10398

Secret Agent Mall -10yr- Reverse Invite use Mirror

February 2005

Wendy in Beaver Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada

Honorable Mention

Hi! I am always inspired by the great ideas posted on this      site. I generally come up with a theme or idea, read some     of the same ideas from this site and then expand from there.     Last year had to be one of the most fun birthday parties I      have had. My daughter was turning ten, and every year we      have had a lot of fun planning her birthday parties, but I     wanted her tenth one to be really special. We decided to go     with a "Secret Agent" theme. Once the theme was established,     everything just started falling into place. We needed a      mystery to solve, and since my daughter had originally wanted     a mall party I decided to combine the two ideas.

About two weeks     before the party I took her out to a shopping mall and had her      pick out her favorite shops. In each shop I had her pick out      some items that she would love to receive as a gift. Each item      had to cost less than $20. I wrote these items down and which     shop they were found in. As a bonus the movie "Secret Agent      Cody Banks 2" was just coming out in the theater, and so my      plans just kept getting better! I called the theater and booked     our party.

Then I made the invitations using plain file folders with Kim Possible across the front of them and TOP SECRET stamped     across this. On the top I placed a white sticker with each "agents"     name typed on it and the words "shopping mall fiasco". Inside each     folder I had written up the invitations as instructions for each     of the agents to attend a meeting regarding operation birthday     present, where we were to meet, the time, date, what to bring,     what their mission would be should they choose to accept, their     secret agent identification badges, and a clip on secret agent     spy glass case complete with a set of black sunglasses. Each agent     was asked to dress in all black clothing.

The invitations were     printed in reversed lettering which I did myself on my printer. They     had to use a mirror to read them. I didn't have to ask anybody to     help me because parent's were calling me and asking me if they could     come because it looked like so much fun. Some of the girls met me     after school (as I am a teacher) and some went to the mall with their     parents. Once at the mall I gave each parent a clipboard with a set     of clues on it and a group of girls to take on a mall hunt. They had     been told in advance not to bring a present because they would be     hunting for the right present for her in the mall. Each of the clues     led them to the different shops that my daughter had previously chosen     items that she liked in. Then there were clues as to what she liked.    

They had a half hour to find all of the stores and items that she     liked, then they had a half hour to buy her a present. She never got     to see what they bought. I also included some money in their secret     agent spy case for them to purchase something for themselves. This     was their loot bag. While everyone was shopping I called the theater     to double check on things only to find out that they had lost our     reservation and were not prepared to cater to us, this meant our cake     and everything! I hastily called another theater who were playing the     same movie and who offered to take us all on at half the cost but we     had to supply the cake. I called Wendy's who immediately went into     action and prepared things really quickly for us and very cheaply.    

I grabbed a cake on my way past a grocery store, we ate at Wendy's,     the girls gave her the treasures that they had boughten for her        themselves (huge hit!)and then we motored on to the movie. They were     great at this theater! They were very sympathetic to our needs and     everyone catered to us to make this night special since it was almost     prematurely ended.     The kids had so much fun and then they came back to our house for a     sleepover and to share what they had each boughten for themselves. They     especially like being able to shop for their own presents for the      birthday girl and then to shop for themselves.

The parent's thought     it was a great idea (less fuss for them) and the customer's and people     who worked in the mall got a big kick out of seeing the groups coming     though the stores in their secret agent garbs, black clothing and     sun glasses. We even had the Men in Black walk down pat. My youngest     girl who was seven had a lot of fun too. She really thought she was on     a spy mission. When everyone went home they were given certificates     that said they had passed their first mission successfully and had been     officially declared secret agents with their names, the date, etc.,     Lots of fun! It cost less than a party at home and less to clean up too!

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