I received the following question from a reader recently:

Q: “I would like to see a jungle theme party on your site unless you already have one that I couldn’t find. I’m throwing a jungle themed baby shower for my sister in June and I came to your site first to look for one. I didn’t see one so I thought I would make the suggestion.”

A: My initial thought was to direct Linda to the Wild Thing Baby Shower Theme that I created for Parents.com a while back, but since it’s been over a year since that piece was first published, I thought it would be fun to update and expand on it a bit today…

Sooo… here’s a brand new inspiration board for a “Chic & Stylish” Jungle Themed Baby Shower (kind of a more “grown up” take on this popular baby shower theme!).

STARTING FROM THE TOP:

• Table Centerpieces: feature “jungle-y” leaves and greenery in vases with a woodgrain texture and surround them with toy animal figurines.

• Banana Bunches also make for great, inexpensive centerpieces! Hang them from banana holders, like this Chrome Banana Holder Tree ($8.99 at Amazon), or display them in contemporary white bowls or glass cylinder vases.

• Opt for jungle-inspired tableware, like cool Animal Print Plates & Napkins and Banana Leaf Table Runners.

• Drinks: The bright green & yellow hues of Izze’s Sparkling Apple and Clementine flavors work great with this theme, as well as the deep brown accents on Dry Soda’s Madagascar Vanilla bottles.

• Set out some color-coordinating treats for guests to munch on, like these gorgeous macarons by Paulette, in Sicilian Pistachio, Caramel, and Madagascar Vanilla.

(Another idea: add banana chips and green/yellow/brown m&ms to Sweet & Salty Honey Nut Chex Mix or another favorite party mix…super easy, AND this could actually double as filler for your party favors!)

• Plush Toy Animals make for great accent decor (or centperpieces) that double as gifts for baby after the shower. To keep the look on the “chic” side, shop for cute, yet contemporary designs – like this adorable, knitted “Simon the South African Lion” from Etsy seller Mama4earth or Cloud B’s Gentle Giraffe Plush Sound Machine (pictured below).

• Use inexpensive toy animal figurines to dress up place settings. (The figurines pictured above are only .29 cents each and drop to .20 cents each when you order more than 11 pieces!) Embellish folded napkins with a band of ribbon and a figurine, or utilize them as place card holders.

• Animal Print Boxes ($3/set of 12 at Oriental Trading Company) make for great theme-oriented party favor packaging.

• Add a festive vibe with fun Safari Print Paper Lanterns! Just hang them with fishing wire or ribbon – no electricity/light bulbs required, especially for daytime parties! ($12.99/set of 3 at World Market)

Last but not least, why not break from the typical baby shower cake and try serving up (or even incorporating) a unique dessert option, like one of these banana-themed treats:

• Grilled Bananas Foster
• Bread Pudding with Chocolate Chunks and Bananas
• Banana Cream Pie
• Caramelized Banana Tart
• Banana Pecan Biscotti Spiked with Cinnamon and Cardamom

Hope that helps, Linda! Now I kind of want an excuse to create and shoot this theme myself! =)

P.S. There are SO many different directions you could go with a theme like this, so if anyone has additional ideas, inspiration boards, or suggestions, please feel free to post a comment and share them below!