Yesterday we hosted our Mr Tumble's Something Special Party in conjunction with UKMums.tv. I spent the whole day while Freddy was at school baking and decorating cakes and biscuits, making spotty jelly, knocking up pizzas and preparing snacks, all with a spotty theme. I laid the table, prepared the games, put the Something Special CD on, hung my Justin poster up and readied myself for the arrival of my guests. We had six extra little ones to feed and entertain.
They loved looking at the toys when they arrived. The spotty bag was a real favourite as it is so recognisable from the show. The colourful, textured spots make it really tactile for little ones, while the older ones liked slinging it over their shoulder and pretending to be Justin. The interactive soft toys are a lot of fun. The kids liked to press the big one's hand and the little one's belly to hear the funny phrases. We had them having a conversation at one point! The light up nose proved to be a popular feature too. The felt Stick Ons were enjoyed by the older ones who loved dressing Mr Tumble. The choice of clothes is varied and the addition of underwear is always well received by kids who think spotty pants are hilarious!
We had some great activities to enjoy. The Pass the Parcel was absolutely brilliant. Everyone was so pleased with their gifts and the Mr Tumble CD provided perfect music for it. Stick the Nose on Mr Tumble was an easy game that got everyone involved. Dancing and singing along to the CD, playing with the Interactive Mr.Tumble toys, dressing the felt Justin in his spotty pants and colouring in the bow ties and Mr Tumble printouts kept the children occupied.
The children enjoyed their tea party and went through the pizzas, crudites, cheesey rolls, cup cakes, biscuits and potato rings at a fair rate. I had made the pizzas spotty by using a small circle cutter to cut out spots of Quorn ham and processed cheese slices and popping them on top. I also sliced up some vegetarian hot dogs to make smaller spots. It was very effective!
I made spotty jelly by adding Jelly Tots to the jelly before it had set. Freddy ate two bowlfuls! I was really pleased with my named biscuits. I made a basic vanilla cookie dough and cut in into rounds. Once baked and cooled, I used writing icing to write names and draw on spots. The cupcakes were decorated with small circles of fondant icing on top of frosting or with dotty sprinkles to keep with the spotty theme.
We live tweeted during the party, but it was multi-tasking at its best trying to keep the kids happy, entertained and fed while tweeting!
My youngest guest was so delighted when I gave her the Mr Tumble Interactive toy to take home. She hugged him and quickly worked out how to make him talk by pressing his hand. It really made me smile! These toys are perfect for little fans, bringing Mr.Tumble into their toyboxes.
After the kids left, clutching their fabulous Something Special Goodie bags and prizes they had won from the games, I tidied up the mess before collapsing on the sofa exhausted but so happy to have thrown such a lovely party for the little ones and their friends!