I’m so excited to share this super cute and colorful Rainbow Safari First Birthday with you! I designed this theme for Fisher-Price, and it includes free party printables and LOTS of creative projects and tutorials.

The Modern Safari Theme

I’m a huge fan of cute animals in any party theme. However, I struggled at first with merging the “safari” portion of the theme—typically very rustic and earth-toned—with the vibrant and modern look of the Fisher-Price toys. It all came together in the end, though, and I hope you enjoy this look, too!

Read on for some of my favorite details from everything EXCEPT the dessert table. (Check out the dessert table in a separate post here!)

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• “Elephant head” drink dispenser inspired by the FP Elephant Clicker Pal Toy
• “Jungle Juice” & “Safari Sips” drinks + birch straws with paper leaves
• Homemade smash cake with giraffe toy + DIY Palm Tree topper
• Kid chairs embellished with printable animal ears (Lion, Giraffe, Zebra) inspired by the toys
• Rainbow jungle vines made from colorful tissue fringe garlands + paper leaves
• Rainbow Blocks Palm Tree Centerpiece made from toy stacking blocks + paper leaves

A simple “jungle vine” made from twine + folded paper leaves was all the high chair needed! My DIY printable party hat (which you can also download for free) is pictured above. :)

I use Ikea Tolsby frames a lot for party signage, and since they come in both red and white I just swapped the pieces to create “color blocked” versions for some of the 4×6 signs.

Here’s a peek at the Elephant Drink Dispenser… I was thrilled to find this blue acrylic dispenser at Party City, then added som paper ears, eyes, and a trunk! Check out the full DIY tutorial here.

How cute is this little Lion Clicker Pal?! If you look closely below, you’ll find a nod to his ears and mane on one of the chair designs. ;)

This was officially the first time I ever rented a Zebra Table Cloth. Not sure why I waited so long – it was fabulous! ;) The plastic plates are from Party City and added a nice, colorful contrast to the black and white base.

Download the Jungle Juice and Safari Sips drink wraps right here.

Pictured above: a closer look at the adorable elephant toy I mentioned before that inspired the drink dispenser… and one of the kids chair designs!

Here’s the Rainbow Blocks Palm Tree Centerpiece that I also mentioned earlier. Pretty fun for a first birthday, right?! Just glue the blocks together and tape/glue dot paper leaves on top. I also elevated it in a foam-filled vase to add height (and covered the styrofoam with sand).

For some reason I just can’t seem to every resist adding sparkle. So, in addition to featuring all the colors of the rainbow, this safari also has a dash of gold glitter in a few key spots!

Giraffes are my favorite animal, so I was particularly fond of the musical giraffe toy pictured above, and couldn’t resist bringing giraffes in elsewhere, too!

How cute is our little birthday boy, Mason?! He dug right on into our smash cake, which was awesome and so fun to watch. I mean, the messier the better when it comes to smash cakes, right?!

Rainbow Jungle Vines instantly transformed the room and are SO easy to make. I ordered a bunch of different fringe garland colors from TomKat studio, then we strung them across the doors in my living room and added a few paper leaves. This idea would make an awesome photo booth backdrop too!

Wood forks got a vibrant makeover with the help of colored duct tape.

Colorful mini binoculars and rainbow safari hats doubled as party activities AND party favors. For older kids, you can create a little scavenger hunt to go along with their gear. ;)

Heads up on the safari hats – I love how they look painted all different colors here, but they were quite the pain to paint in all honestly, so make sure you’re armed with patience and lots of paint before committing to this task. The darker colors looked okay just a couple of coats, but the lighter colors required closer to 4. :0

We also had a play area set up with toys for the littlest guest to just have fun with as they please. These types of areas are as much a life saver for the parents as they are for the kids!

Last but not least, pictured above is a sneak peek of my Rainbow Safari Wall Tree, which was the backdrop of the dessert table and definitely one of my favorite things from this theme… In fact, I left it up on the wall until it absolutely needed to come down to make room for another project. Find the DIY Tutorial here – and visit Part 2 (coming soon!) for a closer look.