Superheroes and Villains

See also our Pinterest Board: Superheroes and Villains Party.

This party was a new idea at the time and it has definitely grown in popularity since. The great thing about it is that the theme is another one that works well for kids and can also translate into an adult party. Decorations for this party were some of the EASIEST to buy, because superhero-themed party supplies are readily available. Here’s how it all went down!

Costumes were very simple, as people had the option to buy / rent / make a costume for an existing superhero or villain. There were actually more characters from movies and television shows than comic books, and we even had a couple that came as the Vaudevillian villian-with-a-tophat-and-handlebar-moustache and lady-in-distress-wrapped-in-rope-on-the-train-tracks. Love it! I encouraged people to be creative, and was happy to see some people come as personas they created themselves. A few people came as themselves and said they were in disguise, which was fine, too.

For decorations, I did rely some on store-bought plastic tablecloths for the tables. In general I tried to go with a primary color scheme, i.e. lots of red, yellow, green, and blue. The walls are always a very big deal to me, so I concentrated on those. I looked for superhero posters and was disappointed to find they were expensive for the older comic book characters. I wanted to focus on the original superheroes like Batman, Superman, and Spiderman, as they were the most easily recognized. After dismissing the poster idea, I found some plastic door covers where the face of the superhero is meant to be punched out so you can take a picture with your head sticking through. Because they were plastic, they were MUCH more affordable (maybe $10 – 15 each?), and they were large enough to make a big impact on the walls. I hung those, head and all, along with some posters I made that had those quintessential comic book explosion shapes (not sure what to call them – maybe big multi-pointed stars) with large phrases like “Zap!”, “Bam!”, and “Pow!” As art projects go, they were super easy and really cute.

Another wall I made into my Weapons Wall, because every Superhero Hideaway has to have a weapons wall, right? Because I started planning the party early, I was able to get plastic weapons cheaply after Halloween when everything moved to clearance. I found that different kinds of swords and shields made the biggest impact and hung the easiest. I also had fun (okay, and a lot of work) wallpapering the bathroom with pages of comic books. This made a big impression in a small space without taking up too much room! If you do this, I would recommend laying all the pages out on a floor and taping them together in long vertical strips. Then you are just attaching them to the wall near the ceiling and you can tape the strips to each other later when they are in place. NOTE: Do NOT do this if you plan on having candles or any open flames around, as this is paper and highly flammable!!

I also found a stuffed Superman doll and red fleece throw for the living room couch to make it all blend in. Fleece throws are so cheap nowadays, it makes it very easy to find the exact color / design you need and use them as furniture covers and just throw them away later if they are too stained to keep and re-use. Surprisingly, the Superman doll was held and carried around by a lot of people throughout the night. Maybe that’s the kid in all of us? It later had a good cleaning in the wash and made its way to my young nephew, who thought it was “COOL!”

The food was all comfort food from when we were kids. I didn’t have much left over after the party, so I am guessing people enjoyed it. I also scattered comic books, candy and some superhero masks on all of the tables.

Just like the Space Invaders party, this one had a LOT of great photo opps due to the costumes and make-up. I had a great time, my guests had a great time, and this party is definitely one I would throw again and / or recommend to a friend! 😀