Madagascar Birthday Party
A Madagascar birthday party guide kids will go wild over!

Madagascar Party Supplies
For easy party planning, order your Madagascar Party Supplies on-line.
Then, plan the Madagascar party games, crafts and decorations using ideas provided below. We're here to help make your next birthday 
party stress-free so you can enjoy the celebration!

MADAGASCAR PARTY INVITATIONS
Order invitations to match your theme. Or, make your own with card stock paper. Your local scrap booking center or crafts store will have die-cut shapes of lions, giraffes, zebras...Use a bright gel pen to write your message and party information.. 
"We're breaking out and going 
WILD for _____'s Birthday"

MADAGASCAR DECORATIONS
Set a festive mood, with standard Madagascar party supplies; streamers, balloons and tableware. Add a few animal posters, a world map and stuffed animals around the party area. Cover your table with a matching table cloth and make a centerpiece by tying a bouquet of balloons to a zebra, lion, giraffe or hippopotamus stuffed toy. Create a jungle with green streamers draped around the room and hanging from the ceiling. 
For a special touch, drape animals print fabric over your furniture.
Click here for advanced decorating suggestions >>


MADAGASCAR PARTY GAMES
Your child's party will be "crackalackin", when you add
these wild party games!

Pin the Tail On...
Play this party game just as you would pin the tail on the donkey, 
using a theme appropriate animal instead of a donkey. 
Before the party, make a Giraffe, Zebra, Lion or Hippo with poster board. Cut matching tails from cardstock paper. Write the players names on the front of the tail and place a piece of double stick tape on the back. 
Use a strip of Animal print fabric for the blindfold.
Tip : You may be able to find large animal posters at a local learning/teacher store.

The Penguins Have Escaped
Rico, Skipper, Private and Kowalski have finally escaped from the zoo and the children need to find them. Make with paper, or purchase several small penguins. Before the party hide them around the party space and send the children to find them.

Free the Animals Relay Race
In the movie Madagascar, Marty the zebra's friends reluctantly leave 
the zoo to find him. In the this relay race, the children will help the 
animals get to the wild!

Divide the children into two teams. Provide several mini plastic animals (dollar store) and a spoon for each team. Mark a start and finish line for each team with signs that say "ZOO" and "Madagascar". Give each team an equal amount toy animals. Line the players up at the starting line - marked "zoo". When the race begins, the first player will place a toy 
on the their spoon, run to Madagascar, drop their animal  into a basket 
and return to pass the spoon to the next player.
The first team to move all of their animals wins!

Race with the Animals
This additional relay race is as much fun to watch as it is to play!
Divide the children into teams. The racers will rescue animals in pairs of two. Provide each pair with a stuffed animal - lion, zebra, 
giraffe, monkey etc. The first pair on each team will walk to "Madagascar" 
(finish line), back to back with the animal in between their backs. Then drop their animal at the finish line and run back to their team. Then the next pair takes their turn. If the animal drops, they will pick it up and continue or start again. The first team to move all of their animals wins.

Looking for Madagascar
Before the party use a large piece of butcher paper or a sheet, to make a simple map which will be the "target". Include Africa and the island of Madagascar. Then follow the rules for Buzz Bomb Balloons >>

Feed Gloria
Paint a hippopotamus face or body on a box using one large gray 
circle for the head and two smaller circles for the ears. 
Use a utility knife (ADULTS ONLY) to cut a large opening where the mouth would be. Then add the eyes and nose with paint. Make or purchase 3-4 beanbags. Socks filled with dried beans and secured with rubber 
bands will work well.  To play, mark an "X" the floor where the player will stand. Place the "hippo box" a reasonable distance form the "X" 
and the children will take turns feeding the hungry hippo by trying to 
toss bean bags into her mouth..
Variation:
do not cut the hole for the mouth but leave the top of 
the box open. Younger children will find this a bit easier.

Penguin Magnet Craft
"Cute and Cuddly Boys, Cute and Cuddly!"
Add this easy to make penguin craft to your party activities. 

You'll Need
Wood craft spoons
Craft foam sheets -Black, White, Orange
Small "google" eyes
Craft glue
Black acrylic or spray paint
Self sticking magnetic strip

Before the party Paint both sides of the craft spoons black
and cut the craft foam shapes. Each penguin will need
a white oval, black heart and three small orange triangles.

Making the Penguin:
Attach a piece of magnetic strip to the back of 
the craft stick. Glue the heart upside down on 
the front center of the craft stick, leaving the top 
of the stick for the penguin's head.
Glue the white oval tummy on the heart.
Attach the beak and feet (triangles) and the plastic eyes.
Lay flat to dry.

Animal Bracelet Activity
Guests will go home happy wearing an animal bracelet they made themselves. Purchase plastic animal beads and a tub of plastic 
pony beads (crafts store). Use lanyard or beading elastic.

More Art Ideas
Provide a "fee-art" project to your party, using paint 
with water books, play dough with animal cookie cutters 
or animal shaped sponges and paint. 

MADAGASCAR PARTY FAVORS
Make your own Madagascar party bag animal, with a brown paper 
lunch bag and construction paper. Cut ears, whiskers and a nose. Use a marker for other features. Fill the bag with Madagascar party favors;
a toy compass, beanie animal and animal fruit snacks.

ANIMAL BIRTHDAY CAKE AND TREATS
1. Make a simple sheet cake and frost it with green frosting.
   Top with Animal toys.
2. Use a Wilton brand animal shaped cake pan mold.
3. Get creative and make a lion, zebra or other animal shaped cake.

Animal Bites
Make your child's favorite sandwiches and use cookie cutters to cut them into animal shapes. 

Jungle Jigglers - "Jell-O Jigglers" cut with the same cookie cutters as the sandwiches.

Juice from the Jungle
Pour lemon-lime soda into a large punch bowl. Just before serving, add scoops of lime sherbet it turns into green 
jungle juice! Or, use soda water mixed with Kiwi Lime Italian syrup - Serve in a clear plastic cup with a cherry or scoop 
of lime sherbet.

Advanced Decorating Tips:
Known for it's abundance of wildlife and fascinating eco system, Madagascar is like nowhere else on earth. 
Take advantage of this by enlisting a talented teenager to paint scenes on butcher paper of the Dry desert, Spiny forest, and Baobab trees. Hang stuffed toy lemurs from the ceiling and stick plastic frogs and geckos to the painted scenery 
for a three dimensional effect.

You may choose to go another route by decorating your 
party area with a zoo theme. Again, using butcher paper 
to paint a Central Park Zoo sign and animal cages.
Use large appliance boxes to make cages with animal inside.