Monsters Inc Birthday Party Ideas

Affiliate links are used in this post, which means I make a commission if a purchase is made after clicking through the link at no additional cost to you. All stated opinions are my honest thoughts. I value your trust and only feature products that I truly love. Keep reading to see how to create a fun Monsters Inc toddler birthday party!

My daughter Summer turned three last September, and when I asked her what she wanted her birthday theme to be, there was no hesitation. She told me over and over and OVER that she wanted a “Mike Wazowski party” AKA a Monsters Inc birthday party, and I was so excited to start planning such a fun theme. If your kids are fans of Mike and Sully too, keep reading to see cute and affordable Monsters Inc birthday party ideas – including DIY balloon arches, Monsters Inc hats, and even scream canister party favors! I’ve linked all of our Monsters Inc party supplies throughout the post, and you can also shop the Monsters Inc Birthday Party Shopping List on my Amazon storefront!

P.S. If you’re looking for more toddler birthday party ideas, you can check out our past parties below:
Berry First Birthday (Strawberry-Themed)
Peppa Pig Birthday Party
Sophie La Giraffe in Paris Birthday Party

Monsters Inc Birthday Party Ideas

Before we get into all of the party details, I just want to take a second to say that no matter what your budget may be, it’s 100% possible to create a magical birthday experience for your child. Some of my fondest childhood birthday memories involved nothing more than a homemade cake and dinner with my family, and if you add in some creativity and DIY decorations, you can add even more to the fun without breaking the bank! Many of the items we used for decoration in this party were things we already owned, so be sure to look around your house for inspiration when you’re planning your party too!

Monsters Inc Birthday Party Printable Invitations

As soon as Summer decided on her Monsters Inc 3rd birthday party theme, I searched for the perfect invitations. I always like to find digital printable invitations because it saves a huge amount of money, and then I also have the image to easily text or email to friends/family. We were only having close family attend Summer’s party, but it’s still fun to have a nice image to text out invites – plus, I always print an 8×10 copy to display at the party to use as a cute part of the party decor! I used this Monsters Inc party invitation template, and it was inexpensive, cute, and extremely easy to use!

CLICK TO SHOP MONSTERS INC PRINTABLE INVITATIONS

Monsters Inc Birthday Party Decorations

This cute Monsters Inc party table was so much fun to put together! As always, the stars of the show were the custom Mike Wazowski cake and Monsters Inc cookies from Be Still Bakery (more on this below), and we added a DIY balloon arch, felt ball garland, DIY Monsters Inc door decorations, and all of our food and party favors! Almost every single item on this table was an easy DIY party craft, so I’ll share the details and supplies for each project below.

CLICK TO SHOP MONSTERS INC PARTY DECOR

DIY Balloon Garland Kit for Parties

If you’ve always wanted to make a balloon garland but have been intimidated by either the cost of having one professionally made or the technique involved with making one yourself, I shared exactly how to make DIY balloon garlands in this post. You honestly would not believe how easy it is to create fun balloon arches at home, and you can pick up the kits for a STEAL!

I used this exact balloon garland kit for this party, and it was so easy to blow up the balloons, assemble the garland, and hang it up on the wall! While the work is easy, it can be a bit tedious. I highly recommend asking a friend or two to help blow up and tie balloons just to make the process go quickly.

Oh, and you ABSOLUTELY need this balloon blower pump. It’s affordable, will save you HOURS and HOURS of time, and believe me, you will be completely out of breath after a few minutes if you skip buying this must-have item. It’s our #1 party supply – BY FAR.

The only other supply you’ll need is something to hang the arch in your desired space. We’ve used everything from nails and fishing line to sticky putty to removable wall hooks. No matter what you choose, just keep in mind you’ll need more things to attach it to the wall than you think, and it needs to be sturdier than you might think!

CLICK TO SHOP MONSTERS INC BALLOON ARCH SUPPLIES

Monsters Inc Birthday Party Cake Ideas

If you’ve read my other birthday party posts or follow me on social media, then you know I’m OBSESSED with Be Still Bakery, which is a central Florida custom cake and cookie business run by my amazingly talented sister-in-law. Be Still Bakery’s work is impeccable, and her creativity is unmatched. If you’re looking for amazing custom cakes and cookies in the Central Florida area, you can see more of her work and get information on pricing here. You can also see more of her work on Instagram and Facebook.

Be Still Bakery crafted this custom Mike Wazowski Monsters Inc birthday cake, and Summer was absolutely in love with it! In addition to being absolutely beautiful, the cake was incredibly delicious too.

Monsters Inc. Birthday Party Custom Cookies

Be Still Bakery also made Summer’s custom Monsters Inc cookies, and they were AMAZING. We got a mix of traditional vanilla sugar cookies and graham cracker sugar cookies, and both flavors were so soft and delicious. And of course the designs were creative and so fun! Summer was so excited to see her favorite characters come to life! If you’re looking for the best cakes and cookies in Central Florida, definitely check out Be Still Bakery!

DIY Monsters Inc Hat Party Favors

If possible, I always like to create party favors that can double as party decor. For this party, we decided to make DIY Monsters Inc hats that look just like Mike and Sully’s from the movie!

HOW TO MAKE: I started by ordering these blue plastic construction hats and this Monsters Inc logo image file. Then, I made a document with several of the logo images on one page and got it printed at my local Fedex/Kinko’s. And to finish things off, I simply cut out the printed images and glued them to each hat. Easy peasy, super affordable, and incredibly cute! Our guests loved these fun favors, and they were great for fun photos and cute party decor too.

CLICK TO SHOP DIY MONSTERS INC PARTY HAT SUPPLIES

We also incorporated these adorable Monsters Inc party favor bags into our party table decor. Unfortunately, it looks like the exact listing is sold out; however, I was able to find quite a few options that are very, very similar at a great price point!

CLICK TO SHOP MONSTERS INC PARTY FAVOR BAGS

We bought Summer these adorable Mike and Sully plush toys, and they were too cute to stay hidden. We just had to add them to the party decor for the party!

CLICK TO SHOP MONSTERS INC PLUSH TOYS

DIY Scream Canister Party Favors

As soon as we started planning Summer’s Monsters Inc birthday party, we knew we needed to work in scream canisters in some capacity. I found this adorable printable image for a scream canister, and I simply had it printed at FedEx/Kinko’s and taped it to a can of Pringles for an easy, fun, and affordable party favor!

How to Make Cotton Candy At Home for Parties

Summer has a fondness for cotton candy, and she also plays a game that she loves where she gets to pretend to make cotton candy at a fair. So as soon as I saw this affordable at-home cotton candy machine, I knew it would be the perfect activity for her birthday party!

This cotton candy machine was so easy to use! You simply scoop in cotton candy sugar (I bought this three-pack) and twirl a cotton candy cone around the edge of the machine. The instructions are simple and easy to follow, and clean up was much easier than I thought too! Summer was absolutely delighted, and our family guests enjoyed the activity too.

BTW, you need MUCH less cotton candy sugar than you might think. Even after making a dozen cotton candy cones, we still had enough sugar left over for probably a dozen (or more) parties. Overall, I highly recommend making cotton candy at home – whether it’s for a party or just a weekend activity with kids!

CLICK TO SHOP COTTON CANDY MAKING SUPPLIES

Monsters Inc Birthday Party Outfits

As soon as Summer decided on a Monsters Inc birthday party theme, I saw this Sully-inspired dress and knew it would be perfect! She loves it so much, and it was adorable at the party – and every day. It’s unfortunately an older design from Matilda Jane, but I was able to find it on sale here and here!

And then we had to do a costume change to this Mike Wazowski onesie. Summer and Luna are both OBSESSED with this outfit and wear it constantly. It goes in and out of stock frequently, so be sure to keep looking!

CLICK TO SHOP MONSTERS INC PARTY OUTFITS

Monsters Inc Party Decorations

Another fun way to add whimsy too a party without adding too much to your party budget is to use printable art in creative ways. These cute Monsters Inc designs were only a few dollars each to purchase and print myself at Fedex/Kinko’s, and I simply put them into frames we already owned! A fun way to decorate the food area or fill in empty spaces.

CLICK TO SHOP MONSTERS INC PRINTABLES

Wooden Heart Photo Display

This year we started a tradition of hanging up this wooden heart hanging photo display at the girls’ birthday parties. We print out 18 photos that highlight their life so far and hang it up for all of our family and friends to see! It’s such a sweet and affordable addition to the party decor, and the girls love seeing photos of themselves with family too!