Does your toddler love watching “Elmo’s World” on Sesame Street? Does he or she spend hours interacting with a Tickle Me Elmo or Elmo Live! Doll? Then throw him or her a party with our Elmo Party Ideas, complete with suggestions for make-your-own invitations and party food!
Invitations
Decorations
Food
Party Favors
Games & Activities
Planning & Invitations
The first thing you will need to decide is where and when to hold your Elmo Party. For little ones, it may be easiest to hold the party at a familiar location, such as your own home, a relative’s home, or a park you frequent often. When planning the time of the party, keep in mind that naptime schedules may need to be considered. A good time for a toddler party is between 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., which usually works around most typical naptime hours. For additional ideas, see our article on Toddler Parties.
What do I need for the Party?
Basic party supplies include paper tableware, such as plates, napkins, cups, and cutlery, as well as a tablecloth, streamers, and balloons.
You can stick with the basics, or add other items to fit your theme. For example, for an Elmo Party, you may also want to consider renting or purchasing the following:
- An Elmo Movie, such as “The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland”, “Elmo & Friends – Tales of Adventure”, or “Sesame Street – Elmo Loves You!”
- Elmo Mylar Balloons
- “Sesame Street – The Best of Elmo” CD
- Picture Books
- Blocks, Stuffed Animals, and Other Toddler-Friendly Toys
To help you with your shopping, take a look at our Suggested Party Supply List. You may not need everything on the list, but you can use it as a guide. For additional party planning tips, our Party Planning 101 Guide includes cake ideas, party etiquette tips, a printable guest list, and more.
Elmo Invitations
If you have the time to make your own invitations, here are a few ideas to consider:
- Cut a circle out of red construction paper to serve as Elmo’s head. Use colored construction paper for the details – black for a mouth, orange for a nose, and white for eyes. Write your party details in silver marker on the back.
- Have Elmo’s pet fish Dorothy give your guests the party details! Cut the shape of a fish bowl out of blue construction paper. Draw pebbles and plants on the bottom. Paste a goldfish cutout in the middle, with a bubble coming out of her mouth that includes all the party details.
- Punch a hole in the corner of a card-style invitation and attach it to an zipper pull as a special gift to get your guests excited.
- Cut three circles out of colored construction paper. Glue them together so they overlap a bit. Punch a hole in the bottom of each circle and attach a small strand of ribbon. The finished product will resemble balloons. Decorate the two outer balloons with Elmo stickers and include the party details on the middle balloon.
- Include creative wording for your party details, such as:
On Sesame Street lives a friendly monster,
He likes to giggle and has lots of red fur.
Who is it? Elmo of course! And he wants to say,
We hope you can make it to [birthday child]’s birthday!
If you would rather not make your own invitations, but would still like a personalized touch, consider our Fuzzy Friend Personalized Invitations, which include all the party details for you! We also offer blank invitations that you can fill in yourself.
Whichever invitation option you choose, seal your envelopes with Elmo stickers to add a final festive touch!
Decorating & Food Ideas
Elmo Decorations
Make your little guests giggle with glee by using decorations that fit your theme!
- Use primary colors (blue, red, yellow) for your traditional party decorations such as streamers and balloons. Tie three to five balloons together to place around the party area.
- Add Mylar balloons to some of your balloon groups. An Elmo Airwalker Balloon for the birthday child will really make him or her feel special!
- Create a large “Sesame Street” sign out of green butcher paper. Stencil on the letters and hang it on one wall of your party area.
- Hang a banner above the entrance to the party area that reads “Yippee!! Hooray!! You Came to [birthday child]’s Birthday!” Take a look at our banners and let us do the work for you!
- Cut large letters and numbers out of brightly-colored construction paper to hang from the ceiling.
- Fill a fish bowl with water, paste a label to the front that says “Dorothy”, and add a plastic goldfish.
- Play the “Sesame Street – The Best of Elmo” CD as background music.
- Place a group of stuffed animals on a large blanket where the children can sit during playtime.
- Set a bubble machine in one corner of the room.
- Hang an Elmo pinata in the party area that can be used as a decoration before the activity begins. Remember, you can transform any pinata into a pull-string with these easy instructions.
Elmo Party Food Ideas
It can be fun for the host and the guests to include theme-specific treats during the party. For an Elmo Party, consider the following ideas:
- Use a cookie cutter in the shape of the age your child is turning to cut peanut butter sandwiches, cheese slices, and deli meat slices.
- Make homemade pretzels in the shape of an E, L, M, and O. Sprinkle them with parmesan cheese, strawberry syrup, or cinnamon and sugar.
- For very young guests, set out a selection of teething biscuits and dry cereal in bright-colored bowls.
- Serve goldfish crackers with a little tent card that reads “Dorothy Snacks!”
- Serve water, juice and milk with silly straws. For a special treat, serve Jazzed Up Juice!
- Individual cupcakes, instead of a full cake, can be fun and more manageable for a toddler party. Frost the cupcakes in red frosting, and add mini marshmallow eyes, an orange gumdrop nose and a black licorice mouth.
- If you would like to serve cake, try creating an Elmo cake! Bake a round cake and frost the entire thing in red frosting. Sprinkle red-dyed coconut on top to give the impression of Elmo’s furry body. Use marshmallow crème and Junior Mints for the eyes, a large dollop of orange frosting for the nose, and draw on the mouth with black decorator frosting. Or, simply use an Elmo Cake Pan.
Elmo Party Favors
Put a smile on your guests’ faces by sending them home with party favors that fit your theme. Give one large favor, such as an Elmo CD or DVD, or combine smaller favors such as an Elmo zipper pull, bubbles, Elmo stickers, and candy in a nice favor bag.
To save time, you may want to consider our complete Elmo Favor Set, which includes a matching favor bag. Or, consider our popular personalized favors. Choose from bag tags, zipper pulls, magnets, and more, all personalized with your guests’ names or a personal message from you!
Elmo Party Games & Activities
For a toddler party, it is generally accepted to let the kids play freely most of the time, so setting out a blanket and some toys and blocks works great. For additional ideas, see the Games & Activities section below.
The Elmo name and all related characters and elements are the property of Sesame Workshop. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sesame Workshop.
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