We’re Bananas for Monkey {Monkey Party}

My daughter loves her stuffed monkey and last summer after watching me plan and host a ton of parties for other people she insisted we celebrate her monkey’s birthday.  She already had ideas and plans for how we would celebrate, so I obliged and we had a party for Monkey.  Fast forward a year later and she kept reminding me that Monkey’s birthday was in the summer and we needed to have a party for her.

What’s a party planning mom to do?  I love my daughter’s zest for life and adore the fact that she was so passionate about celebrating her beloved Monkey.  This year I decided to let our friends in on the fun and together with my daughter we planned a special play date for Monkey’s birthday celebration.

I love Piggy Bank Parties monkey collection and asked them to customize the package to incorporate my daughter’s color request for a pink party.  I customized the invitation and sent them out to our friends.  We asked everyone to bring their favorite stuffed animal or doll to join in on all the party fun.

I believe in making everyday moments special and this play date was no exception.  I wanted this party to be fun and memorable for the kids, but I didn’t want to spend more than $25 so I decided to incorporate things I already owned.  I moved a small bookcase from our hallway to the living room and set-up the party area.  I used my pink and yellow fabric banner from our Lemonade Stand Party to create the backdrop.  I found yellow polka dot balloons in my stash and had them blown up and added a pink balloon as well to anchor the display area.  The treats were simple.  We had small sugar cookies, Banana Push-up Pops (get the recipe here), fruit kabobs, Monkey Munchies (popcorn with pretzels & M&Ms) and pink lemonade. I filled in the display with bananas, decorative glass bottles for drinks and leftover candy from our lemonade party.

I spread out a pink quilt on the living room floor for our picnic.  The kids took turns introducing their special guest they brought with them while the moms helped serve yummy treats to everyone.

My daughter wanted to make sure we had party games and requested we play “pin the tail” on the monkey.  Unfortunately I ran out of time and didn’t get one made so we played “Jumpy Monkey” (Hot Potato) instead.  I printed off monkey coloring sheets so when the kids were out of the game they could move to the art area and color their picture.  As they finished their pictures we hung them up in the Art Gallery and had a judging contest for prizes.  I also had a mini photo booth with a pink frame the kids could take pictures with their stuffed animals in.

Everyone went home with a banana shaped favor box from Piggy Bank Parties (one of my favorite details about this party!)  I filled them with candy and monkey tattoos.

We had such a fun time playing with our friends and everyone thought it was super fun to be celebrating a birthday…even if it was for a stuffed Monkey!

Here is how I kept this party under budget:
– Food (cookies, lemonade, fruit & ingredients for Banana Push-Up Pops) – $15
– Decorations (Balloons) – $3
– Favors (monkey tattoos) – $2
Total Spent – $20

*I had everything else in my party closet including the decorations, plates, napkins, cups and prizes for games.