Planning a Super Mario-themed birthday party? You’re in the right place! When I was organizing my daughter’s party, I wanted the activities to reflect the excitement of the Super Mario movie—after all, that was the reason she was so keen on the theme in the first place. So, I designed a fun-filled Super Mario quest for the kids to follow throughout the party.
If you haven’t already, check out my main Super Mario party post, where I share the inspiration behind the party, our costumes, and the special pop-up invitation design. Now, let’s dive into the Super Mario birthday party activities and games!
Princess Peach’s Obstacle Course
To kick off the adventure, I set up Princess Peach’s Obstacle Course, inspired by the training scene in the Super Mario movie. I hired an obstacle-style jumping castle so the kids could run, jump, and climb their way through Peach’s training grounds. Originally, I wanted to rent one of those long inflatable obstacle courses where kids could race each other, but they were way out of budget, and most companies didn’t service our area.
To add to the theme, I placed a “Princess Peach’s Obstacle Course” sign in front of it to set the scene. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly alternative, you could create your own DIY obstacle course using:
✔️ Balance beams (a simple plank of wood works great!)
✔️ Hurdles to jump over (stools, pool noodles, or boxes)
✔️ “Koopa Troopas” or “Goombas” to stomp on (printed cutouts or balloons)
This was a perfect first activity since it kept kids entertained as they arrived and trickled into the party.
Mystery Block Piñata
Once everyone was there, we moved on to our Mystery Block Piñata, filled with chocolate gold coins—because what’s a Mario party without some power-ups? The idea was that these coins would give the kids the energy they needed to take on Donkey Kong in the next challenge.
How I Made My Piñata:
I ordered a 25-pack of square packing boxes—most were used for décor and the final mystery boxes, but one became the piñata. After putting the box together, I painted it yellow, threaded a cable tie through the top to hang it, and cut a flap in the back to fill it with chocolate gold coins. Since it was a warm day, I kept the coins in the fridge as long as possible to avoid a melty mess!
To give it that classic pixelated look, I wrapped the box in yellow streamers with a fringed edge, then printed and stuck on the question marks and corner dots. The top was left plain since the cable tie was already visible.
Turns out, the box was very sturdy—too sturdy! The kids were giving it their best swings, but it wasn’t budging, so I had to rip the flap open a little to help the coins spill out with each hit. It wasn’t the piñata that failed—it was the stick! I bought a special one from Spotlight, but the kids destroyed it in no time. Next time, I might just make my own!
Knock Out Donkey Kong
Inspired by the Mario vs. Donkey Kong battle in the movie, I created a fun twist on the classic “pin the tail” game. Instead of a tail, the kids had to land a knockout punch on Donkey Kong—right between the eyes!
You can purchase my printable for this game at my Etsy store if you’d like to play it at your next party. I got it printed on A3 silky paper from Officeworks for a more polished look. To make it even more interactive, I also created half Mario face masks for the kids to use as blindfolds (just don’t cut out the eyes!).
Stomp the Goombas
Next up, the kids had to stomp all the Goombas on Rainbow Road! I made balloon Goombas by sticking brown balloons through a brown paper plate, which I cut in half and overlapped. A hole was punched through the plate to secure the balloon end, and then I used sticky tape to attach the printed eyes and mouth.
Inside one of the balloons, I placed this golden winner’s ticket, and the lucky kid who found it won a special prize. You are welcome to use this free printable for your game.
A quick note: Some kids might have sensory sensitivities, so be mindful that the loud bangs of popping balloons could be overwhelming. Also, these balloons will pop immediately if placed on the grass, so a hard surface like concrete or tiles is best for this activity.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos of this activity in action—it was chaos! Some younger kids struggled with jumping on the balloons, and as the party went on, a few kids dropped out of the activities, but it was still a lot of fun.
Find the Super Star – Final Boss Fight!
I went back and forth on how to stage the final boss fight. Originally, I planned to attach mystery boxes along our fence so kids could jump up and punch through them. However, a plover family decided to nest in our backyard, and they were aggressively swooping—so I had to change plans!
Instead, I planned to have the parents hold the boxes along one side of the yard, but since many kids had left by this point, we didn’t have enough adults to hold them all up. So, we adapted and laid them on the ground instead. The kids punched down into them rather than up, which worked well enough even if it didn’t quite match the Mario movie and game.
For the battle, my husband dressed up as Bowser and stood in the middle of the yard with a bucket of reusable pom-pom water balloons. The kids had to run past Bowser without getting hit, reach a mystery box, and punch it open to find the Super Star. If the box was empty, they had to return to the starting side and try again until someone found the star.
I wanted all the kids to have a chance to participate, so I encouraged them to work together to get past Bowser. To make sure everyone got the chance to punch through a box, I had a one for each child. I also didn’t want the game to end too quickly, so I added the rule that if the box they chose was empty, they had to go back and try again. This kept the game going for longer and built up the excitement!
Prizes
I created mini mystery boxes to hold Super Mario collectible carts (purchased from Kmart) as the prizes for the legs of the quest that required prizes. The printable template to make your own can be found in the Free Resources library if you sign up to the newsletter.
Since the jumping castle I hired couldn’t really have a winner I didn’t provide a prize for this leg of the quest but if you do have an obstacle course that the kids can race through you could also give prizes for this as well. The gold coins inside the Pinata were prize enough there and the Super Star plushie was the final prize for whoever found it first.
This Super Mario-themed party quest was a massive hit with the kids! It was fun, immersive, and kept them engaged throughout the day. While not everything went perfectly (thanks to our unexpected bird guests!), the flexibility in adapting each game made sure the kids still had a blast.
If you’re planning a Super Mario birthday party, I highly recommend incorporating a quest-style setup to make the activities flow together like a real Mario adventure. Have fun, get creative, and let the kids jump into the Mushroom Kingdom experience!
Have you ever hosted a Super Mario party? Let me know in the comments if you have any additional Super Mario birthday party activities game ideas!
