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How does one throw a Doll Party?

Oct 8, 2012

    1. Many of us have attended doll-meets before, but what about doll parties?

      My roommate and I will be throwing a Doll-O-Ween party for our local friends in the hobby, so it's going to be doll themed. But I've 1) never held a doll meet before and 2) never thrown a party before. :sweat I got to thinking, what fun things can we do to tie in the doll theme? What kind of games can we play? Should I have gift bags? How can I make this less of a doll meet, and more like an actual party/event?

      So I thought I'd turn to you guys for some suggestions and advice on how to throw a great Doll-o-ween (or any doll themed) party! Any fun suggestions? :D
       
      #1 koka, Oct 8, 2012
    2. Bobbing for doll parts? That way you nail both the doll aspect and Halloween! ^o^

      No, but seriously - I think gift bags is an awesome idea. You could also find someone with some drawing ability to create you a poster board pic of a dollfie and some clothes or something, and play 'pin-the-clothes-on-the-dollfie'.
       
      #2 Genesblues, Oct 8, 2012
    3. I'm going to a Halloween meet that's featuring a costume contest. It could be a good idea to also have doll-themed games, like Pictionary where the theme is things relating to BJDs and whatnot, or maybe even a doll trivia game! As for gift bags, little bags of candy would probably be good with it being a Halloween-themed meet. :)

      EDIT: I REALLY like Genesblues' "Pin the clothes on the Dollfie" idea too!
       
      #3 kaschan502, Oct 8, 2012
    4. Locally we've had some large meets that could essentially be parties. XD

      In terms of the dolls, I'd suggest seeing if you can get some "scenes" set up for photos and the like. Maybe a bunch of the tiny pumpkins on hunter's camoprint fabric to make a patch? One of the little "cauldrons" with lights inside and full of clear marbles to make bubbling? We did a few things like this for a meet at my closest friend's house, sadly, I ended up with the flu so I didn't see how it turned out. XD

      As for party, I do suggest ahead of time deciding and inviting based on is it going to be potluck or host serves all food?


      Actually...if you get a bunch of those little pumpkins (The real kinds, so you can compost them later), you can do a patch scene, then do a doll carving game, then maybe more photos with the little electric candles?
       
      #4 Ice Mutt, Oct 8, 2012
    5. you could have a drawing contest or doll themed games and yes you should have gift bags like maybe if you sew you could have a winner of the drawing contest get some clothes for there bjd
       
      #5 Addyahoy, Oct 8, 2012
    6. Pin the Wig on the Dolly? Grab a few pictures or different wigs and pin them to a picture of a bald dolly!
       
      #6 CCKitty, Oct 9, 2012
    7. Have you ever read the book The Best Loved Doll? It was a childhood favorite of mine, and is all about a little girl who attends a doll party (and her dolls). When I was little, one of my birthday parties was based on the book. I know, silly, right?

      But anyway, the book is full of doll-themed games and activities, in addition to just being an awesome (in a sappy, sugar-sweet sort of way) story.
       
      #7 Kiyakotari, Oct 9, 2012
    8. Oh my! I love ALL of your ideas! Especially the setting up scenes idea... if only I had enough surfaces for that! I'll have to hit up the craft store in the next few days so I can find some cute props. And there is a pumpkin patch right next to my work, so I could totally get some wee pumpkins... XD I love these ideas! Hehe.
       
      #8 koka, Oct 9, 2012
    9. Our group has done things like having a specified costume theme/requirement for both dolls & humans. Sometimes a doll-costume contest. Anonymous vote, usually just for bragging-rights (but sometimes there is a silly little prize too).

      We don't usually bother with games, otherwise-- it's usually a potluck, so we spend the afternoon stuffing ourselves and admiring each other's dolls. Snowleopard always makes a whole crockpot of pasta and I always eat about half of it. :D Potluck, btw, best way to feed any party, gives your guests the chance to be creative with the halloween theme & everyone to taste the rewards. Couple bottles of wine are always nice; prevents awkward silences. Any beverage with Dry Ice in it is an instant party.

      Decorations almost always include those ittybitty gourd-sized pumpkins. A trip to the Halloween section of Michael's, Target, or any drugstore will yield a wealth of doll-sized spooky scenery items-- suitable for dolly photo-stage setups. Dungeon walls, cauldrons, spiderwebs, funky lights, flames, whatever. Add a couch & a couple of chairs, provide a couple of stands, and let people pose their dolls there. (If you are a very dedicated host, a fun thing might be to print up souvenir photo-postcards of a group shot on the stage, and give them out to everybody later.) Or-- just buy big bags of doll-sized cheapie party-favors for each guest to take home, like those little 1:4 witch hats or plastic cauldrons.

      And... Gift bags of seasonal crap candy are always a good idea, for any party, doll or human! :thumbup: After all, candy-corn comes but once a year - 'tis the season to jettison the healthfood for awhile. The kale & brown rice will still be there waiting for us come November.
       
      #9 JennyNemesis, Oct 9, 2012
    10. that is an awesome idea. I would love to go to a doll party. The idea of the diffrent scenes and the bobbing for doll parts is great. Take plenty of pictures
       
      #10 dollhog4ever, Oct 9, 2012
    11. That sounds like SO much fun!!!

      I have hosted a Doll party before. :) I've hosted a very small holiday party, and I've hosted a doll wedding party. And quite a few sleepovers. :)

      A few tips, in addition to the amazing ones already mentioned:

      -check parking. Make sure your guests have a safe place to park their cars.
      -set times so you have time to get ready and people aren't way over staying their welcome
      -make sure you have a safe place for the dolls to sit. The party may be focused on the dolls, but chances are, people will end up eating, talking, goofing ff, and it's a good idea to have a table, set, furniture, etc for the dolls to sit on out of the way.
      -gift swap is always fun! You could ask each person to bring a small gift, something doll related but say, under $10 or maybe even request that it be Halloween themed and good for any size doll. Then draw numbers to see who gets what.
      -silly games are fun, but you don't want to be too strict on "we have 50 games and must play them ALL!!!" so maybe 3-5 short games, keep it fun.
      -gift bags are a great idea! If you sew, maybe a Halloween themed tshirt or little trick or treat bags or something. The Dollar Tree has all kinds of tacky little party favors right now for cheap and often they have small scaled gifts that work for dolls. Candy is good too. For my dolly wedding party, I made doll sized Sculpey cookies that fit the wedding theme for the guests to take home.
      -Costume contests! I like the idea of everyone voting anonymously on the best.
      -plan food and drinks, whether you buy them or have a potluck. Our local meets are usually potluck.
      -have plenty of photo ops set up, even if it is just a Halloween themed table cloth hung on the wall as a backdrop or the pumpkin patch idea Ice Mutt mentions.

      Most of all, go with the flow and have fun! Seems out local meets usually lead themselves, just based on what everybody feels like doing.
       
      #11 CloakedSchemer, Oct 9, 2012
    12. Check with your guests for any food allergies or dietary restrictions beforehand. Then if you're doing a potluck you can let everyone know you need gluten-free options or whatever, and make sure you label the dishes clearly. Little gift bags full of candy and dolly sized Halloween props would be nice for your guests. Maybe a doll costume contest. A photo op station need not be fancy. A few pumpkins or skulls and some Halloween fabric for a backdrop would be cute, and you can have colored light bulbs or string lights for a spooky atmosphere. Dry ice is your friend! It's cheap and a little goes a long way. Everyone loves playing with dry ice :)
       
      #12 renee_chan, Oct 9, 2012
    13. After seeing all your ideas, I'm really wanting to hold a meet up some time or maybe a dolly slumber party! :) Gosh, we'd have sewing doll clothes, trading accessories, and (if I can find someone with experience) face up tutorials/classes. A whole bunch of fun stuff. I don't know if I'd do it for Halloween or anything...maybe for my birthday? :) Anyways, Koka, I hope you got enough ideas! I know I sure did!
       
      #13 SaintoftheRose65, Oct 15, 2012
    14. I love doll parties! I'm planning one for next June, like a garden party with lots of scenes for photos. The biggest worry is safe room for the dolls. The doll parties I've been to have had lots of tables to set up the dolls. My plan is to clear out all my stuff so I have lots of surface area for dolls to sit and stand. Setting up a scene is as easy as a pumpkin with a cheap black table cloth behind it to set the mood. I like to photograph near the windows to get the best lighting. I also like those little gourd pumpkins because they're doll size. A costume contest is nice too.

      Once I had a package arrive with dry ice in it and instead of letting it go to waste I put it in a pot of hot water outside on the ground and took pictures with a doll and the swirling fog.

      and oh my gosh, have fun!!!!
       
      #14 Gherkin, Oct 15, 2012
    15. Wow! So many ideas! Thank you, everyone!
      I love the idea of a gift trade. I wonder if I can make that work with the people who aren't doll owners? I have a few friends coming who are interested in dolls, but don't have their own. Hmmm!

      I have no tables for dolls, though. T^T I wonder where I can buy a couple for cheap? I'll check amazon!
      But I'll deifnitely have little photo op areas. I'm going to Michael's today to buy a bunch of decorations for them. I'm thinking about having a homemade photo booth for doll owners + dolls, too! Where to fit all this stuff, though... haha!
       
      #15 koka, Oct 18, 2012