Hosting a Great Spongebob Birthday Party

Decorations

Think yellow! Stores have napkins, plates and streamers displaying characters and scenes, but the kids can create their own. Drape yellow paper over a table, and gather stamps or stickers of Patrick, treasure chests or sea critters. Alternatively, turn the party room into the bottom of the sea with blue walls and a guest-generated mural.

Games

Staging homemade games is fun for the birthday child. Pin the clarinet on Squidward. Toss the gold coins into the Chum Buckets. Capture the Recipe (Flag). Hunt for Sandy's acorns and nuts (walnuts are a good size) or treasures like jewels, Mardi Gras necklaces and gold. Stage a relay race: On go, the contestant dons large brown shorts, a white button-up shirt and a tie. The hand off means undressing and handing the outfit to a waiting teammate and so on.

Don't forget sponges. Cut and draw on them with Sharpies. Wet them to toss at a target like a chalked portrait of Plankton or a barrel of water.

Activities

Kids can create SpongeBob crafts as take-home items. Paint a domed rock or Styrofoam shape of Patrick's home. Decorate a small goldfish bowl with glass markers, paints or window art. (The live fish can be the party favor!) Cut sea stars from paper plates, crease the points to tent them and decorate with glue and sequins or beads.

Food

Crabby Patties, of course! Hamburgers and pineapple kabobs would suffice. For more adventurous palettes, a platter of seafood treats like shrimp, real crab cakes and tuna salad match the theme. Lemonade and ocean punch complement these foods nicely. Lastly, yellow cake or cupcakes embellished with a famous face in outline.