How to Throw a Toy Story Party - Keep Up With The Jones Family

Hey friends! Want to know how to throw a Toy Story Party? Well, what seems like a lifetime ago, the boys celebrated their birthday together in the summer sunshine, with a Toy Story 4 theme, at the Carnival, which suited me down to the ground. Luckily we had just been to ShopDisneyUK’s Toy Story party in London where they took part in the sweetest video of the day, and came home with SO MANY TOY STORY TOYS. I was given a huge voucher too [thank you, Disney!] and the boys were entirely spoiled that day, they didn’t want to leave the store and go home.

Image shows three of the Jones boys standing in their party dress up clothes ready for the Disney Toy Story Birthday party. One is Buzz Lightyear, one is Woody the Cowboy, and the third is dressed like the ventriloquist's dummy from Toy Story 4 who help Gabby. They are outside in the garden and there are party tables behind them.

How to Host a Toy Story Party

In this post you can find all of the details of our party – I hope you can find inspiration from it!

Dressing Up Parties

Over the years, every party we’ve had, the boys have dressed up for. Dressing up is the reason they love their parties and Hallowe’en too. Why? Because it’s fun – even as a grown up, I love those Murder Mystery or costume parties where you get let your hair down, make believe, have some fun and pretend to be someone else for the evening. Dressing up is always optional for other guests, but the majority come dressed up in some way and it’s so adorable to see. So again this year, I let them all pick who they’d like to be – Hero was Buzz Lightyear, Lyoto was Woody and Jensen wanted to be one of the dummies from Toy Story 4, who looked like a character from Goosebumps called Slappy. He was over the moon with his costume, haha.

The image shows a party table covered with a food. There are pepperidge farm fish crackers in little bags on fishing poles with little goldfish on top, and a toy Forky from Disney's Toy Story 4 sits next to a white metal cupcake carousel, filled with Forky cupcakes.

Keeping to the Theme of the Toy Story Party

I think theming a party is my favourite part. I try and let my imagination run wild and then see how many bits I can make come true. I get out my notepad and start scribbling. The first thing I think about is how to make the party – how to keep the kids entertained or busy for a few hours.

Image shows a ceramic piggy bank in the shame of Hamm from Disney's Toy Story sat on top of a mountain of gold chocolate coins. In the background is a novelty sweet stand filled with chocolate dipped marshmallow pops and in the foreground are chocolate carnival tickets.

Party Inflatables

Every year, we hire a few inflatables for the party because it wears the children out, keeps them busy…and I get to have a go before and after the guests have come and gone. There’s a photo of me at the foot of this article, post inflatable bouncing. Haha. So anyhow, I scoured the internet for a red and white helter skelter the boys had enjoyed at Kidtropolis a year earlier because it would be perfect for the Toy Story 4 theme. I finally found one and the party felt complete already! I hired a few other inflatables to go with it, and thought that would be fine. Then, three days before the party, the company we were renting *apparently* couldn’t get it to us because it had a tear in it. I’d ordered it about 8 months in advance and specified that helter skelter was the reason I was using them. Anyhow, there was no time to find another, and we ended up with generic bouncy assault courses instead. Afterwards the people who actually had the helter skelter we were due to use actually tagged the company on our party day. Oooops. Needless to say, we won’t be using them again. So imagine the theme as if there is a large red and white helter skelter that I painstakingly located. Gah.

Image shows a party table with an upturned wooden ikea crate. Inside the crate sits a toy of Woody the Cowboy from Disney's Toy Story, and on top are three Forky shaped mugs filled with Ducky shaped cake pops. The original toy story pixar tinker toy is on top of the crate.

Toy Story Themed Party Tables

There’s so much you can do with a Disney theme. I love them. We hired the local scout field which is HUGE and brilliant for a carnival party. I hung bunting and little paper lanterns in all of the bushes, and set up tables as carnival stalls.

I like the party food to be buffet. That was there’s no stress for the children that don’t enjoy sitting down to eat or find it too much – there’s space on the field for everyone to sit along and quiet if they want to, too. So I set out tables with the food on, spread apart from each other to prevent a crush, and they wander to and from as they want to – and I run in and out of the kitchen at the scout hut refilling everything.

Image Shows a Toy Story party themed table outside in a garden. There are three cardboard food stands in the shape of red and white big tops, which read welcome to the carnival. On the corner of the table is Disney's Rex from Toy Story toy and there are rainbow napkins, toy story bunting and the table is covered in Toy Story Army soldier cupcakes, mini donuts in different flavours, mini muffins, crackers and biscuits.

Rex the Dinosaur Party Table

There were three main food tables set out on the field. The first one contained all different kinds of mini doughnuts – sugar sprinkled, chocolate topped, cinnamon and sugar glazed. Then there were mini muffins, brownie bites, mini party ring biscuits, Toy Story Solder Cupcakes that I designed and little bags of Pepperidge Farm Fish Crackers on fishing rods with little plastic goldfish attached, so the guests could “win” a goldfish in a bag to take home. Rex was overseeing the table for me with his rainbow napkins, and the little “Welcome to the Carnival” stands were too cute and so easy to assemble.

Image shows a party table outdoors in a field. The table has three novelty food stands on top; fish and chips, popcorn and hot dogs. Ducky and Bunny plushies from Disney's Toy Story 4 are sat on the table and underneath the table is a string of popcorn bags pegged for guests at the party. Buzz Lightyear hangs off the edge of the table.

Buzz Lightyear Party Table

Table two was empty before I got to it on the right hand side! We had mini hot dogs in buns, pretzels, popcorn and salt and vinegar crisps on display – I think I refilled this table about 4 times before the party was over. Buzz Lightyear, Ducky and Bunny were the table hosts here – Ducky and Bunny must have been hugged over a hundred times, they were so fluffy!

Image shows a party table outdoors with Disney's Buzz Lightyear toy stood on top of it, next to a novelty fish and chip stand made from cardboard.

Woody and Forky Party Table

Table three was seriously cute. I raided the house for a wooden crate and my mom had just bought the boys the Forky mugs from Primark. I got out my carousel cupcake display and made over a hundred Forky Cupcakes. They were so adorable to make and so easy that I had a little production line with the boys to make the Forky figures! We also got Ducky cake pops made and added even more goldfish cracker bags on sticks. Woody decided to stay close to this table to make sure things were as rootin’ and tootin’ as they could be.

Image shows a party table outdoors in a field with a backdrop of hedges covered with coloured paper lanterns. On the party table are carnival decorations, and Woody the Cowboy from Disney's Toy Story. There are mugs in the shape of Forky from Toy Story 4 which are filled with cake pops in the shape of Ducky from the film. A Forky toy sits on the table next to a miniature food tent which says welcome to the carnival. There is a carousel for cupcakes filled with forky cupcakes, and bags of pepperidge farm goldfish crackers on fishing poles in glass jars with little plastic goldfish sat on top.

Image shows a row of Forky Cupcakes. The cupcakes are chocolate, in red foiled wrappers and each forky has been made by a DIY tutorial.

Hamm’s Sweets and Candy Table

Hamm’s table featured sweets and treats that were easy to make or buy. A chocolate chip cookie jar, rainbow jelly cups, marshmallow and chocolate pops, Rice Krispie and chocolate treats, Flying Saucers [Grandad likes these as much as the Toy Story Aliens do] and Cupcakes with Lollipops in – as well as Hamm’s gold piggybank chocolate coins.

Image shows a party table set with rainbow jellies, brightly coloured chocolate cupcakes with lollipops, a jar of chocolate chip cookies, rice krispie lollipops covered in rainbow sprinkles, and a little sweet shop stand filled with chocolate dipped marshmallows. A Hamm ceramic money box from Disney's Toy Story 4 is on the table sat on top of a mountain of gold chocolate coins. The table is outdoors at the party in a field with hedges behind it.

Image shows a bright pink plastic party platter filled with Rice Krispie treat lollipops dipped in rainbow sprinkles. The lollipops have coloured paper straw handles.

Toy Story Aliens Party Table

Image shows three plush Toy Story Alien toys from shopdisneyuk on top of a party table, sat with brightly coloured wooden blocks and party bags.

Table four was the gift bag table that I set out near the end of the party. Lucky for us, Kinder were featuring Toy Story eggs at the time too and so every guest got one in their party bag, along with a bouncy ball, slap wristband, tattoos, sweeties and bubbles. The green aliens were out in force, OOooooohing on the table and watching the kids have fun with the knock down tin can game. A really lovely idea one of our friends does for each of her parties is to give each party guest a custom lanyard with their favourite character on it. That way they have a useful gift that they can use in their everyday life too. You can order now at GS-JJ for your very own Toy Story party!

Image shows a Toy Story Party table outdoors with rainbow coloured bunting in the background. The tabletop is filled with bright coloured, spotted party bags and there are three Toy Story plush Alien toys and a set of knock down cans on the table too.

Image shows a wooden party table outside with a Toy Story themed set of knock down cans and bean bags in bright colours. The table is outdoors in a field.

Toy Story Party Cake

Usually we hire a talented cake artist to make something special for the occasion, but this time there were so many children coming and the sun was going to be so hot that we got a couple of big, flat white iced cakes from Costco. I have no idea how that make the frosting but it’s my favourite in the whole world. Hero had been given all of the Toy Story 4 Pop Funkos for his birthday and so they were handy to decorate the cake with – and having a Pop Vinyl figure on your cake is a family tradition for us too. We used fountain sparklers [which Hero is not fond of] and candles, and the cakes disappeared very swiftly, haha.

Image shows a semi birds eye view, angled to see the top of a large white Costco cake covered in Toy Story 4 Pop Funko toys. Combat Carl, Woody, Bullseye, Gabby, Bunny and Ducky, Buzz, Jessie, Forky and Duke kaboom can be seen.

Image shows a large white Costco cake covered in Toy Story 4 Pop Funko toys. Combat Carl, Woody, Bullseye, Gabby, Bunny and Ducky, Buzz, Jessie, Forky and Duke kaboom can be seen. In the background there is an adult lighting the candles on the cake and the children of the jones family are watching.

Toy Story Themed Drinks

I think these were my favourite part of the party theme. Originally I was going to get refillable, reusable bags that could stand up with liquid in them and add a plastic goldfish, but the goldfish kept floating to the top as if they were dead…not a good look. haha. So the fish became fish cracker bags on food table and the floating little hook a ducky drinks were born.

Image shows a party table under a tree in the shade. Atop of it are rows and rows of clear plastic cups with dome shaped lids, each filled with water and a yellow rubber duck. There is a tin of coloured straws, squash bottles and a large mason drinks dispenser filled with water.

Hook A Duck Drinks

As it was so, so hot, I had a table ready loaded with drinks and sat it under a big tree in the shade. It took me forever to fill them with mineral water! There was also squash for everyone if they wanted to pour it into their little dome covered plastic cup with a rubber ducky floating in it. The kids were so excited to get their own, especially as they squeaked!

Image shows a table covered in rows of clear domed water cups with lids, filled with water. Each cup has a miniature yellow rubber duck floating in it.

Toy Story Party Lunchboxes

Image shows a party table lined with silver card lunchboxes featuring a Police name label for children to pretend to be Officer Giggles McDimples from Disney's Toy Story 4. There is a coloured whistle draped across the top.

Image shows a member of the Jones Famiily dressed as Woody from Disney's Toy Story and holding a Forky cupcake in one hand and a lunchbox themed for Office Giggles McDimples in the other hand.

Along the big wooden benches that we set out for the party guests were little silver lunchboxes with police badges and whistles on them, like Officer Giggles McDimples from Toy Story 4. Every guest filled up their lunch box from the tables and then had the choice of sitting at the table or on a picnic blanket. It made the clean up really easy because most guests didn’t manage to eat everything they’d chosen from the tables, and could take it home without smooshing the cupcakes or cake pops on the way! Do you know how many post-party cupcakes have smooshed into the back seat of our car? TOO many. However, read this next part very carefully…

Image shows a party table set in a carnival theme with Disney's Toy Story Forky figure sitting next to a red and white striped carnival big top table decoration filled with pretzels and forky cupcakes lined along the front.

What not to do at a Toy Story Themed Party

Let this serve as a cautionary tale. Whistles. DO NOT GIVE THEM OUT AT YOUR PARTY. Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Wee Donkey are begging you. It was deafening. Tooooooot, toooooooot, toot toot toot! The kids had a blast but my head…. ouch. My only consolation was that I gave them out half way through, when it was food time, and not at the beginning. And at least we were outside in the middle of nowhere. Haha.

Enjoy throwing your own Toy Story party – here’s a picture of me, exhausted, after the guests have gone and I’ve spent half and hour bouncing on the inflatables 😉

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