Today I’d like to share a bunch of DIY Pokemon Birthday Party ideas I made for Henry’s 7th birthday party…one of my favorite party themes we’ve ever done (you can see all my parties here!) As much as I love making birthday party decorations with my Cricut, I initially found the Pokemon theme a bit overwhelming. All the different Pokemon (and there are a lot of them!) are quite detailed, and I wasn’t up for recreating each of Henry’s favorite characters. So I decided to focus on the most famous Pokemon of all, Pikachu and the iconic Pokeball. This provided a simple yet super effective party scheme that was brought to life via eye-popping decorations, party crafts, and fun favors! Let me show you how it all came together!

DIY Pikachu Goodie Bags

Pokémon Themed Birthday Party

DIY Pokemon Birthday Party Decor

DIY Pokemon Birthday Party Decor

Party Concept

When I first started conceptualizing a Pokémon party, I was really overwhelmed by all the various colors, shapes, and patterns found on the thousands of Pokemon from the popular video games and tv show. But once I found this simple Pikachu face SVG cut file and this Pokeball file on Etsy, I realized I could just focus the party around the most iconic Pokemon of all: Pikachu and his Pokeball!

NOTE: The exact Pikachu SVG files I used in my party projects appear no longer available. Here are some other versions that can work:

Party Color Scheme

By embracing the yellow and black of Pikachu, I was off and running with a color scheme, but it was feeling a little boring to me. But once I added in the red and white of the Pokeball, I instantly had a fun, festive, cohesive vision that not only looked amazing but was also simple to pull together!

Pokemon Birthday Party Decorations

Our venue (the local gymnastics place) wasn’t exactly photogenic, but I hope these pictures help you visualize how the party came together.

I started with yellow and red tablecloths and contrasting table runners with black-and-white stripes. At each chid’s place, we put a yellow and white chevron napkin, red paper treat cup filled with popcorn, small bottle of water, and Pikachu goodie bag. Down the center of the table were adorable Pickachu-themed bucket centerpieces (details below), and a simple birthday banner decorated the nearby window.

DIY Pokemon Birthday Party Decor

DIY Pokemon Birthday Party Decor DIY Pokemon Birthday Party Decor

Pikachu Table Centerpieces

For every party theme I pull together, I always make quick and inexpensive table centerpieces to match. I’ve done this so many times, I now have a party table centerpiece “formula”, which helped these Pikachu centerpieces come together quite easily!

DIY Pikachu Party Centerpieces

Pikachu’s Face. Start with yellow plastic buckets (can also be found at Party City) and remove the handles. Then cut out Pikachu’s face from red, black, and white vinyl and adhere them to the front and back of the buckets. (If you need help working with vinyl, see this vinyl post for my best tips.)

DIY Pikachu Party Centerpieces

Pikachu Ears. Pikachu’s ears are almost as iconic as the Pokemon himself. Instead of using vinyl along the side of the bucket, cut the ears from cardstock (double-sided) and secure them to the top sides of the buckets with hot glue.

DIY Pikachu Party Centerpieces

Bucket Fillers. Because I knew kids would be seeing the centerpieces from both sides of the table, I put the vinyl faces on both sides of the buckets. But I didn’t want to overlook the tail, so I added it as a vertical bucket filler.

To do this, cut Pikachu’s tail from cardstock (also double-sided) and secure it to a wooden kabob skewer with more hot glue. Stick the tail into a small square of styrofoam in the base of the bucket, along with a bunch of numbers (we used 7s) in different colors and fonts. Yellow tissue paper can be bunched up and tucked in to add a bit more bulk and complete the display.

DIY Pikachu Party Centerpieces

Pokemon Balloons. The Pikachu centerpieces were placed down the center of the table, and then these oversized Pokemon balloons were tied to each one (as well as throughout the room). Although I really focused in on Pikachu for the theme, these big balloons were a really easy way to add in other favorite Pokemon (e.g., Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur) to the party-scape!

DIY Pokemon Birthday Party Decor

Pokemon Party Favors & Crafts

Pikachu Goodie Bags

At each child’s spot, we put a DIY Pikachu goodie bag. I DIY’d these too by applying the same vinyl designs to small yellow gift bags. This time, I placed vinyl faces and ears on the front of the bags, and the back and tail images on the other side.

DIY Pikachu Goodie Bags

DIY Pikachu Goodie Bags

I think these little bags were my favorite craft from the whole party, and the kids couldn’t wait to fill them up and take them home!

DIY Pikachu Goodie Bags

Speaking of filling up their Pikachu goodie bags, we made the kids work for their party favors! Although we did the party at a gymnastics studio, there was still about 45 minutes of time to fill with snacks, cake, and crafts. I wasn’t exactly sure what a bunch of 7-year-old kids would want to do right after jumping around a gym for an hour, but these two projects were a HUGE hit!

Jelly Bean Pokeballs

This craft couldn’t be easier. I gave each child a tiny sealable clear bag. We then told them to put 20 white jelly beans into the bag first, followed by 20 red jelly beans. (You could also use m&ms for the same effect.) As they filled their bags, we gave each child a stretch of black washi tape and a circle dot to put around the middle. This candy craft was perfect for tired kids, and we had enough supplies for them to make a few “Pokeballs” each to take home.

TIP! Pokeballs now come in all sorts of colors. So you can expand this craft and have kids use different-colored jelly beans to make whatever Pokeball combination they want!

Pokeball Candy Bag made with jelly beans

DIY Candy Pokeball Activity

Make-Your-Own Pokéballs

The other favor/craft was to create their own Pokéballs using mini plastic Pokemon and these vending machine balls. I didn’t snap any pictures because the kiddos took them all home. But essentially, we let party guests pick the Pokemon they wanted and then they assembled them into their own little Pokéballs using the little capsules!

DIY Pokeball Activity

Pokéball Themed Dessert

I prefer to serve cupcakes for kids’ parties because they are single serving and don’t require plates or utensils. And by dressing them up, you can easily match cupcakes to any theme!

Pokeball cupcakes

To make these Pokeball Cupcakes, I highly recommend ordering cupcakes from your local grocery store because it can be really difficult to get true red icing. Once the cupcakes are iced though, you can transform them into pokeballs with a simple paper wrapper. See exactly how to make these Pokeball Cupcakes Wrappers here.

Red cupcakes with pokeball paper wrappers

Pokeball cupcakes

If you don’t want to go the cupcake route, here are some other easy Pokeball dessert ideas you can try:

pokeball cupcakes

Pokemon Party Supplies

Getting ready to have a Pokémon birthday party? Here are some great decorations, supplies, and products to bring these ideas to life!Collage of Pokemon Birthday Party Ideas & Products

 

Vending Machine Balls | Mini Pokemon Figurines | Pokeball Stress Balls | Pokemon Stickers | Pikachu Gift Bags | Pokeball Gift Bags | Pokeball Gift Boxes | Yellow Gift Bags

Red, Yellow & Black Balloon Arch | Pokeball Party Backdrop | Pokeball Pinata | Black & White Table Runners | Pokemon Balloon Pack | Yellow Plastic Buckets | Pokeball Snack Buckets | Yellow Chevron Napkins | Red Treat Cups | Black Treat Cups

Red & White M&Ms | Red Jelly Beans | White Jelly Beans | Pokeball Cake Pops | Lightning Bolt Cookie Cutter

DIY Pokemon Birthday Party Decor

Focusing in on Pikachu and narrowing the colors down to a bold combinations of yellow, red, black, and white turned out to be such a winning display! These Pokemon birthday party projects came together in a snap, and when all pulled together with some party finds, this turned out to be one of my favorite party displays ever. If you have a Pokemon lover in your house too, I hope this post gives you some fun DIY Pokemon birthday party ideas to try! After all…you gotta catch ’em all!

See You Soon!
Megan