Fanciful Eloise of The Plaza

Every little girl loves to read Kay Thompson’s Eloise series of books. You know, the little girl who lives at The Plaza Hotel in NYC with her Nanny, her little dog, Weenie, and pet turtle, Skipperdee. All day long she runs around the infamous hotel attending weddings, spying on debutantes, and living it up! She always has so much to do. If this is a favorite book for your kid, you may want to consider letting her be “Eloise” for a perfect birthday afternoon with her friends. This is especially appropriate if she is turning 6 year olds, as that is the exact age of Miss Eloise!

Here are some ideas to pull the theme together in typical Eloise style:

1. Send invitations on bright pink cardstock with a picture of Eloise on the front inviting them to “Tea at the Plaza.” If using a printer, use a fun, scribbly font. Ask the guests to come dressed in black and white.
2. Eloise’s motto is “Think Pink” so pink and pearly white balloons, streamers, table ware, confetti, and candies would be especially appropriate for decorations. Have plastic tea cups available for the tea and place write the party guests’ names on each one in bright pink for a place cards.
3. Since Eloise lives at The Plaza Hotel, mock up a mini plaza hotel, using a large appliance box and painted to look like a hotel. Place twinkly lights around the box and place a sign on the box that says, “Welcome to The Plaza Hotel.”
4. Make a sign at the party entrance “Eloise at the Plaza” in scribble script.
5. When the kids arrive, provide them with accessories to further dress up for their tea, including pink sunglasses, boas, and tiaras. Take a picture of each party guest with the birthday kid to send with the thank you notes after the party.
6. Play “Hot Skipperdee” like “Hot Potato.”
7. Have a Turtle Race.
8. Blow up bright pink balloons with small trinkets inside that the kids can pop and find in typical Eloise fashion.
9. Play “Pin the Tail on Weenie.”
10. Sing the Eloise Song together.
11. Blow bright pink bubbles, add red food coloring to the bubble mixture for the colored bubbled.
12. For the menu, serve pink foods! Strawberry and cream cheese sandwiches, strawberries, raspberries, melons, pink lemonade, pink sugar cookies, pink ice cream, pink Jell-O jigglers.
13. For the cake, an easy thing is to serve up vanilla cupcakes with bright pink frosting and pink candies atop.
14. For the favor bags, send home the sunglasses, tiaras, and boas with pink bubble bath in bright pink party bags with pink tissue inside and the name written in black on each bag.

Eloise is a special little girl living the life of leisure…bring the fun alive for your own kid and her friends!