Take a Look at this Real Life DIY Toy Story Party

What an awesome Toy Story party! It’s full of DIY ideas and decorations you can easily make, including a Pizza Planet buffet and fun games!

Let’s Talk Toy Story 4.

I have to admit, I’m totally conflicted about it. I didn’t see Toy Story 3 until I was pregnant with my second child, and between the incredible ending and pregnancy hormones, I was an emotional mess.

(Well, I think it was my second pregnancy. It could have been my third…these details do start to run together after a while)

But there’s something so special about the whole Toy Story franchise. The movies are full of storylines and subplots that appeal to every age and gender. It’s definitely a favorite in my house.

A Real-Life DIY Toy Story Party

So, to get myself in the spirit for the newest release, I thought it would be fun to re-visit this Toy Story party that I designed and pulled together for my husband’s nephew.

But first, a little disclaimer: These photos are 8 years old. I knew nothing about photography then, so they don’t really look that awesome. Plus I’ve learned a whole lot more about crafting in the last few years, and see so many better ways to make a lot of these projects. (Which means I’ll be sharing a lot of these updates with you too…hooray!)

Now that’s out of the way, let’s get started with the fun stuff!

Toy Story Party Inspiration

I sat down with the birthday boy’s mother a few weeks before the party started to get some ideas in place. With three movies to pull from, there were a LOT of ideas.

So, we decided to use the locations in the movies to provide some structure to the day. Here’s what we ended up with:

• Pizza Planet buffet table with plenty of store-bought goodies
• Al’s Toy Barn for the dessert stand and party favors
• The drink buffet was Andy’s room (filled with toys), and
• The birthday boy’s room was turned into Sunnyside Daycare

The birthday boy was also a huge fan of Buzz Lightyear, so we incorporated plenty of neon green and purple in the details of the party, too.

Toy Story Logo Entrance

There’s something special about setting the stage from the moment guests arrive, so for this Toy Story party, I created a door decoration based on the movie logo.

The lettering was all done with paper, but the cloud background was made with fabric. Such a simple way to greet guests, but so much fun, too!

Pizza Planet Buffet Table

I just love to find fun ways to display food for parties. Turning the Toy Story party buffet table into Pizza Planet from the first movie just felt right.

My favorite part of the whole buffet has to be the rocket ship pizza tray. It’s such a fun way to show off simple food, and it was made with super cheap materials too! 

(Be on the lookout for an update to that project…Back then the Cricut was still using cartridges. Now the machine can totally take it to the next level!) 

Keeping up with the space theme, I also used kitchenware from the Dollar Store and Goodwill to make UFO platters for the sliders. Totally food safe, and so cute!

In fact, I love this idea so much, I’ve even updated this design with an adorable printable featuring the cutest little aliens. Click here to grab your printable and see how easy it is to make your own.

A party is always more fun with easy finger foods to snack on. We added paper cones filled with popcorn, and little coffee cups with French fries, and rocket ship fruit kabobs. They were all easy for the kids to grab and go throughout the party.

We even hung flying Buzz Lightyear glider toys from the ceiling as a fun little touch.

Andy’s Bedroom Toy Story Drink Buffet 

Before the Toy Story party started, the birthday boy’s mom completely cleared out the living room hutch. Then we filled it with many of the birthday boy’s toys. Can’t you just imagine the toys playing around on the buffet as though their owner isn’t there?

A few extras like Toy Story Character die cuts and an Etch-a-Sketch with a birthday wish added a lot of fun.

Even the soda bottles and drinks got a colorful update with Buzz Lightyear shades of purple and green. And for the kids who didn’t want soda, we served Capri Sun waters.

To make them look nicer, the pouches were faced backward, and a cupcake circle was glued to the back. Easy peasy!

Al’s Toy Barn Dessert Stand

The family has an awesome buffet area that is made with a 12-inch deep countertop along a 10 foot wall. 

We decided not to go overboard with a huge display of sweets, so that spot was perfect for a cupcake stand, some alien-inspired marshmallow pops, and to display the party favors.

Side note: I’m so bummed that I can’t find that same Buzz Lightyear candle right now. Though this set of Toy Story birthday candles has a decent one in it, too.

Toy Story Party Games

For the most part, we just let the kids play outside and in the birthday boy’s bedroom (hence naming it Sunnyside Daycare!). But we did have a couple easy organized games, which is all you need with a bunch of 4-year-olds.

Army Man Hunt

Remember the army men at the beginning of the first Toy Story movie? We used that same setup for this easy Toy Story party game. And the kids really had fun with it!

RELATED>>>>20 EASY PARTY GAMES FOR TODDLERS

We made it a team effort and let the kids go searching for the hidden toy army men around the house. But you could easily add a prize for the child who finds the most army men. 

Pin the Parts on Mr. Potato Head

Generally speaking, I don’t do games like this under age 4, because kids that young have a difficult time with very structured games at that age. but this one worked really well!

Each kid got to have a turn putting a different piece of Mr. Potato Head on the game board, which meant we ended up with a really silly looking potato in the end. The kids definitely loved that.

Where to Find the Toy Story Supplies:

Because this party was put together so long ago, many of the sources I used are no longer available. Below are links to the same or similar items that others have asked about.

If you want to know about anything specific, leave a message in the comments or feel free to email me directly!

• Invitation: The Creativity Box – no longer in business, but Etsy has lots of other options
• Buzz Lightyear Favor Boxes: No longer available (still looking for a similar product!)
• Toy Story Character Images (for Party Circles): Ry Creation – no longer in business, but these are similar 
• Toy Story Die Cuts: Coca Cola Bear 1980
• Cupcakes: Purchased from a local baker
• Coffee Cups (used for French Fries): The original source is no longer in business, but these cups are very similar

If you’re wanting to see more you can check out some really fun Toy Story party supplies at  Oriental Trading Company. 

More Toy Story Party Ideas:

• Alien Marshmallow Pops
• Rocket Ship Party Tray Tutorial
• UFO Party Platter Tutorial

Other Fun Party Themes

• Octonauts Themed Party
• Jaw Dropping Luau Party Ideas
• The Best Dinosaur Party Ideas
• Steal-Worthy Lego Party Ideas
• Puppy Themed Parties

Now It’s Your Turn

Thank you for taking this little trip down memory lane with me. Even though this Toy Story party was 8 years ago, so many of the details are still fresh in my memory. I can’t wait to update some of these projects for your Toy Story inspired parties in the coming months, too! 

Feel free to let me know in the comments section if there’s a project here you’d like to learn more about!
Are you excited for Toy Story 4 this summer?

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