When it came time to plan Naomi’s 6th birthday this year, there were so many theme options to choose from. But after some deliberation, we landed on a slightly more girly Super Mario theme, with a special focus on Princess Peach. Naomi had been a huge fan of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Mario Kart was the first game she ever played on the Nintendo Switch. So, it felt like the perfect fit!
Invitations
The first thing on my to-do list was the Super Mario Birthday Party invitations. I wanted to make something memorable and unique, so I went a little extra with these. After finding an online tutorial, I decided to create Mystery Boxes—you know, the iconic blocks from the Mario universe that pop open with a surprise! But I didn’t stop there; I put my own spin on it and designed the inside invite with Princess Peach, Mario, and Luigi in the clouds, with a rainbow arching behind them.
To add some extra fun, I made two versions of the pop-up character: one with Princess Peach in front of her castle, and another featuring Toad, as if you were receiving a power-up! The end result was a one-of-a-kind invitation that set the tone for the party to come.
If you want to recreate this fun and personalized invitation for your own Super Mario party, you can find the printable versions of the invites on my Etsy store. After that, follow the tutorial below to make your own Mystery Box invites—perfect for making any Super Mario celebration extra special!
How to Create Your DIY Mystery Box Slide Pop-Up Invitations
What You’ll Need:
- Invitations (Make Your Own or from my Etsy store)
- Mystery box design
- Pop-up designs for Princess Peach and Toad
- Photo Paper (recommended for print quality but you can also just print straight to cardstock)
- Yellow Cardstock paper (for sturdier invites)
- Plastic sheeting of some kind (I reused the packaging the yellow cardstock came in)
- Scissors
- Glue or double-sided tape
- Ruler
- Cutting mat (optional but recommended)
- Ribbon, string, or yarn (optional for slide mechanism)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Print Your Invitations
- For the best quality, print the invitation, pop-up design, and mystery box elements on photo paper. The colours are more vibrant, and the overall finish looks much better compared to printing directly on cardstock. However, since photo paper is less sturdy, you’ll need to mount the prints onto yellow cardstock to give them more durability.
2. Mount on Cardstock
- Cut out the printed invitations, pop-ups, and mystery box designs. Glue each piece onto yellow cardstock to make them sturdier and ensure they hold up well when handled.
3. Create the Mystery Box Pocket
- Draw out the card template on your sheet of yellow cardstock: 29.7 cm x 9.5 cm rectangles. Pencil in where the folds will be – there will be 3 x 9.5 cm squares plus a little bit on the end for holding the card shut.
- Cut out the cards, ensuring you keep the flap for assembly.
- Fold along the marked lines.
4. Prepare the Sliding Plastic
- Cut out one roughly 6 cm x 20 cm strip of plastic per invitation. The exact dimensions aren’t essential as long as it fits around the whole square and secures to itself.
- Apply double-sided tape to one short edge, forming a loose loop around the first square section of the folded card. The plastic should slide freely, with the taped seam near the top.
5. Add the Pop-Up Design
- Choose either Princess Peach or Toad for the pop-up (or mix both for variety).
- Apply double-sided tape to the bottom back edge of the chosen pop-up.
- (Optional) Punch a small hole at the top of the pop-up and thread a ribbon or string to create a pull tab for easier sliding.
6. Assemble your Invitation
- Trim the invitation slightly so it fits inside the mystery box pocket.
- Attach double-sided tape to the front top edge of the invitation (ensuring it’s narrower than the plastic strip so it can slide properly).
- Remove the tape backing and place the invitation onto the middle section of the folded card, aligning the top edges so the “Pull Here” tab is visible at the bottom.
- Fold over the side with the plastic, pressing the tape to stick it near the seam.
- Remove the tape backing from the pop-up and stick it onto the plastic, aligning the top edges.
- Seal the pocket by taping the small flap at the edge. You can fold it over the back or tuck it under the plastic layer.
- Stick the question mark on the front and use brown/black pens to add dots in each corner for extra detail.
Pro Tips:
- Ensure the invitation slides in and out smoothly—don’t make the pocket too tight.
- If you’d like, you can laminate the invitation for extra durability, especially if it’s for younger children who don’t stop to think and just tug!
With the invitations all sorted and handed out, it was time to turn my attention to the rest of the party planning. I’ll be sharing all the details of the special themed food, décor, and activities in separate blog posts—so be sure to follow the links to check them out!
Super Mario Themed Food (Coming Soon)
Super Mario Themed Decor (Coming Soon)
Super Mario Themed Activities (Coming Soon)
Party Favours
One of the things I wanted to rethink this year was the party favors. After so many parties, I’ve noticed we always come home with a collection of tiny toys and trinkets that don’t really have a place and end up as clutter. So instead of sending the kids home with plastic bits that would likely be forgotten, I opted for something simple—lollies! Once eaten, they wouldn’t take up space, and I figured a little sugar was better than adding more unnecessary “stuff” to everyone’s homes.
I ordered a variety of colourful lollies in bulk and grabbed a pack of piping bags from Shein. Naomi helped me assemble the bags, carefully arranging the lollies in a fun pattern to match different Mario characters. We made red and blue bags for Mario and pink-themed bags for Princess Peach. I printed character shields to stick on the front and tied them up with matching string.
For Mario’s bags, we used blue choc pearls, blue clouds, blue sharks, and red clouds. For Peach’s, we went with pink choc pearls, peach hearts, white clouds, and pink and white mini heart candies—mostly just the most affordable lollies I could find in the right colours! The finished favours were placed in white baskets by the front door, ready for the kids to grab as they headed home.
Costumes
Princess Peach
Next on my list was costumes for our family. Naomi naturally wanted to be Princess Peach, and there are plenty of costumes available online. However, I wanted something practical that would let her move around and play comfortably without overheating. I decided on a more casual dress option that I felt had great rewear potential. To complete the look, I added a crown, white gloves, and blue earrings accessory pack. And just like that, Naomi was transformed into Princess Peach! As you can see from the photos, she definitely did a lot of running around and the accessory were taken off pretty early in the party.
Bowser
My husband had a starring role in the final boss fight, which you can read all about in the activities blog post. Naturally, he had to be Bowser! I wanted something simple and budget-friendly, so instead of crafting a full Bowser shell, I opted for a tracksuit set. Bonus: he still wears it as pajamas! To complete the look, I added a Bowser mask and claws, which worked perfectly. I didn’t think I also needed to specify the shoes for him, though—the thongs broke the illusion a bit!
Toad
For our son Jad, who was about 1.5 years old at the time, I couldn’t resist dressing him up as Toad. I found a little blue vest and a Toad hat to go with his light-colored shorts. He looked absolutely adorable, although—no surprises here—he refused to keep the hat on for most of the party! I didn’t even get one photo with it on him but months later here he is wearing it randomly to do some painting.
Mario
Finally, it was time to figure out my costume. Since we didn’t have anyone as Mario, I figured it was only right for me to take on the role of the star of the Super Mario universe. I bought a red Mario hat to anchor the look, then put together the rest of the costume using clothes I already owned: a red long-sleeved crop top, blue denim overalls from Shein, and my trusty black lace-up military boots. It was simple but effective, and I loved the result!
With costumes sorted, we were ready to jump into the full Super Mario party experience. Don’t forget to check out the linked posts for all the details on the themed food, décor, and activities we put together to make this day unforgettable!
The party was an absolute hit! Naomi had the best time celebrating with her friends and family, and seeing her joy made all the planning completely worth it. From the personalized invitations to the creative costumes and themed activities, every detail came together to create a truly memorable day. I hope this post gives you some inspiration for planning your own Super Mario-themed party. Whether you’re going all out or just adding a few fun touches, it’s all about creating a celebration that brings smiles and fun for everyone involved!
