Fun Animal Birthday Party Themes

By Amanda Kingloff and Taryn Mohrman
Got an animal lover celebrating a big birthday? We've got ideas for some favorite animal themes: tweeting birds, galloping horses, and swimming fish. Each theme includes invitations, activity ideas, a dessert, a favor, and more creative fun for all the invitees.
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Bird Party: Set The Theme

Peter Ardito

Got a bird-lover at home? Go out on a limb with these adorable feathered party ideas.

Call out the birthday boy or girl with little feathered friends. Hang tags stamped with the birthday kid's name from the mouths of pretend birds (available at crafts stores; ours is from jamaligarden.com). Set each bird in a small flower pot filled with fake grass.

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Bird Party: Activity Idea

Peter Ardito

See how long the kids can keep a feather in the air with their breath.

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Bird Party: Dessert

A birdhouse sheet cake makes a sweet treat for your bird-theme birthday party.

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Bird Party: Favor

Peter Ardito

Perch a personalized paper bird in a nest filled with chocolate eggs.

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Horse Party: Set The Theme

Peter Ardito

Get off your high horse and celebrate cowboy-style with a rousing equestrian-theme birthday party.

Attach the invite to a wooden horseshoe with twine (our horseshoe is from createforless.com).

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Horse Party: Activity Idea

Peter Ardito

Toss some horseshoes with a classic game (we found ours at Amazon.com).

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Paper Cup Horse

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Horse Party: Dessert

Peter Ardito

Tie a piece of coconut-covered pound cake with licorice to look like a hay bale.

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Horse Party: Favor

Peter Ardito

A plush horse in a metal pail is a perfect favor for aspiring cowboys and cowgirls. (We found our favors at orientaltrading.com).

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Fish Party: Set the Theme

Peter Ardito

Something fishy is going on in this party! Have a swimmingly good time at an aquatic bash.

Swimming sock fish will start the party off with a splash.

What you'll need: Cardboard, scissors, socks, cotton balls or batting, rubber bands, small buttons, hot-glue gun, fishnet

Make it: Cut desired fish shape from cardboard and slip into sock. Fill sock with cotton balls or batting on one side of cardboard. Cinch sock at end and secure with rubber band. Hot-glue a button in place for an eye and attach sock fish to net with hot glue.

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Fish Party: Activity Idea

Peter Ardito

Craft mosaic fridge magnets with air-dry clay, fish-shaped cookie cutters, and sequins.

What you'll need White air-hardening clay, fish-shaped cookie cutter, sequins, hot-glue gun, magnet

Make it Cut fish shape out of clay with cookie cutter. Insert sequins at an angle for scales and eye. Hot-glue a magnet to the back; let dry completely (about 24 hours).

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Fish Party: Dessert

Peter Ardito

Make sweet sorbet fish by adding fruity fins and cereal faces. Bring the sea to them with sturdy blue cupcake liners.

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Fish Cake

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Fish Party: Favor

Peter Ardito

Give the guests a bracelet-making kit of clear elastic and colorful fish beads. (We found ours at party902.com).

Originally published in the May 2010 issue of Parents magazine.

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