All Dolls Invited

Dolls are girls' best friends. Why not let the dolls join in the fun! Invite young girls along with their dolls for a party at your home. Here are some cool ideas for hosting an 'All Dolls Invited' party that your guests will not forget for a long, long time to come.

Doll Party Theme Ideas

Some themes little girls will love to have for their 'All Dolls Invited' party are:

1. Makeover Party - All girls get a makeover. Set up different booths for manicures, pedicures, hair styling/braiding, makeup etc. Dolls get a makeover too. A new piece of apparel, hair accessories etc. will give the dolls a new look as well.

2. Fashionista/Dress Up Party - The girls are asked to come dressed up as a Movie Star or even their own Moms! The Dolls are also asked to be dressed up in the trendiest attires. A 'Fashion Show' will be the main activity and there can be prizes for the best dressed girl and doll. Fashion dolls like Barbie are more appropriate for this party.

3. Fancy Dress Party - The girls and dolls both are required to come dressed up as some favorite character. Girls can be asked to give a short performance based on the character they are dressed up like. You can have prizes for the best dressed girl and doll.

4. Mad Hatter Tea Party - Host an 'Alice in Wonderland' type Tea Party where girls are invited along with their favorite dolls. Serve herbal tea in little cups and have lots of little tea cakes and other finger foods.

5. Doll Theatre - Choose a small story or play which can be enacted with the number of guests you plan to have. You can also make up a little play. Every doll needs to be dressed up for it's part. Girls can help their dolls perform on stage and lend their voices o their respective dolls.

6. Princess Party - All girls and their dolls come dressed up in Pink. As each girl enters, give them tiaras to wear. The tiaras can be taken home as party favors. If small tiaras for the dolls are not available, give the dolls rhinestone barrettes or pins.

7. Fairy Party - All girls and their dolls are given wings, fairy wands and glitter 'fairy dust' to wear and take home as party favors. You can give the girls a dress color code. For e.g. green if you are doing a Tinkerbell party or pink, purple, pastel colors etc.

Doll Party Invitations

You can make your own invitations or print them off a computer. A lovely idea would be to make paper dolls and write out the party information on them. Another great idea is to draw a doll face one one side and write the invitation on the back.

Doll Party Decorations

Start with a pretty tablecloth in colors of your party theme. You can make an easy centerpiece by gathering together some dolls in the center of the table. Or you can arrange some flowers from the garden in an unbreakable plastic container and place a lovely doll near it. Hang paper dolls from walls and windows. Place dolls on side tables. A lot of balloons and crepe paper streamers will set the mood for the party.

If you are making a Doll cake (see instructions below), it can also become your centerpiece. Bring out your doll house and keep it as a display of all the lovely doll things that you have.

Doll Party Activities

Little girls love to dress up. Feather boas, makeup and hair styling stations will make great party activities. Make sure to have little doll fashion accessories like bead necklaces, mini hair barrettes etc. for the dolls to dress up. Fashion shows, Doll theatre (mentioned above), Fancy Dress contests are also great hits. You can include party crafts like making bead jewelry with kits available. Every girl will make two similar jewelry pieces, one for herself and a similar, smaller sized for her doll. For example, two necklaces or two bracelets, one big and one small.

Organize a Doll Accessory Gift Exchange. Each girl can bring fashion accessories for dolls as the gifts and exchange it with one of the other girls. Pre-decide upon the names by writing down all names on chits and having the girls pick one. They give their gift to the girl whose name they pick.

Other eternal favorites are cookie or cupcake decorating activities. Girls can also make sandwiches from the materials given to them. Girls love to dance. Put on some favorite music and let the girls enjoy themselves dancing. Also, keep some free 'Doll Time' for all girls to play together with their dolls.

Doll Party Games

Dolls make the theme for many interesting party games.

1. Which One's Mine? Place all dolls in a basket, blindfold the girls and let them find their own doll by feeling it. The girl who finds her own doll is the winner.

2. Dress like your doll. Instruct all guests to try to dress up like their dolls. The girl whose dress most closely resembles her doll's outfit is declared the winner.

3. Doll's Hats Off. You will one store-bought crochet or knit baby hat. Everyone sits in a circle. Place the hat on any one doll. As the music starts, the girl removes the hat from her doll and places it on the next doll's head. Then the next girl does the same thing. It continues till the music goes on. When the music stops, the girl whose doll is left with the hat is out of the game. The game continues with the remaining participants with one participant decreasing every time. The last participant wins.

4. Doll House Memory. Bring out a doll house containing different doll accessories and play things. Let the girls see it for 30 seconds and then take it away. Then ask the girls to write down as many things as they remember seeing in the doll house.

Doll Party Food Ideas

Little dolls, little girls, little things. Bite-sized portions and finger foods will be the easiest and yummiest food option. Set up a buffet table with paper plates, plastic cups for smoothies and lots of paper napkins. Go for cupcakes, tea cakes, cookies, sandwiches cut into small circles or triangles, miniature pastries, jelly squares etc. You can use your gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out cookies and then decorate them as dolls. Even cupcakes can have doll faces and/or pretty flowers on them. For winters, serve herbal tea in little cups and for summers, go in for punches or smoothies.

A main attraction of the party can be a Doll cake. Bake a cake in a round pan and invert it. Make a hole in the center and place a plastic fashion doll in the center. The inverted cake will become the dress of the doll. Now start frosting the doll's 'dress'.

Apart from the main buffet, set up a little 'Candy Bar'. Line it with unbreakable plastic bowls and fill them with an assortment of homemade and store-bought candies. Include homemade items like toffee, fudge squares, granola bars, cereal cakes etc and colorful store-bought fancy candy.

Doll Party Favors

When giving party favors, keep in mind that you need to give out two favors - one for each girl and one for the doll. Choose favors depending upon the theme of your party. For a fashion/dress up party, give fashion accessories, bead jewelry kits etc. For a Princess party, give tiaras. For a Fairy party, give wings and magic wands. For a Tea Party, give mini tea-sets.

Other things you can give out are music CDs, instant photo cameras, hair bows, tote bags, hats, hankie sets, books, little toy pets, FM radios, dolls, doll house furniture, craft kits, candy, chocolates etc.