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Isn’t it crazy when things come full circle?

I remember playing the Super Mario Bros.™ game as a kid, and now I’m playing it with my kids! It’s been cool to see our whole family interact with iconic characters that still feel so familiar—like Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad.

The way we play now may be different – (we are loving our Nintendo Switch™ system these days!) – but those good vibes created when you play together still feel the same.

And speaking of beloved game characters and good vibes… what a great place to start for a PARTY THEME. Especially since the Super Mario™ franchise is bursting with bright colors and fun game elements. There are so many creative possibilities!

I’ve got 12 Super Mario party ideas to share with you today that are all DIY-friendly and doable. I’ve separated them into Part 1 and Part 2 posts since there are so many visuals to share!

Super Mario Party Printables

BTW – My Super Mario printable collection is also available – for FREE!    You can even edit the text on the Banner and Tent Cards yourself – using my online customizer. Click here to check them out.

Super Mario Inspired Party Ideas: 1 – 6

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#1. Super Drinks

What’s in a name? Well, some creative thinking for starters… especially when it comes to the party drinks! Red party punch became our Piranha Plant Punch, and a yellow lemonade-based punch was dubbed Star Power Punch.

The simple recipes for both of these drinks are listed below, and you can download the punch labels here. A blank version of the label is also available, in case you want to give your drinks different names!

PIRANHA PLANT PUNCH:
– 1 gallon fruit punch
– 2 liters lemon-lime soda
– 46 oz pineapple juice (1 large can)

Mix all ingredients and serve chilled or over ice.

STAR POWER PUNCH:

• 1 gallon lemonade
• 2 liters ginger ale
• 46 oz pineapple juice (1 large can)

Mix all ingredients and serve chilled or over ice.

#2. Mario’s Candy Cart

The idea I was MOST excited to bring to life for this party was a Mario Kart-inspired candy buffet dubbed “Mario’s Candy Cart”. I love a clever play on words… and any excuse to use candy, of course. ;)

The kids gravitated to this cart pretty much instantly!

All of the candies were named after various game elements – like Banana Peels (banana gummies), Red Shells (cherry sour balls), Gold Coins (chocolate coins), and more.

#3. PLAY-ful Fruits and Veggies

It’s definitely not all about the candy… you can get creative with healthy snacks, too! My youngest daughter usually pretends vegetables are invisible, but even she couldn’t resist the super cute “Fire Flower” Veggie Tray.

And all of the kids loved the mustache fruit cups. To make these, add mustache stickers to small punch cups, fill with fruit, and done!

P.S. For an extra pop of creativity on the fruit cups, you can stick white chocolate chips into the strawberry garnish to make it look like a Piranha Plant!

#4. Luigi’s Power Up Pizza Station

The kids had lots of fun making their pizzas – and I loved that the main meal doubled as another activity to keep them busy! We had 16 kids at this party, so it took some extra thought to keep things from getting chaotic. Here are a few elements that helped:

• using store-bought, refrigerated biscuit dough for the individual pizza crusts
• opting for squeezable pizza sauce (over messier jars or bowls)
• setting up parchment paper “placemats” for each child, pre-set with their dough and a spoon
• writing names on the parchment paper so we could keep track of the pizzas while they baked

#5. Table A – Mario Kart Inspired

This first table design features the characters and game elements front and center! A checkered “racing flag” runner pays homage to the Mario Kart series, and 5″ mini balloons and printable signs add a big burst of color.

The centerpiece is a World of Nintendo character figure made to look like he’s holding balloons. To make the balloon sticks, slip party straws over wood dowels, then tie small balloons to the top. I used small dabs of hot glue to secure the elements in place. (The dry glue peeled right off after the party.)

If you’re setting multiple tables with this theme, switch up the featured characters and colors on each centerpiece to keep the look fresh!

The place settings are clear plastic plates on top of removable Super Mario Wall Decals. This felt like a fun twist on the standard party plate and was commented on a lot by the guests! Colorful napkins in a variety of colors and patterns added visual interest as well.

To decorate the chair backs, I used mustaches from the printable Mario and Luigi masks available at play.nintendo.com and enlarged them to 8” wide.

#6. Table B – Mushroom Kingdom Inspired

For the 2nd party table, I wanted to bring elements of Mushroom Kingdom to life in an “artsy” way.

Metallic gold paper plates represented giant “Coins” – the main currency of Mushroom Kingdom.  Next, I cut clouds from white card stock and used them as a place-setting accent. Here’s my cloud template in printable format or as a shape template for cutting machines. You can also just cut your clouds free-hand, though!

The centerpiece is a DIY take on a “Super Mushroom” flanked by “Warp Pipes with Piranha Plants”. The mushroom is made from an upside-down plastic bowl on top of a short ceramic planter. The bowl was part of an inexpensive set I found recently ($5 for a set of 3). I used two coats of craft paint to add the white circles.

The small “warp pipes” are PVC pipe fittings (available at home improvement stores) spray-painted green and filled with floral foam.

For a subtle (and easy!) nod to Piranha Plants, tie red balloons to green-painted dowels. There are lots of details you can add to make more realistic-looking Piranha Plants, but this is a quick & welcome solution when you’re short on time…or patience!

The chairs of the Mushroom Kingdom table are decorated with pre-cut foam stars, which are available in most big craft stores. I secured them to the chairs with 3D adhesive dots.

Next Up – Part 2

That’s it for Part 1. Click here to go to Part 2 (ideas 7-12) for lots more Super Mario party fun!