P is for “party” with our Sesame Street birthday party ideas! Invite Elmo, Big Bird, and all the gang to celebrate your child’s special day. Our planning guide uses a Sesame Street theme for creative invitations, decorating ideas, plus fun indoor and outdoor games to keep the party moving. These party ideas can also be used to create an Abby Cadabby birthday party, an Elmo birthday party, or a party based on other Sesame Street characters.
Planning & Invitations
Your first decision is where to hold the party. If you'd rather not have the party at home, consider using a nearby park, a local recreation center room, a community clubhouse, or your church hall. Or try one of the other locations listed in our When & Where to Have the Party article.
What Do I Need for the Party?
If you plan to use paper tableware and Sesame Street party supplies, our Suggested Party Supply List may be helpful while you're shopping. Please note that you may not need everything on the list; it is intended only as a guide.
Sesame Street Party Invitations
Creative invitations build excitement and can increase attendance at your child's party. If you have time to make your own Sesame Street birthday invitations, be sure to involve your child in choosing the design and filling in the details. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- To create an Elmo face invitation, cut an oval shape from red cardstock and a circle shape from orange cardstock. Use glue to attach the orange nose to the red oval face. Then add a pair of googly eyes to complete Elmo’s face. Turn the face over and write your party information on the back.
- Another option is to use colored paper to match your child’s favorite character. Fold the paper in half and let your child decorate the front with Sesame Street stickers. Write the party invitation details inside the card. Choose yellow paper for Big Bird, bright blue paper for Cookie Monster, or pink for Abby Cadabby.
- Add fun wording from the television show at the bottom of your invitation, such as:
This invitation has been brought to you by the letter [first letter of your child’s name] and the number [your child’s age]!
- Invite your guests to wear their favorite Sesame Street shirt.
- Seal the envelopes with Sesame Street stickers.
- For a special touch, let us print personalized invitations for you! We’ll include your child’s name and all the party details with a background design that complements your Sesame Street party theme. You can also take a look at the blank invitations we offer. These are quick to fill in and mail, which is perfect when you want to send your invitations quickly. Check out all of our Sesame Street party invitations.
Sesame Street Party Favors
Thank your guests with fun party favors like Sesame Street stickers, Elmo zipper pulls, small cans of play-dough, bubbles, a rubber ducky, and a punch balloon. You can also choose from our selection of individual Sesame Street party favors, favor bags, and favor boxes to create your own goody bags.
And to simplify your planning, we’ve designed several complete Sesame Street Favor Sets that include a matching bag! If you want to add candy, we offer lots of sweet treats that kids love.
For a special touch, don't forget to check out our personalized Sesame Street favors like stickers, magnets and bag tags, which can be printed with a special message or your guests' names. Just choose a design, and we’ll do the rest!
Invite your child to help make small tags that say This party has been brought to you by the letter [first letter of your child’s name] and the number [your child’s age]! and tie one to each favor bag.
Additional Party Planning Tips
To simplify the rest of the party planning process, check out our Party Planning 101 section for our party planning timeline, a printable RSVP sheet, birthday cake ideas, and other party planning basics. Or, just read the paragraphs below for decorating and food ideas, party activities, and more for your child’s Sesame Street birthday party.
Decorating & Food Ideas
Sesame Street Party Decorations
Choose from our list of decorating ideas to make your party area look like the real Sesame Street. Try just a few ideas, or go all out!
- Draw Big Bird's footprints with yellow chalk on the driveway to lead guests to your door.
- Choose the colors red, yellow and green for streamers, balloons, and tablecovers.
- Use all the Sesame Street toys you already own to decorate the party space.
- Place lots of letters and numbers on the doors and walls. You may already have foam letters as a bathtub toy, or magnetic letters on your refrigerator.
- Make your own Sesame Street sign from yellow and green foam board. Add white letters to spell out “Sesame Street” and the numbers “123” on the top.
- Balloons always say “party” to children! Tie groups of helium balloons together and anchor them in place with balloon weights. For greater impact, combine shaped balloons with colorful latex balloons. Tie a balloon to the back of each chair, and tie a group of five balloons to the birthday child’s chair!
- Hang a colorful piñata that matches your theme as a decoration. Later it will become an activity when the kids break it open. Consider a pull-string piñata if you would rather not have small children swinging a bat. We offer a selection of both traditional and pull-string pinatas, but any traditional pinata can be converted to a pull-string using our easy instructions.
- Ask an older child or adult to make balloon animals for the children. Use one of our easy balloon kits that include an instruction book, balloons, and balloon pump.
- Make a banner that says “Welcome to Sesame Street!” and hang it near the party entrance. See our selection of Sesame Street banners and let us do the work for you!
- Consider using one of our Sesame Street Party Boxes, which come filled with themed partyware, streamers, balloons, and more.
- Or see our Sesame Street decorations for more quick and easy decorating choices!
Sesame Street Party Food Ideas
S is for “snacks” at this party! Start with Elmo’s favorite food – pizza! Then add a bowl of goldfish crackers in honor of Elmo’s pet fish Dorothy. You can also serve sandwiches cut into squares and triangles.
Make a batch of jello jigglers cut into shapes like circles and squares. This recipe will create jello that is firm and does not melt. Combine 4 envelopes (1/4 oz. each) of unflavored gelatin with 3 packages (3 oz. each) of cherry flavored gelatin in a large bowl. Add 4 cups of boiling water and stir until dissolved (about two minutes). Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 9” x 13” pan and chill until set (at least one hour). Then cut into square, circle, and triangle shapes.
Serve miniature pigs-in-a-blanket from the grocery store and call them Bert & Ernie’s Hot Dogs. And give your favorite drinks a Sesame Street name such as Abby's Pink Lemonade or Big Bird's Apple Juice. Serve the drinks with shaped silly straws for even more fun.
Bake or purchase large cookies and call them Cookie Monster Cookies. Instead of a cake, consider making cupcakes and decorate them to look like Elmo. Just cover the frosting with red sprinkles, add an orange jelly bean nose, and two mini-marshmallow eyes.
Another cute idea is to bake two 9” round cakes and decorate each one to resemble a Sesame Street character. For example, you can frost one red and decorate it to look like Elmo; and frost the other one yellow and decorate it to look like Big Bird. You can adapt this idea for other Sesame Street characters, too, such as using pink frosting for Abby Cadabby or blue frosting for Cookie Monster. Use small candies for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Game & Craft Ideas
Sesame Street Party Games and Activities
A Sesame Street party for toddlers should include fun and simple games. Start with a parade by handing out musical instruments and leading the children around the room as Sesame Street music plays on the stereo. A guessing game that appeals to all ages is Count Von Count’s goldfish bowl. Fill a bowl with goldfish crackers and let each child try to guess how many the bowl contains. Whoever comes closest to the correct number gets to take the goldfish bowl home.
Set up a toddler table with play-dough and cookie cutters for the guests to play with while you wait for everyone to arrive. Another table could include crayons and Sesame Street coloring pages.
Include a Cookie Monster cookie decorating activity. Use various cookie cutters to bake sugar cookies shaped like stars, fish or ducks. Set out small cups of colorful icing, sprinkles and candies and let the children decorate their own cookies. The children can eat them at the party or take the cookies home.
If you choose to open gifts during the party, make a game out of cleaning up the wrapping paper. Call it Oscar's Trash Toss and let the children feed Oscar the Grouch by tossing a piece of wrapping paper into the trash can. You may want to tape a picture of Oscar to the front of your trash can.
For more ideas to keep your guests entertained, check out our list of Sesame Street party games below.
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