banana birthday party!

August 28th, 2013

banana birthday party on elsie marley

My youngest turned 4 last week and we had a little birthday party to celebrate. He is very heavily into two things at the moment: cheetahs and bananas. Deciding between a cheetah party and a banana party was difficult, but bananas won out in the end. There aren’t a whole lot of banana themed party goods out there, so we had to make up our own.

banana phone on elsie marley

For a craft, we made a bunch of banana phones–you know the banana phone song don’t you? They are just tin can phones that we made with yellow cups and string. I thought they would be a little tricky for 4 year olds to make, so I made one for everyone ahead of time. We put them out with markers and stickers, and the kids decorated their own phones. I have to admit I was surprised they worked–and so well!

banana favors on elsie marley

For favors we gave out bunches of bananas! What else?! I scratched the message on with a toothpick. I’m kicking myself for not writing “thanks a bunch!” How did I miss such a perfect pun? Oh well.

banana birthday party by elsie marley

I was going to write banana jokes on the bananas too, but ended up putting them on the bags for the pinata candy. Here are a few more, because I know you need some bad banana jokes today:

  • Q: What kind of  key opens a banana? A: a monkey!
  • Q: Why are bananas never lonely? A: Because they hang around in bunches.
  • Q: How do monkeys get down the stairs? A: They slide down the banana-ster!
  • Q: What did the banana say to the monkey? A: Nothing, bananas can’t talk!

banana pinata by elsie marley

The candy bags were for a banana pinata, of course! And really, the pinata stole the show. The kids helped me make it. It might look super involved, but pinatas are actually super easy and super fun to make. Oh Happy Day has a ton of tutorials on pinatas if you are curious how to make them.

banana pinata diy by elsie marley

Mine is just cardboard and masking tape. Next time I will double the amount of masking tape because the pinata broke before everyone got a whack at it. The kids are getting bigger and stronger. They were too busy frantically gathering candy to be upset, though.

banana birthday party by elsie marley

The birthday boy got a few good hits in and that’s all that matters.

banana birthday party by elsie marley

The party was in the afternoon, so we just put out a few snacks. They were all yellow: yellow peppers, yellow watermelon (which the kids were afraid of, but was actually totally delicious), yellow tomatoes, banana chips, and lemonade.

banana birthday party on elsie marley

Instead of a birthday cake for dessert we had banana splits! There were bananas (of course), three kinds of ice cream, whipped cream, and real cherries for the top. The birthday boy was in heaven!

banana birthday party by elsie marley

And here is the banana birthday party aftermath:

banana birthday party by elsie marley

It was a banana blast!

 

 

 

Posted in craft.

27 Responses to banana birthday party!

  1. jess says:

    This is so fun! Happy Birthday to your little banana-lovin’ boy!

  2. Kristin says:

    Such a wonderful and unique theme! I love it

  3. Celina says:

    Love, love, love the theme! Looks like it was a fun party! Happy belated Birthday!!!

  4. lisa g says:

    this is adorable and so creative!

  5. Andrea says:

    delightful party! when my now-14-yr-old was 4, he liked to give bananas to his friends for their birthdays, as he loved them so much that he thought they made the best presents. Thanks for reminding me of that!

  6. Elizabeth says:

    I love that you had a banana themed birthday! And the piñata- so clever! I’ll have to keep that one in mind for later.

  7. April says:

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
    And I’m sure they went bananas!

    (I know I would have).

  8. Ruth says:

    I love this idea! The last photo is great – an explosion of yellow!

  9. Maria says:

    Very creative and original idea! fantastic. Happy Birthday to your boy.

  10. Lucinda says:

    what a clever party theme, which you so clearly rocked! That pinata is a work of art:)

  11. Anneliese says:

    So brilliant! Love that it was tailored just for him. So clever. And the pinata!

  12. Katie says:

    Banana theme – awesome! Looks like it was tons of fun!

  13. that is such a cute theme! awesome party – love the banana splits and the PINATA and the healthy yellow snacks! :)

  14. gail says:

    superbly executed and all-around awesome. especially that pinata!

  15. You really know how to stick with a theme, you’re parties get better and better each year! After reading this im wondering if my husband needs a bananna pinata? Its so cute I really want to make one too. haha

  16. Delia says:

    This is such an awesome party! Love the theme and that pinata!

  17. katka says:

    cute idea :) !!!

  18. […] Banana Birthday Party :: elsie marley […]

  19. jenny says:

    :D this reminds me of our yellow-overload at our daughter’s first birthday party: little miss sunshine… http://www.mintinthemiddle.com/2012/05/our-little-miss-sunshine.html

  20. Jess says:

    I LOVE this party. Amazing. I don’t even like bananas. I want that pinata. the end. :)

  21. […] Tutorial by elsiemarley.com […]

  22. Stacy says:

    The pinata and party is just brilliant, you put a lot of hard work in and it’s amazing! I had a jungle themed party for my son when he was young, wish I’d had this idea back then. I’ve featured it on my 35 top fave tutorials for pinatas http://www.stylemyparty.co.uk/blog/35-pinata-tutorials-diy/ Hope you don’t mind, I think a few chimps have already read my post so expect some popping over for a visit! :)

  23. […] for everyone's party! In February we had a fire and ice party for a 6 year old, in August we had a banana party for a 4 year old, and in October we had a sleep-glow-ver for a 8 year old. Whew! Next year it's pizza and bowling […]