Dr. Seuss parties are always a classic, but the story behind this Vibrant & Fun Dr. Seuss Inspired Lorax Birthday Party allows for such a sweet botanical twist! I gotta say, I’m feeling super inspired by the classic, whimsical Seuss vibe combined with a new bunch of characters & those fluffy Truffula trees! Jen Carver of Banner Events always does a fantastic job creating amazing parties for her kids, and this is colorful adventure is no exception! And the whole thing was eco-friendly to boot (as a nod to the green theme of the story) — that’s a win in my book!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Amazingly detailed Lorax cake with Truffula trees + striped Truffula tree trunk chocolate covered Pretzels
• Colorful tablescape with faux grass placemats, truffula tree centerpieces + mini shovels & watering cans
• ‘Sweet Tree-ts’ table with feather Truffula trees, picket fenced chocolate bars & terracotta potted cupcakes
• Barba-Loot favor bags with candy Truffula seeds, Lorax cake pops & Humming Fish goldfish crackers
• Lorax mustache photo props, a Lorax puzzle & matching game + flower planting activity

PARTY DETAILS as told by Jen…

Inspiration

If your thoughts have been consumed with truffula trees, recycling, planting seeds and saving the earth, chances are you have a son or a daughter like mine that cares a “whole awful lot” about Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. My son Max has been telling us for an entire year that he wanted a Lorax birthday party to celebrate turning 4. When your child builds Lego truffula trees every day, pretends to “chop” them down, and claims he can “speak for the trees,” it’s impossible to turn down such a fantastic party theme and disappoint an even cuter kid. I must admit, the excitement around planning such a vibrant, whimsical & fun theme did help his cause! I was absolutely thrilled to work with Kara from Lillian Hope Designs, who did a phenomenal job executing my vision for a colorful custom invitation and printable décor suite. Andrea of Paper + Pop did a beautiful job professionally printing and cutting each item. Get ready to save the trees with us on our birthday adventure, beautifully captured by Karina Rigtrup of A Fresh Take Photography.

Taking inspiration from the colorful pages of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale, I designed the party space in bright hues of orange, lime green, hot pink, purple, & yellow with a hint of black. Because the truffula trees are a key element in the story, I wanted them to be a prominent design element. You will see them throughout the printable décor, backdrop posters and invitation. They even make an appearance as 3-D DIY décor items used as tabletop centerpieces. I wanted guests to feel immersed in the magic of the story. Many garden and earth friendly props were used to bring in the “green” theme from the book. You’ll notice watering cans, shovels, terra cotta pots and small picket fence accents along with faux grass and eco-friendly utensils.

Printables

Excitement for the event was created with the adorable invitations written in Seussical inspired prose letting friends know they “could not, would not want to miss, a birthday party such as this!” Custom address labels and truffula tree shaped return address labels made the invitations so whimsical and a delight to pass out.

Upon their arrival, guests left the outside world behind as they stepped into a magical world full of colorfully whimsical details. Outfitted in custom shirts by Stitch This, party guests were now dressed to “speak for the trees.” They loved using our Lorax inspired “staches” as fun photo props.

Dessert Table

A colorful sweet “tree-ts” table was designed using a backdrop of colorful fabric, ripped fabric bunting and a large Lorax inspired poster declaring to the world that “Max is 4.” Flanking each side of the sign were lifelike truffula trees that I made in a manner of minutes, using Styrofoam balls, marabou feather boas, wooden dowels and electric tape. I love the whimsy they added to the table and the obvious connection to the Lorax’s world.

Enticing desserts with clever names were beautifully displayed on the table. The focal point of the whole table of course was the phenomenal 2-tier Lorax inspired cake by our go-to cake designer, Christina of 4 Kids Cakes. We love Christina’s cakes because they are even more delicious than they are beautiful. I probably refer a new client her way weekly, if not more often than that. Several fun offerings from Sugar Wood were also crowd favorites. There were bright cream-filled homemade Oreo stacks housed in glass cloches. Tin planters displayed truffula inspired marshmallow and rice krispie pops in vibrant colors to coordinate with the party. Notice the striped rugby straws from The Pretty Party Shoppe used to imitate the look of the truffula trunks! Don’t miss the unbelievable cake pops by Autumn Lynn’s Chocolate Sins nestled in the tin planters. Don’t they look just like the Lorax and BarBaLoot characters from the movie? Autumn also contributed delicious chocolate covered pretzels which we served up as “truffula trunks.” Gorgeous cookies from Sweet Stacys rested on a bed of Sixlets (until guests saw them of course, at which time, they became a much sought after treat). Terra cotta pots worked perfectly for serving up cupcakes customized with a variety of impressive fondant toppers by Fancy Cakes. We also included a few of my son’s personal favorites— chocolate bars with customized wrappers & caramel corn displayed in festive striped popcorn boxes from Oriental Trading Company, dressed up with printable party labels. We loved displaying all of these sweet “tree-ts” on a wonderful tablecloth from Candy Crush Events, spruced up with an eye-catching printable name banner.

Kids’ Tablescape

The dining table was one of my favorite party spaces to style. Using layered fabrics in the party colors, I created the foundation for a fun eating atmosphere. My favorite detail had to be the truffula tree centerpiece created from more of the rugby striped straws from The Pretty Party Shoppe and some Marabou feather puffs my son actually spotted at Michaels. Sometimes simple ideas are the most effective. We added some faux grass to a square tin planter box to finish the look. Bright yellow watering cans from Target were filled with tall faux grass. Because we loved the look of the faux grass, we added mats of it to each place setting. Plates in different shades and patterns (Oriental Trading Company) were layered for added whimsy. Striped paper sacks housed polka dotted napkins and a garden shovel for planting. Farm stand milk bottles with custom “Once-ler Water” wrappers provided a fun beverage option for guests. Don’t you just love the truffula tree inspired straws? Each place setting was topped off with a mini orange striped gable box containing bubble favors for each child.

Activities

With a group of mostly 4 year-olds, we wanted to keep activities simple, fun and short.  Lillian Hope Designs created two printable games for me that were perfect! First, the kids put on their thinking hats and played a truffula tree matching game. The children loved looking for matching hues of their favorite trees. Next, they put together oversized “Save the Trees” floor puzzles. Using colorful pom poms that resembled the tops of truffula trees, we played our own variation of “button, button, who’s got the button?” Finally, guests stopped at our potting station.  Super cute silly face flower craft kits from Oriental Trading Company were on hand for each child to pot their favorite plant and decorate. Guests watched The Lorax movie while waiting for their parents to pick them up, which of course they loved!

Party Favors

Before leaving, guests also made a stop at our favor table to pick up their Bar-ba-LOOT bags. These were a great Dollar Tree find that we customized with printable thank you tags and labels from the collection by Lillian Hope Designs. There were more darling cake pops by Autumn Lynn’s Chocolate Sins, as well as colorful pails of “Humming Fish,” packets of “truffula seeds” in tin pails and even cupcakes for the road. All of these looked so cute with printable wrappers, tags and embellishments.