From the moment the Disney Planes movie previews roared across the screen, my kids have been begging to see what they called ‘Cars Planes!’ They are huge Disney Pixar Cars (the movie) fans, so it makes sense they are chomping at the bit to see Planes as well. To gather excitement (as if they needed incentive), we had a few friends over for a Planes Playdate filled with toys, treats, and laughs as they got to play with their favorite characters from Cars and ‘meet’ the new Planes too.
When it comes to party ideas, I go for easy and simple. Each of these Planes party decorations and snack ideas took less than 10 minutes each to assemble. I started with the basics: paper goods and tablecovers from Walmart. Then, I cut apart an old atlas and taped them together to create a map wall. Since I’m not sure if we’ll need the atlas again (do you still use atlases?), I only cut out states we’ll probably never drive through (so sorry, South Dakota, I know you are a lovely state!)
Those white pom pom ‘clouds’ came from Walmart, as did the Cars ‘Lightyear’ blimp with race car bunting. Tons of impact for only a few dollars!
I had a few red frames on hand, so I used them for table signs. As Lightning McQueen would say, Ka-chow!
Tiny ‘Air Mail’ envelopes worked as signs for the names of the food.
What’s a party without some party food? I whipped up some Dusty’s Dippers (a modified idea from my veggies and hummus snack post). Those clear plastic cubes for the dip were also found in the party section at Walmart. Even the adults loved them.
Cloud Cupcakes topped with cotton candy set the mood for a fun filled party. They were so easy: store bought cupcakes plus cotton candy– it stuck right onto the frosting! HINT: add the cotton candy just before serving otherwise it will melt onto the cupcake. Not that I know anything about that. But, yeah, I know all about that. 😉
Someone cut out the cotton candy middle man and went straight for the gold.
Dusty Sky Parfaits were a hit, too! It’s simply Jello layered with Cool Whip and topped with sprinkles. I made the Jello in separate containers the night before and let it set. The next morning I scooped it out and layered it with Cool Whip for a high flying snack.
Of course, the Dusty Sky Parfaits needed spoons. I glued paper plane cutouts onto wooden spoons. Then I used a Sharpie to add the lines and make them even zippier.
Cheese cubes are another easy party food idea, so adding some handmade cloud toothpicks made them even more enticing. My kids went nuts over these In-flight Appetizers.
The entire reason for the party was to p-l-a-y. You should have seen the excitement when we brought out the Cars and Planes toys. As you can see from my Google+ album, I was like a kid in a candy store shopping for Disney toys at Walmart. The Planes toys are brand new in stores, and of course were a big hit.
Even our youngest guest found a favorite Plane to love (don’t worry, he was well supervised!)
But don’t count out the Cars toys. Those will always be a favorite for as long as my kids are, well, KIDS. With Planes merchandise moving into stores, Cars toys might become more scarce. In other words, check them out now before they are gone– this is coming from the mother of a desperate toy-seeking Tangled obsessed daughter; trust me, grab it while you can! Another note: if you happen to have a Rapunzel bike you no longer need I know a girl who’d happily take it off your hands. 🙂
Kids stopped by Baggage Claim on the way out to claim their party favors: a special Cars toys, just for them. SCORE!
We also gave them a large Planes toy of their choice. Oh, those smiles!
What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday– hanging out with friends, playing with toys, snacking on easy-to-make party food. Playdates are easy when you combine the three things together. And the big surprise will be taking the kids to actually see the movie this week. I can’t wait to see their faces, now that they’ve ‘met’ the characters.
Have you seen the Disney Pixar Films Planes movie yet? Do you have any Cars fans revving up your household? How about the Planes Party ideas– did you see any you’d use, or have any ideas to share?
What a FUN party! My boys would go nuts over this! Definitely a must-pin for future reference!
I ADORE those atlas pages and the cloudcakes! You are so creative – love it!
It looks like it was a high flying success.
OMG. How cute! I love your attention to detail. Coolest Planes party ever!
I am loving this party theme! My son would love this! So cute.
Thanks Beth! My kids are so excited to see the movie.
Waaaaaaay too cute. Pinning to my planes, trains, and automobiles board. My boys are HUGE Cars fans…and Planes was my 4yo’s first movie theater movie!!!
Thanks Heather! We hope to take them to the theater this week!
So cute! Much nicer than what you could buy at the store! I need to see the movie still!!
Oh my gosh, you are amazing! I loved seeing the sneak peeks of this on instragram but they didn’t do it justice. You did a great job. Can you plan our next birthday party? lol
How fun. Love those parfaits. And your photography is fabulous!
Awesome! We saw Planes this month, and loved it! I’m pinning these for my ds5’s birthday party next April.
I love the maps! And…can you plan all my parties from now on?
I am so uber impressed with you and your unstoppable creativity. Looks like a great party!
Oh my gosh, this is fabulous! You did such a great job coming up with fun, creative ideas to share Disney Planes! The kids looked like they had a blast. Who wouldn’t with Cloud Cupcakes???!!! YUM!
what a super cute and fun party! my boys would love it! great pictures too!
I remember going all out for my girls b-day parties when they were younger – this is amazing!!
Kelly
Awesome, AWESOME party!!! You guys are going to LOVE Planes the movie!
We ended up seeing the movie last week, it was AWESOME! Plus, the kids ‘knew’ the characters already from the party so they really connected with it. 😉
Love all the ideas!! My son will be 9 on February 21st. He loves the Movie “Planes” and “Cars.” I hope I can make his party everything he wants!! How did you make the fueling station sign? It’s adorable. Is it a free printable ? Thanks for sharing these cute ideas with us!! 🙂
Hi Tiffaney! I didn’t make it a free printable because I didn’t want to violate any copyright laws by distributing it, but I made it for personal use on PicMonkey. I uploaded the logo and put the wording under it using the text feature. Hope that helps, and I hope your son has a wonderful birthday party!!!
Carrie, you are super creative! So glad I found your blog! We borrowed some of your cute ideas for our sons 4th birthday party today. He adores all things Planes and Cars, so your food and favor ideas were perfect. Our bakery made a similar cake with blue sky icing, and we made Dusty’s Dipper’s and Dusty Skies for snacks. Thank you for sharing your fabulous ideas and helping us make our party just perfect!
I’m so glad to hear this!! It was such a fun party to put together, and I’m thrilled the ideas worked for you too. Happy birthday to your son, my son turns 4 next month. Such a fun age! 🙂
Creative, Cool and Fun Party! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to see more of your parties.
If you don’t mind me asking… where did you the frame for the fueling station sign? I’ve been looking for something in that style for awhile and had NO LUCK 🙁
I actually got it at a thrift store, but I know they originally came from IKEA. Not sure if they still have them in stock, but I bought new ones there about a year ago so definitely check!
Great ideas!! My son wants a planes party for his 4th birthday in October. How did you make the little clouds for the toothpicks? Did you cut them out by hand?
Thanks!!
I couldn’t find a cloud paper punch, so I ordered them from Etsy.com!