring pads and see who could jump over the most.

I decided to do that same thing, but with 'buildings'! Superheros should be "able to leap tall buildings", right?

Use this picture as an example on how to make the 'buildings'.

Simply cover boxes with city shades (greys, blacks) and put yellow sticky notes or squares of paper to look like windows.

Have guests run toward the boxes and leap over them! (One at a time-- form a line.)

Use a miniature trampoline if you'd like! That's how I've always played the game (running and jumping from the trampoline over the blocks).

After everyone has a turn jumping, add a few more buildings, then everyone tries to jump them again.

You're out if you touch the buildings!

Whoever can jump the most buildings wins!


GAME 2: Free the Frozen Heroes!

Oh, no! Mr. Freeze has frozen some superheros in ice!!

Buy several very small action figures (there are miniature Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man, and other figurines at Dollar Tree) and freeze them in Tupperware before the party.

When it's time for this game, take out the frozen heroes and give one to each participant (or each team).

Whoever completely unfreezes the figurine (using only their breath or warmth from their clothing,  OR hairdryers or water if that's going too slowly) wins the game!! Everyone gets to keep their figurine. :)

I think it's pretty dang amazing that I came up with this game myself, but there is a tutorial on how to play this exact same game HERE. Haha, check out that site as well! :)

GAME 3: Puzzles
Sometimes villains may have traps or puzzles for a superhero to solve!


I bought these two 100-piece superhero puzzles from Dollar Tree.

Separate guests into two teams (or as many teams as you have puzzles) and have a relay to see who can finish the fastest.




GAME 4: Who am I?
Egads! It seems you've been in a harsh superhero battle, got knocked in the head, and have forgotten your identity!

Place superhero stickers (or simply tape pieces of paper which read the name of a superhero) to each player's back (or forehead).

Use a range of heroes like:*
SpidermanBatman
Superman
The Hulk
Superman
Wonder Woman
Captain America
Thor
Wolverine
Green Lantern
Iron Man
Black Widow
Mr. Incredible
(Let kids know what range of films the characters could be from.)

*Or use more illusive heroes for adults or older teens.


Make sure they don't see which superhero is on their back!

Each person walks around and asks other guests YES or NO questions.

"Am I a girl?"
"Can I fly?"
"Am I a Marvel hero?"

They do this in order to guess who they are.

Whoever comes to you/the host, and guesses correctly which hero they are, is the winner!

GAME 5: Faster than a Speeding Bullet

Create a relay race or an obstacle course for your guests.

Idea from:  catchmyparty.com/photos/429375 

Put things like tunnels to test agility, a bean-bag toss to test accuracy, carrying weights from one point to another to test strength, crossing beams to test balance, etc! Think of as many super powers as you can and incorporate them in the course!



Foam boards are available for purchase at Dollar Tree and, of course, Office Depot.






I'm using Spiderman balls from Dollar Tree instead of beanbags.






GAME 6: Phone Booth Changing Station
 
Set up several "phone booths" as shown in the picture, or maybe a couple of stalls separated by curtains.

Give each guest an outfit to put on OVER their current outfit! Mask, sweatpants, large tee, and cape*-- maybe more?

*(Red CAPES are available at Target for $2 in the party section. They have adjustable Velcro neck-straps and can fit children to adults.)

Whoever puts on the whole costume the fastest is the winner! (Make sure each guest has the same number of clothing articles.)

Large boxes can be picked up for free from La-Z Boy furniture stores if you go inside and request a few.~

Otherwise, you'll need to ask department stores like Wal*Mart to hold large boxes for you.

Click HERE for the source of this phone booth and more superhero party ideas!

GAME 7: Hulk Smash


Have guests break open a super-themed pinata!

OR blow up a bunch of balloons and have guests, in teams, pop a set number of balloons by sitting on them.

Each team lines up in front of two chairs. Each player has a balloon in hand. Once someone places the balloon on the chair and sits on it to pop it, the next player in lines runs up to pop their balloon, and so on and so on.

Whichever team gets through all of their balloons first wins!

GAME 8: Web War


Buy a can of silly string from Dollar Tree or elsewhere for each guest (have a few back-ups because sometimes they don't work).

Have everyone in a different part of the yard and, once the host says "GO!", guests rush at each other with the cans and have a spray fight!

Be sure to tell guests not to spray each other in the face.~

A bit aimless, but it's a good way to burn energy and get messy-- which, let's be honest, all kids love. :)


4. SNACKS

I bought green rock candy on sale at Party City. I'm going to label it "KRYPTONITE" :)

Keep it on the stick or break it up and put it in baggies.



Following the basic colors of the party, check HERE for some cute, classic-colored snacks!

Idea from dollartree.com

For popsicles and drinks, I bought a smaller Styrofoam cooler from Dollar Tree. I found some old super-hero rub-ons and put them onto the cooler. :)

Put streamers, stickers, or drawings on the cooler to spruce it up! Or paint it.











Using the same rub-ons, I decorated this foax gumball machine! Inside, I'll put gumballs that match the colors. :)


Here's a tutorial on how to make these cute fake gumball machines!
http://craftingwithintention.blogspot.com/2011/06/gumball-machine.html




 Entree's can include hotdogs and hambugers in honor of the good ol' boy, Captain America; pizza (as delivered by Spiderman in "Spiderman 2" or NY pizza as homage to Iron Man, who lives in New York; or tuna in reference to Catwoman.

Also, remember when Thor smashed the cup and demanded "another!"? That was coffee he was drinking, so, for an adult party, mention Thor if having coffee. :) Also, apparently Asgardians drink a lot of liquor, so...

5. MUSIC

I always use Playlist.com for every single event I have. It's amazing and free! :)

Playlist doesn't always have the best selection, but whether you're using it, iTunes, or CD's, here are a few options for background music for your super party:
 
-Spiderman by Michael Buble'
-The Incredibles soundtrack by Michael Giacchino
-The Dark Knight Theme by Hans Zimmer
-Superman Theme by John Williams
-Iron Man by Black Sabbath
-Superman by Five for Fighting
-Walk by the Foo Fighters (their contribution to the Thor soundtrack, the ending credits)
-Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down
-Static Shock by Little Romeo (this may only be recognizable by children of the 90s)

6. FAVORS

A popular favor for superhero parties is masks! I'll be giving out felt masks at my party. Cut your own masks from felt, paper, or foam and use yarn or stretchy string to fasten them.~

I took some 3-D glasses from my local theatre and I hot-glued felt masks onto them.
Must sturdier than elastic straps and they stay in place better. :)

I'm also going to allow guests to decorate a mask of their choosing (I used many different colors and used two templates found HERE) with jewels from Dollar Tree's craft section. You can also cut out lightning bolts (I tried until I realized I'm the worst lightning bolt artist on Earth, hehe) or polka dots, stars, hearts, etc.


HERE are some examples.~

ohgoodiedesigns.com/2012/03/super-girl-party.html

Ring Pops (especially green ones, as in "The Green Lantern" can be used during the party as props for the kids. :)

PEZ can be a cute favor for guest of all ages! Many superhero PEZ dispensers exist. :)


Example: http://pinterest.com/pin/206039751671707630/

 Capes are good (particularly if time is taken for the guests to decorate them), but more for kids than older teens and adults.

Here are my gift bags and just a few goodies (from, you guessed it, Dollar Tree-- I should be sponsored!).

Well, that's all my ideas for now! I get bored sometimes and plan things months in advance, hehe.~

I hope you enjoyed these tips, some of which are not original ideas and have been accredited to their owners.

I hope you have a super party!! :)