7977

Woody's Roundup -3yr- Bullseye Pony Ride

Jan. 2004

Kimmy in Franklin, TN  USA

Special Mention

I recently had a Western Roundup to celebrate my son's 3rd birthday. The theme centered around Woody (Toy Story,) which is one his favorite movie characters.  I strongly encourage the solicitation of friends who have giftings and talents.  It really helped to pull this party off without much of a hitch!  

Invitation.  I used my personal computer to print the invitation on Hallmark invitation cardstock with a rope, cowboy hat, and boot border.  It read as follows:  "Howdy Partner! Saddle up and come on down to Scott's Birthday Roundup.  Scott will soon be turning "3" so hitch up with him and his friend Woody from Toy Story.  We will be boot scootin' in good ole western style - with fun, games, and all the vittles to make it worth ya while". 1 - 3:30 p.m. at Hey Howdy Hey Ranch (my home). All kids were asked to wear denim and Ma Kim (me) would provide the rest.[The font was Playbill, which looks like print from the old west]. 

Decorations.  The party was held inside my garage to save on renting a space somewhere else.  To make it look festive (and hide all the storage items), the entire garage was draped in red and blue vinyl/plastic. The colors were alternated to make the garage look bigger. The vinyl/plastic was purchased in the 300ft. Banquet rolls at the local party store and was quite inexpensive.  I paid $20 for 2 rolls! With some to spare for another event.  The outside of the garage was made to look as if you were entering a tent.  I created a sign out of banner paper and foam letters that read "HEY HOWDY HEY Ranch. I used cording filler (that looks like rope, but only .25 cents per yard) to loop from the banner and around the garage. 

For the entrance of the garage, I hung an old tan colored blanket in the center. On each side side of the blanket, I hung an old white sheet pulled to the side with the cording filler. Since we anticipated 15 - 20 kids, two rectangular tables were set up parallel in the garage and covered with a western theme paper tablecloth.  At the end of the table, I created a balloon arch.  The birthday boy sat under the arch.  I also created an entrance sign with a balloon that read "Howdy Partner, Welcome to Scott's Birthday Roundup! We are glad ya came. 

Element of Surprise.  I had a friend who agreed to be Woody.  Since I wanted Woody to be authentic, his attire needed to be very close to the character.  A trip to the local Wal-Mart solved everything.  I got the hat in the children's toy department ($4),  dark Rustler denim jeans ($9), boots ($25), and fabric for the cowprint vest and yellow checked shirt ($7).  Woody arrived 30 minutes after the party began and created quite a stir. He spent time with the birthday boy under the balloon arch then interacted with the kids the entire time. My son was also had on matching Woody attire with all the trimmings! 

Pony Ride.  Since Woody's sidekick was his pony Bullseye, I rented a pony for 1 hour.  The owner brought the pony and rode each child around the back yard twice and provided a few pictures as part of the package.  The kids had a blast and were so excited to get a ride. 

Games/Activities.  A friend who loves folk music came with her guitar and an instrument (shakers, tambourines, etc.) for every child to play!  They performed a medley of songs with the last being Happy Birthday! Crayons, pencil, markers, and paper were put on each table for the kids to draw a picture of Woody and Bullseye. [We did not get to play "Pin the Tail on the Pony" nor "Cowboy Lasso" (a race game with stick ponies and lassos]. During the pony rides the kids enjoyed some of my son's personal toys set up in the backyard - the jumpolene, tunnel, sandbox, and swing set. 

Food.  The meal consisted of hot dogs, homemade chili & beans, chicken wings, trail mix, chips, popcorn, and punch. 

Cake.  Instead of a regular sheetcake, a friend made a 14" round chocolate cake.  I decorated the cake myself with a small Woody doll and miniature western figures (fences, horses, chuckwagon, teepee, trees).  Favors.  I ordered western hats and bandanas for all the kids online at orientaltrading.com for keepsakes.  In addition, I made goody bags that consisted of a mini tin pail, sheriff's badge, balloons, and candy. 

Pictures/Video.  Since there was so much activity, I hired a friend to take pictures to make sure everything was captured.  I solicited the help of an attending parent to get video footage with my personal video camera.

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