So you are getting ready to plan your son or daughter’s birthday party and ask them for ideas. For boys, your initial guesses might include such favorite topics as sports, dinosaurs, automotive or just about any stereotypical boy related theme. For girls the list may be American girl dolls and princesses. Well kids just might decide to throw you a curve ball and decide to have a cartoon themed character party for their big day. Before you decide to try and change their mind, you must remember that this is their big day and if Batman, Hello Kitty, or even Scooby Doo is being requested, you should probably honor their request.

Some parents seem to fear honoring a child’s desire to throw a cartoon themed party because they may or may not truly understand the whole character that the child adores. One way to understand the whole allure of the character is to sit down and watch an episode or role play the character with your child.

Getting oriented with the character will prepare you better for planning your party theme. It should only take about a half hour or so to get familiar with the entire buzz behind the characters and show.

Once the birthday party theme has been established and the date is set, it is time to consider selecting and sending out the invitations. Invitations should be geared towards your cartoon themed character and can be purchased at most party supply stores or through online party supply websites. It is important to introduce the theme right away on the invitation so your party guests are aware of the character. The character awareness of your guests will also influence their dress for the party and gift purchase decisions.

Party Decor

Keep up the cartoon theme of the day by getting balloons, plates, napkins, and even the cake with the child’s favorite character.

The cake decoration can be anything from a simple cake topper of the cartoon character up to an air brushed character picture right on top of the cake. It is amazing what cake decorators are capable of so feel free to ask them what they can do with the character. If preparing the cake yourself, also consider getting a cake pan that is shaped like the character. Wilton which is a leading cake decorating supply company makes many different cake pans with characters old and new.

Entertainment

Keep up the character theme of the day in the games and music. Games may consist of trivia, board games, or even pin the tail on the “Mickey mouse” or “Scooby Doo”. The party supply store should be helpful in selecting games for your party.

Also consider adding music to your themed party especially if the kids are a little older and into the teen bop icons as the Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana. Just playing some CD’s for the guests will allow them to hop around, dance and act crazy.

The important part of throwing a cartoon character themed party is making sure your child has some input into how things should unfold whether it comes to creating invitations to shopping for balloons or cakes. Let them handle some of the decisions so they feel they helped create the day.