How to Throw a "Where the Wild Things Are" Birthday Party

Maurice Sendak, director Spike Jonze and actor Max Records attended the premiere of the movie in 2009.

Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" makes for a natural child's birthday party theme. It is based on a kid, Max, and it has colorful monsters. The book has been a childhood favorite since its publication in 1963. It got another boost of popularity when a movie version was released in 2009. Use either one as a guide for extra decoration and party ideas.

Instructions

1. Send an invitation with a "Wild Things" theme. If there are no commercial options, use your computer graphics program to insert a photo of the birthday child on a brown or green card. Max's phrase "Let the Wild Rumpus Start!" should appear on the card. Put the party details on the inside of the card.

2. Modify a cake to match the theme. Most of the story takes place in a jungle, so use icing to replicate vines or to make outlines of Max or a monster. Decorate the cake with 2-D magnets of the Wild Things Characters or small crowns.

3. Cover the party table with a green tablecloth and decorate the area with silk or plastic vines and plants. Hang green paper streamers from the walls or a chandelier, and use dark green helium balloons to match the book's jungle theme.

4. Decorate other areas with "Where the Wild Things Are" figurines or plush animals. A hardcover copy of the book could be part of a table display. Keep a DVD of the movie running on a monitor.

5. If you're serving a lunch or dinner, give the food "Wild Things" related names. For example, you could have "Wild Greens Salad" (mixed green salad), "Monster Mash" potatoes and a "Big Foot" sandwich (giant sub). Make cupcakes with brown icing and fondant to recreate the face of the main monster, or make a cupcake with green icing with a crown made of gold fondant.

6. Party favors can include magnets, paperback books, mini-plush monsters, or candy in animal shapes. Place the small items in a clear cellophane bag and tie it with a piece of "vine."

Tips & Warnings

• You could take your guests to the movie theater to see the movie when it debuts, or you could show it at your party after it comes out on DVD.

• There are very few Where the Wild Things Are products out there. Maurice Sendak was very careful to avoid over commercializing his story, and he was also concerned that products be of good quality. However, with the story turned in to a feature film, more products for your party may become available.

References

• Where the Wild Things Are DVD

Resources

• Metro Baby Blog