My husband Jason is a big kid. I think all men are, in a way, but Jason is the kind of guy who just kept his fascination from his younger days. You know how toddlers look at the world with curiosity and wonder, and always find something great wherever they go? That’s Jason. He loves toys and video games, and probably most importantly, he is very very nostalgic. The 90s are his “thing.” He loves the music and TV from that era, the colors and overall craziness, and since it represents his childhood, he just loves it. So, naturally, for his 30th birthday this past week I threw him a 90s birthday party.
I ordered this invitation on Etsy from http://www.etsy.com/people/greenbeansie
Whew! A TON of planning went into it. There aren’t a ton of 90s parties going on yet because, well, it wasn’t that long ago, but I found ideas on Pinterest, I Googled every 90s thing I could think of, and I ransacked all the stores I could think of. In case you think you ever want to do this, I’m going to make it easier for you and include my planning list here for you.
Here’s what my Decor to do list looked like:
Replace light bulbs with neon light bulbs
Hang 90s Posters (Jason, as a Graphic Designer, had made a ton of them)
Hang Magic Eye Posters
Hang Streamers
Blow up Balloons
Confetti
Hang El Wire (neon blinking wire lights from Ebay)
Lava lamps
Put out 90s stuff from Jason’s closet (he has a collection)
Display beanbag
Utilize colored pillow from office
PlaySeinfeld on Living Room TV on mute
Play 90s songs from SM’s iPhone playlist (Make sure you include the Macarena for a dance off!)
Play Clarissa Explains it All shows on Jason’s desktop computer
Play 90s Commercials on Jason’s laptop in kitchen (I made a playlist on Youtube)
Decorate kitchen with neon table cloth, utensils, plates, cups, power rangers plates, napkins, etc
Display Beanie babies, Trolls, Old cell phones, Friendship Bracelets
Display 90s trivia book
Create little signs for each item
Put out paper fortune teller supplies (paper, colored pencils, directions)
Play slideshow from Jason’s childhood on my laptop
Arrange game stations (Twister, Operation, Nintendo, Mortal Combat, Fortune Tellers, Clothespin Game, Costume Contest)
Total Cost: $80 ( I shopped at Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Kroger for food and decor)
I was especially proud of my Party Favors (which I put in clear plastic blue bags from Dollar General):
Slap Bracelets
Ring pops
Hair scrunchies
Cassette tapes
Stick-on Earrings
Gushers
Poprocks
Airheads
Jolly ranchers
Bubble Gum
Pixie Sticks
Total Cost: $30
Here’s what my Menu looked like:
Stuffed Crust Pizza from Pizza Hut (5 of them)
Three foot long sub (hoagie!) from Subway
Cupcakes with 90s toppers (I ordered mine from Etsy. They were fondant Nintendo Game Controllers and Cassette Tapes)
Crackers with spray cheese
Kool Aid Jammers and Capri Sun
Guts Jello shots
Candy sushi (Swedish fish, fruit by the foot, small marshmallows, rice crispy treats, nerds or sprinkles, white frosting with green food coloring)
Kraft Mac and Cheese
Snapple, Hawaiian Punch, Orange Soda and Mondo
Rice Cakes
Bagel Bites
Lunchables
Dunkaroos (I never could find these 🙁 )
Hot pockets
Total Cost: $200 (I went a little nuts)
My costume I got from Goodwill for $15. I went as Alex Mack in overalls, a D.A.R.E. plain white t-shirt, a backwards denim hat, bright orange shoes, and completed the look with a Power Rangers pin and pink flower pin. It was great!! Total time to prepare the house on the day of the party was 8 hours, and time to put it all away was 2.5 hours. I went a little over the top though, and actually took down all of my normal decor and put it away in another room. It was like a freakin’ 90s museum in here! We had an awesome time though and everything was perfect! Jason had about 25 guests come, and since I have a little house, the place was packed! Our costume contest winner was Nina, who went as Lisa Turtle from Saved By The Bell. It was awesome!
Special thanks to my best friends Erin and Felicia for helping me set everything up and cook on the day of the party! It would have been sooooo much harder without them! I’m so blessed to have friends that will help me clean and decorate all day long.
So, it was a success! I highly recommend you try it. I knew it would work out though, because my paper fortune teller said so…