Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Party Guide: “Totally Doable, Dude!”

Themed birthday parties can seem quite intimidating. Especially if the celebrant’s choice is one as hugely popular as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! To help ease your party planning jitters, then, we’ve pulled together in this one post some truly fun and practical ideas for bringing those ‘heroes in a half-shell’ to life—via decorations, food and drinks, activities, and favors from amazingly creative party sites and sources. All together now, “Cowabunga!”

TMNT Decorations to DIY or Buy

Helpful hint: Don’t feel you have to make the party 100% authentic TMNT.

Many times, the neatest decorations just use iconic elements or colors from a well-known theme, and everyone gets it! Like the turtle-green color that’s everywhere in these idea-images, the bandana-style eye masks that adorn practically everything, and the references to pizza!

See how this was done in:

1. these colorful pizza box place settings via Dimple Prints
2. cool customized invitations from etsy shop Sincerely Kristyne
3. masked green balloons via Sugar Tot Designs
4. a DIY pull-string piñata with a tutorial from One Creative Housewife
5. a handmade tissue paper tassel garland from Coffee, Crafts & Cupcakes

Party Fare for Little Half-shell Heroes

Helpful hint: Green edibles and drinkables are your best bet. Plus of course pizza!

Just because these mutant turtles live in the sewers and love slime and dirt doesn’t mean you can’t slip in some healthy treats and cutesy sweets. Add those eye-masks again and they’re all cool!

Check out these goodies and drinks ideas we found:

1. easy TMNT pizzas from a Betty Crocker recipe (clever pepperoni and black-olive garnishing!)
2. TMNT apple and sandwich served in a bento box via Bento Lunch
3. green jello gelatin with gummy worms, via Sugar Tot Designs
4. guacamole dip (love the masked bowl!) and chips from Get Creative Juice
5. juice or water bottles decorated with printable labels from Crazy Little Projects

Sweet Treats Can be “Awesome” Too!

Helpful hint: Again, go with green and remember those masks. That way, even the toughest TMNT fans will gobble up the sweet stuff!

Your party treats can range from cakes, cupcakes, and cookies that actually bear likenesses of the four turtle heroes. Or are simply decorated in their colors or trimmed with their masks. But you can also go for ‘sewer-inspired’ concoctions with unappetizing names—but taste awesome, of course!

Click on the links to make these simple and clever treats too:

1. mini TMNT cake with toppers cut from homemade marshmallow fondant, by Rose Bakes
2. TMNT cupcakes with sugar sheets for the mask and ready-made candy eyes, from Snap Guide
3. chocolate pudding ‘sewer dirt’ from One Creative Housewife (no recipe, but you can create your own!)
4. ‘pizza’ cookies with all the toppings, from Cakes.com

Turtle-worthy Party Activities and Games

Helpful hint: Plan ways to channel all that ‘mutant energy’— from active to crafty to suit different ages and interests.

Just a little web surfing will yield loads of iconic TMNT items and symbols that you can work into party games and projects. Think weapons, fave foods, even famous turtle quips and quotes!

Look what others have thought up:

1. Make your own nun-chuks, from Super Mommy
2. Decorate your own Ninja Turtle cakes, via Pinterest
3. Ninja Knockout game, from Craving Some Creativity
4. Pizza magnets party craft, from One Artsy Momma
5. Invite a karate instructor to teach the kids some Ninja Turtle moves, from Super Mommy

‘Cowabunga’ Party Favor Packaging!

Helpful hint: You can’t go wrong with favor packaging that includes pizza, eye-masks, turtle shells, and of course bright, festive green!

Even the simplest take-home goodies or tokens can take on the TMNT look with creative packaging. From printable labels and bag toppers, to decorated paper bags and themed candy treats.

Great ideas here, for you to craft your own:

1. Pizza boxes with customized labels, by Jennifer Haas shared via Pinterest
2. Printable bag toppers for pear jelly beans, from Wants and Wishes Design
3. DIY goodie bags, by Super Mommy
4. Candy kabobs made with fruit roll-ups in mini buckets, from Get Creative Juice

Feel all revved up for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party now? Thanks to all these crafty ideas and cool sources, it’s “totally doable, Dude!”