Use The Force Harry! Time Capsule Birthday Party

Diary of a Wimpy Kid members look on as cows are abducted by aliens.  

A Big Foot creature sports a pirate patch, the one ring, and a Gryffindor scarf .

For PB's birthday party this year he decided to go a bit "low key". This being his first year in middle school it was inevitable that this was coming.  The era of elaborate themed parties with bunches of kids running around in super capes or wizards ropes has come to an end.  It is a bitter sweet thing for me.  A highlight of my life for the past several years has been planning and making everything for PB's birthday parties but it is a ton of work.  I am actually looking forward to "low key''.  But this doesn't mean a plain old boring cake and balloons.  No, no, that will never do.  This year the low key meant it was a party for just the three of us but there certainly was still going to be a theme! I saw this birthday as an end to an era (last year before becoming a teenager) and thought a Time Capsule theme would be perfect!

Another Big Foot creature models a Lord of the Rings cloak and X-ray vision glasses.  Cheering the party on in the windows are Orcs along with little western cowboys and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.



We went through all of the items we had saved from past parties to use as decorations.

Here is a break down of each party theme PB has had:

1. Western Cowboy

2.  Hot Rod

3. Thomas the Train

4.  Pirates

5. Army

6.  Star Wars

7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

8.  Harry Potter

9. Lord of The Rings

10.  Vintage Comic books

11. In Search of...

I have not written a post about all of his parties.  I may one day.  That Star Wars party was epic.

A vintage comic book cover birthday banner hangs over a portrait of Dumbledore and the Sorting Hat.  C3PO shows his pirate side while several plastic army tanks battle it out with plastic cowboys.  



We had at least a couple of items to represent every year.

Several banners and decor hang representing Star Wars, In Search Of..., Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and vintage comic books.  UFO ships swarm the area as paratroopers access the scene. 



Generally for his parties the whole house and yard are required to carry out the theme and it's trappings.  I low-keyed it this year by only decorating the dining room.

I used a few of the leftover 'go home goodies' bags to put his gifts in.

 I made some of the snacks that were his favorites from several different parties.  Harry Potter-Sorting Hats (Bugles), Lord of the Rings-Poh Tay Toes (tater tots), In Search of...-Saturn Rings (Funyuns), Lord of The Rings-Gollum's Goodies (Swedish Fish).

In Search Of...-Spaghetti Monsters (hot dogs with noodles through them), Star Wars-Chewbacca Hairballs (chocolate chow mien noodle treats), In Search Of...-Big Foot Toes (Nutter Butter cookies with chocolate icing decoration).

The Cake

I spent a fair amount of time planning and making the cake.  I wanted it to have representations of all of PB's past party themes but not look random.  I decided to make it kinda tell a story.

The main part of the cake is the ATAT that was his cake stand for his Star Wars birthday party.  My stepdad built the structure and base and my mom made the original cake.  It was phenomenal. 

The front of the cake has a Harry Potter scar and a Pirate eye patch. Commanding the super cape wearing ATAT are a pair of green aliens.

The army men are wearing aluminum foil helmets to protect their thoughts from aliens while the Batmobile is available for a quick get away.  Just trace the steps on the Marauder's Map.

Hot Rods have been hastily abandoned on train tracks or flipped in all the commotion.  The ATAT has claimed a victim.

PB used "Sting", his Lord of the Rings sword to put an end to all the destruction..also known as cutting the cake.

Here is an extensive list of links to Past PB Parties:

Hot Rods

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Lord of the Rings Part I
Lord of the Rings Part II
Lord of the Rings Part III

Vintage Comic Book Party Part I
Vintage Comic Book Party Part II
Vintage Comic Book Party Part III
Vintage Comic Book Party Part IV
Vintage Comic Book Party Part V
Vintage Comic Book Party Part VI
Vintage Comic Book Party Part VII
Vintage Comic Book Party Part VIII

In Search Of...Part I
In Search Of...Part II
In Search Of...Part III
In Search Of...Part IV
In Search Of...Part V
In Search Of...Part VI
In Search Of...Part VII
In Search Of...Part VIII