I received free products in order to host a #NowMoreThanEver Disney Playdate Party.
The photos and opinions expressed here are my own and should not be used without written permission. This post contains affiliate links.
What’s in the Box?
If you haven’t met me before, you’d think I was nuts….that is, when it comes to anything Disney. So when Walt Disney World reached out to me and asked me to host a playdate for their #NowMoreThanEver campaign, I jumped at it! Disney sent me and 80+ other mom bloggers world-wide a box just like this filled with party goodies and told us to have fun with it and make it our own.
To say I was excited to get the box and see what was in it is an understatement. I watched the UPS tracking app like a hawk and on the day of delivery, I made sure I was home all day. And then it came. That glorious UPS man dropped off the large cardboard box affixed with a mickey sticker on top and the kids and I ripped into it like it was Christmas.
Here’s what I found in that box:
- Pinata,
- Pin the nose on the mickey
- Popped Passion Popcorn Cake
- Swirl decorations
- Tablecloth
- Mickey plates
- Mickey cups
- Balloons
- Mickey napkins
- Mickey masks
- Silver Mickey Ears (yes, I put them on as soon as I saw them in the box)
- Princess dress (courtesy of Jakks Pacific)
- Rapunzel doll (courtesy of Jakks Pacific)
- Mickey Pillow Pet (from Pillow Pets Disney)
- Mickey stickers
- Printable Fab Fortune Tellers
- Michael Angelo’s Baked Ziti and Meatballs
- Printable Matching Game.
So that was a great start, but I felt like I needed to come up with a cohesive theme to tie everything together. One thought I couldn’t get out of my head was the magic of Walt Disney World and how I wanted that element to be present at the party. I wanted people to walk in and be wowed from the moment they stepped in the door.
When visiting Walt Disney World, that moment for me is when I’m walking down Main Street USA and I see Cinderella’s Castle right there in front of me in all it’s magical glory. So that was that. I officially had a theme – the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
Let the planning begin…
Decor
A color scheme is everything when starting to think about decor. For this party, I opted for the colors of Cinderella’s castle. I didn’t want it to be just another red, black, and yellow Mickey party, and when I think of the Magic Kingdom, I think of walking into the park down Main Street USA and staring straight at Cinderella’s Castle.
In order to really drive home a theme with your party guests, I love having printed items like welcome signs, food tent cards with names on them, and other fun Walt Disney quotes around the room. Evie from Evangeline Designs made these amazing signs for me and I was so excited about how they turned out!
Since this is a kid’s party, I didn’t want to go too overboard with decor, but I did want to have a few over the top elements that make you go WOW! In addition to the disposable Mickey tablecloth that Disney sent me, I wanted nice linens for the table to match the color scheme. On Cloud 9 Event Rentals to the rescue! Lisa was so sweet and worked with us to find just the right shades to match the party’s color scheme.
After trying several different avenues, I just couldn’t find a life-size Cinderella’s Castle that looked nice. This one was cute, but it wasn’t impressive enough for me. So then I contacted Designs by Yutz. Their oversized marquee letters were perfect for the look I was going for! They spelled out the word “DISNEY” and even painted the letters to match the decor of the event. Everyone loved them and they were definitely that WOW factor I had wanted! If you’re wanting to recreate this look at home on a smaller scale, these 9″ tall letters are perfect!
Along with the large marquee letters, I wanted something to go around it, so balloons to the rescue! Balloons are always a super cost-effective way of adding color and wow-factor to any event. So balloons here we come! I’ll have to do a balloon tutorial sometime soon so I can show you just how easy it is to make these! Toast from the Host and I made this one in about 3o minutes before the party started.
Because I can never have enough balloons (and they make a great statement and take up space), I also used helium-filled balloons tied to weighted silver decorations to be the centerpiece on each table.
Food
A party isn’t really a party without food. And when you’re trying to recreate a magical place like the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the more silly and themed the better! I love a party with a theme, so even the food and utensils need to have a Disney twist!
Something Substantial
First up, “Lady and the Tramp’s” Baked Ziti & Meatballs. Spaghetti is always a kid favorite, but it’s hard to serve. So I opted for Michael Angelo’s Baked Ziti and Meatballs and put them in these portion-controlled cups.
I also wanted to make sure to give the kids a little something more substantial than all candy and sweets, so I opted for some cheap pizzas as well. Say it’s from Toy Story’s “Pizza Planet” and you’ve got an easy to serve food with a fun Disney twist!
Snacks
Every party needs something you can graze on, like “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Balls (cheese balls), the “Lost Boys Food Fight” (grapes in red and green), “Olaf’s Snow Flurries” (popcorn), and Mickey’s special edition goldfish. Just make sure to use some of these scoops for easy serving that kids can do themselves.
Tudorhouse Cookies also made these AMAZING Magic Kingdom themed cookies and it really sent the theme over the top! She really got the magic of the Magic Kingdom summed up – Mickey ears, Cinderella Castles, and Walt Disney quotes about chasing your dreams.
What says something magical more than sugar crystals turned into puffy clouds of goodness? Twirl Cotton Candy was there at the party twirlin’ and swirlin’ and creating such a fun, sugar-filled time for the kids (and kids alike). She even had cotton candy cones that looked like Star Wars light sabers and blinked!
Cake
Now, I know it’s not a birthday party, but every party deserves a little cake, am I right? But since this was no ordinary party, I couldn’t have just any old cake! I opted for this really cool Popcorn Cake by Popped Passion. It was fun, unique, and great for people who don’t have a huge sweet tooth. I even put it on this cake stand to fancy it up a bit!
Drinks
Now, what to drink? For the kids, I opted for mini water bottles and Capri Suns. They were easy for me to just put in an ice chest (aka “Under the Sea”) with some ice and the kids can open them themselves. For the adults, they had the option of the tiny water bottles or the “Mad Hatter’s Iced Tea” – aka Sweet Tea – a Southern girl’s party staple served in this easy to use beverage holder.
A Disney World Favorite
Last but not least, I needed the ultimate Disney World sweet treat – Mickey Bars! I found these classic Disney World ice cream treats at Target and they were the perfect “wow factor” food item I was looking for! Unfortunately, my idea of keeping them frozen during the duration of the event by putting them in a rolling cooler packed with dry ice in the bottom and regular ice on top didn’t work out so well and they were all completely melted (stupid Texas summer heat!). But, if you were having this party at your home, you shouldn’t have trouble at all keeping them frozen in your freezer!
Of course, you have to have something eat on and with, and I knew I was going to need to supplement the amount of plates, napkins, and cups that Disney sent me, so I went to Dollar Tree and got these navy blue napkins, plates, and pink paper cups. In order to make them a little more “Disney”, I bought these Mickey stickers and affixed them to the outsides of the cups. Voila! Disney! And don’t forget Ariel’s “Dinglehoppers” (forks).
Activities
Magic Bands & Mickey Ears.
Upon entering the party, everyone came in just like they would at the park at got their Magic Bands and Mickey Ears. Guests got to decorate their “magic bands” with stickers and parents used sharpies to write their names on their wristbands. They then got to pick out their Mickey ears or masks of choice and get on to the partying!
Photos provided by Brass + Veil Creative
Dance Party.
Every party needs some tunes! And Jason from J&A Entertainment kept the party rockin’ by playing everything from Mary Poppins songs to baby Shark. We might have even done the chicken dance (but you’ll have to watch the video to see that one). The kids loved playing with the hula hoops and dancing away!
Ball Pit.
What kid doesn’t love a ball pit? These ball pits was easy to set up, take down, and kept the kids occupied for hours! I just used these kiddie pools and filled them with these balls. Easy!
Imagination Station.
When the kids need to calm down a bit or are more on the creative side, I love setting up craft stations at parties. When I was a kid, this was my jam! I could sit and be creative for hours (and my daughter was the same way at this party…let’s just say she likes glue… A LOT). There was no real plan for this station – just give kids some craft supplies and let them use their imaginations. My son and I created a couple things myself as inspiration on the table, but I wanted to let the kids embrace their inner artists on their own. I had to make it myself, but I did get my “Cinderella Castle” after all! On the table, I had crayons, markers, glue, scissors, construction paper, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, plastic beads, letter beads, and twine. It was awesome getting to see all the kids’ creations!
Free Printables.
We also had these fun games that came in our boxes. The fortune teller game and the matching game were both a hit with the older kids at the party! Here’s the links to them if you’d like to download them for yourself:
Free Printable Disney Fortune Teller Game
Free Printable Disney Matching Game
Giving Back
As part of the initial box I received from Disney, Jakks Pacific gifted me a Rapunzel doll and My Pillow Pets gave me a Mickey Pillow Pet. Instead of keeping them for myself, I decided to create a “giving back” portion of the party. Since the party was a free community event, I asked that attendees bring an unopened Disney gift that would be donated to Texas Children’s Hospital as part of their Disney Team of Heroes. And boy, did these families show up BIG for kids in need! It was such a blessing to be able to not only have a great event, but also to pay it forward and give some deserving kids a little magic as well!
What’s New at Walt Disney World
If you can actually make it to the park, you’re in for a treat! #NowMoreThanEver, Disney is making memories for younger kids even better. There are tons of new experiences like Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration (Magic Kingdom), Party with Pixar Pals (Disney’s Hollywood Studios), and Festival of the Lion King (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)!
At Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration, there’s also new songs, parades, character meet and greets, and Mickey and Minnie even have some festive new outfits for the occasion!
I’m really looking forward to Party with Pixar Pals at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Hollywood studios is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a new logo and fun new attractions with Mike and Sully from Monster’s Inc and The Incredibles. Go inside a door into the monster world or test out your superpowers! My kids are absolutely going to love both of these exhibits! And, my personal favorite, Toy Story Mania will turn everyone into toys for a day. The park has even been updated with Forky – the new Toy Story 4 star! If your kids are elementary school age, they’re sure to love the Disney Junior Dance Party with Vampirina and Doc McStuffins as well.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is also feeling love and celebrating the new Lion King movie set to come out this week with a Hakuna Matata Dance Party with Timon and Rafiki (my hubby’s favorite).
Last but not least, Epcot has some great new additions as well. The most important being that they are retiring the nighttime show “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.” and replacing it with “Epcot Forever”.
At the end of it all, the kids had a blast and the parents got a break, so that’s all that matters! Our magical playdate had over 40 kids attend and they even brought their parents too!
If you’re looking to see what promotions Walt Disney World has going on now, go to this link below:
If you’d like to see more party tips like this, follow me on Pinterest!
