How to Throw an Animal House Toga Party

Since 1978, when the film “Animal House” was first released, college students throughout America have tried to duplicate the "Animal House" toga party. It became one of the most popular trends of the time, and they are still in style today. Follow the steps below to discover how to throw an "Animal House" toga party.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Themed invitations
• Fake ivy vines for decor
• Poster board, paper plates, fake grapes to make columns
• Food and beverage
• 5 yards fabric, any color
• Safety pins
• Coat hanger
• Gold spray paint

Plan Your Toga Party

1. Invite your friends to an "Animal House" toga party. Buy premade invitations with a Roman-style appearance, or make some unique ones yourself. A Roman scroll would be fitting as an invitation; roll up your invite and glue wooden rods onto each end. Make sure to note on the invitations that it will be an "Animal House" toga party and encourage the guests to dress in togas.

2. Plan your decorations. When you throw an "Animal House" toga party, think of ways to decorate with a Greek theme, such as ivy vines and greenery around the archways of doors. Make pillars by stapling or gluing two pieces of poster board together. Roll them into a cylinder shape, glue and place a white paper plate at the top. Paint vertical lines down the length of the pillar and position some fake grapes on top.

3. Play music from the "Animal House" movie. During the toga party in the movie, there is a dance scene where the pledges are dancing to the song “Shout” by the Isley Brothers. Other good tunes to play at your toga party are “Louis Louis,” “Hey Paula” and “Wonderful World.”

4. Toga! Toga! Toga! Synonymous with the real "Animal House" toga party is the fact that everyone wears togas to the party. Design your own toga (see section 2 for directions).

5. Instigate a food fight. Or not. You will need to decide what to serve. In the grand tradition of "Animal House," you could serve mashed potatoes, or you could opt for a more Roman style of refreshments. Oysters over ice and several bunches of grapes lying on the trays would be great. Serve white wine and punch or have a beer keg like in the movie.

Wrap Your Toga

1. Purchase approximately 5 yards of quality material in whatever color that you want your toga to be; in "Animal House," they wear white, but you can choose your own style. You can use sheets; however, they may not be long enough to wrap in a toga fashion and would be more costly than fabric.

2. Wrap the end around your waist a couple of times and then throw the rest of the material over either shoulder. Use a safety pin to secure the loose end of fabric at your waist so that none of it comes unfastened during your "Animal House" party. Women can make a cute version of the toga by wrapping the breast area like a tube top and then throwing the rest over either shoulder. Finalize your toga with accessories like rope belts, fake swords and gold chains and jewelry.

3. 

   Make a laurel headpiece of leaves. Take a clothes hanger and bend it to fit around your head, and then intertwine the fake ivy vines in and around the wire. Spray paint the entire piece with gold spray paint if you like, or leave it green and natural looking. Complete the "Animal House" toga look with a pair of sandals.