Owen’s Cocomelon Bash: My DIY Tableware Adventure (and almost disaster!)
Owen’s Cocomelon Bash: My DIY Tableware Adventure (and almost disaster!)
Evelyn Sharma here! Owen's 5th Birthday Recap!
Hey GINYOU fam! Evelyn, reporting in from rainy Seattle. My son, Owen, just turned 5, and all he wanted was a Cocomelon party. You know, the usual toddler obsession! I swear, I hear "Wheels on the Bus" in my sleep now.
As a military spouse, we move every four years, so I'm always trying to make each new place feel like home, and big, memorable parties are a huge part of that for my boys – Owen, Arjun (6), Diego (9), and Max (13). Plus, you know me, a total Costco bulk buyer, fueled by too much coffee, and a firm believer in reusing decorations. Why buy new if the old stuff still works, right?
So, for Owen's party, the theme was obvious. Cocomelon everything. I knew I needed some good cocomelon tableware. My first thought was to DIY as much as possible to save a few bucks and add that personal touch. I found some plain yellow and blue paper plates at Target for like $3 a pack, and I was going to try printing out Cocomelon characters and gluing them on. Mateo (my husband) thought I was crazy, but a crafty moment called to me!
Then, I remembered a friend mentioning how hard it was to find good Cocomelon stuff last year, and I started second-guessing myself. What if my DIY plates looked… sad? What if they fell apart with cake? Owen has this uncanny ability to make a mess even with the most stable of plates. Plus, after running around with four boys, the last thing I wanted was a flimsy plate disaster.
I ended up compromising. I still used my bulk-bought yellow and blue napkins and solid-colored cups, but I decided to spring for actual cocomelon tableware. After a quick search, I found a decent set online that had plates, cups, and napkins for about $25. Not bad for taking one big thing off my plate (pun intended!). They even had a cute J.J. design, which Owen absolutely loved. Honestly, it was worth it for the peace of mind. Those plates held up to Owen's enthusiastic cake-eating, and that's a win in my book!
For decorations, I pulled out some old red and blue streamers from Arjun's superhero party two years ago. I also grabbed some primary-colored balloons from the Dollar Tree. I did splurge on a Cocomelon Party Backdrop Set – it really made the cake table pop, and it was easy to set up. Total time for setup was maybe an hour, mostly wrestling balloons. Owen’s party was a hit, and I actually got to sit down for a whole 10 minutes!
Anyone else have a Cocomelon kid? How did you handle the party supplies? Any brilliant hacks I missed?
Cheers from Seattle! ☕️
Community Responses:
Hey Evelyn! Asher here from Columbus, OH. So glad Owen had a blast! As an elementary teacher (4th grade, 4 years!), I totally get the Cocomelon obsession. It’s a real phenomenon, especially with the younger ones like my Ruby (3) and Meera (4). Aria (9) and Ezra (10) are thankfully past that stage, phew!
Your DIY idea for the cocomelon tableware was brave! I've gone down that road with craft supplies from Meijer and Dollar Tree for school events, and sometimes it pays off, sometimes it's just more work for a less-than-perfect result. For my niece's second birthday last month, her mom was desperate for Cocomelon plates and couldn't find them anywhere. I ended up pointing her to a local party supply store that surprisingly had a few sets in stock, but they were pretty pricy – like $10 for 8 plates. She bought two packs, plus some plain blue ones, and mixed them. It actually looked really cute and saved her a few dollars.
I’m also a big fan of reusing decorations! My classroom is basically a museum of past party supplies. One tip I always tell parents for themes like Cocomelon is to look for general color schemes rather than strictly character-based items. You can often find yellow, blue, and green plates and napkins for a fraction of the cost. Then, maybe get just one special item, like the Cocomelon tablecloth or a few balloons. Saves your budget and your sanity! I think finding good Where To Buy Cocomelon Party Supplies can be a real treasure hunt sometimes!
Cameron here, Indianapolis. Spreads for party planning, photographs everything, TikTok recipes... yep, that's me. Glad Owen enjoyed his Cocomelon birthday, Evelyn. My Stella (3) is currently obsessed, so I'm filing away notes for next year. Milo (1), Isla (7), and Sofia (12) have broader tastes, thankfully.
Your almost-DIY tableware situation resonates. I had a similar moment with my daughter Isla’s 7th birthday – she wanted a unicorn party. I found some generic unicorn napkins, but the plates were awful. Plain white with a tiny, blurry unicorn. I thought, "I can print better!" So, I spent an hour designing and printing out unicorn heads on cardstock, intending to glue them to plain plates. It sounded efficient on paper.
What went wrong? Adhesive. I used spray adhesive, and it looked great initially. But then the plates got damp from juice boxes, and the paper unicorns started peeling off and curling. Not ideal when you're trying to eat cake. So, lesson learned: if you're going to DIY plates, test your adhesive with actual party food/drinks first. Or, just get the pre-made stuff, like you did with your cocomelon tableware. It's often worth the $15-20 for a set that actually functions as, you know, tableware.
My go-to now is just investing in quality plain-colored reusable plates from Amazon. I got a pack of 24 in various colors for about $30 a few months ago, and they've survived three parties and countless dishwasher cycles. For the theme, I focus on the cake, balloons, and maybe a custom banner. The plates become background noise. Sometimes, simplicity wins. For Stella, I’m probably just going to grab some Cocomelon Plates For Adults if I can find them, just so I don't have to worry about running out of kids' sizes.
Hey Evelyn, glad the party was a success! Dominic from Austin, TX here. Church youth leader, three awesome kids – Hazel (4), Ellie (6), and Nora (7). I feel you on the Cocomelon phase. My niece is deep in it, and her parents recently did a Cocomelon themed party. It’s cute but wow, the merchandising is intense!
My approach to parties is usually a mix of thrifting and hitting up HEB for snacks. I never follow a recipe exactly, so my party planning is usually a bit chaotic but fun. For my Hazel’s 4th birthday last year, she wanted a 'rainbow sparkles' party. Finding specific themed plates was tough, so we went with solid colored plates from Dollar Tree – literally spent $5 on plates and cups for 20 kids. Then, we found some rainbow confetti at a local thrift store for $1.50 and sprinkled it on the table. Instant sparkle! It’s all about working with what you can find.
I agree with Asher; sometimes, generic colors work better. Like, for Owen's Cocomelon party, if you couldn't find specific cocomelon tableware, bright reds, blues, and yellows would totally fit the vibe without being overly specific. You can add a few character cutouts to the backdrop or cake, and the kids usually don't notice the plates aren't character-specific. It's about the overall fun, right?
Oh, and I always hit up the Dollar Tree for party hats too. You can get an 11-Pack Kids Birthday Party Hats with Pom for super cheap there, and they're usually just basic colors that you can easily match to any theme.
One More Thing: Don t Forget the Family Dog
My sister-in-law brought her pomeranian Sunny (7 lbs) to the Cocomelon party and the kids went absolutely wild. We put a dog birthday hat on her and the photo turned out better than any posed shot. The EarFree Fit sits above the ears so it does not bug them, and the non-shedding glitter held up through cake time.
Check out our dog birthday party supplies — 5.99 with free shipping, CPSIA-certified.
Be respectful and share genuine experiences. No links, promotions, or spam — replies are reviewed before publishing.
