The 90's in two words: Backstreet Boys. AMIRIGHT?! Well, whatever the 90's mean to you, we can all agree that some pretty rad stuff came from this boy band listinin', parachute pant wearin', Pokemon card tradin' decade.
A M B I A N C E
Alright, the excitement of throwing an epic 90s party has settled, and now you're asking yourself where do you begin. And the answer to that is: with decor, of course! When your guests arrive, you want them to feel like they just Mighty Max'ed themselves back twenty years into the past. If you were a 90s child yourself, then it's time to dig out those ol' toys. If you're lucky, maybe some of your really cool stuff managed to hide itself so well in your ma's attic, that it was able to survive the childhood eating monstrosity that is garage sales. If not, then no worries, you have plenty of other options at your fingertips, such as online shopping. Amazon and eBay are your new BFFs. There's tons of old memorbilia on both sites. And don't forget, you can always check out your local thrift shop. Those places are filled to the brim with outdated merch perfect for any decade party.
Okay, so let me give you some inspiration by sharing how I decorated for my own 90's party.
Okay, so let me give you some inspiration by sharing how I decorated for my own 90's party.
1) The easiest way to bring people back in time: fill the walls with posters from the 90's. These posters of Vigo (from Ghosterbusters 2) and Kramer (from Seinfeld) are classic images that represent 90's pop culture.
Both of these posters were purchased from Amazon. Totally optional, but we also bought cheap frames from JoAnn fabrics to add some class.
I can't lie. I had these two posters way before I ever thought of having a 90's party. Judge if you must.
2) Another way to add 90's charm: place old VHS tapes around. I actually found mine in the attic. But if you weren't a creepy hoarder like myself, you can always buy cheap VHS tapes from eBay, thrift shops, or even garage sales.
I also lucked out and found my old Sailor Moon wall scroll, and instantly I knew this had to be the image that greeted my guests as they walked into the house. Buwhahahaha!
3) Another great decor tip: Pokemon cards. C'mon, we all had them, and if you still do, they're a great way to spruce up a boring table. Plus, they double as an activity for the guests that still remember how to play. Just don't put your Charizard card out, 'cause you know one of your girlfriends is going to bring the super shady dude she's dating, and he's gonna be eyein' your sweet Char card with dollar signs in his eyes. Okay, maybe not, but whatevs.
Pokemon cards can be bought for super cheap on eBay. Also, you can buy new packs of the newer Pokemon at the store.
4) Decorate tables with old toys and cootie catchers from your childhood. Everyone made cootie catchers in the 90s. Everyone. But now that we're all grown up, why not spice up the fortunes with a little more adult themes? Just get creative! Here's an easy tutorial to make these in case you forgot: here.
Adding small toys like Chinese finger Chinese finger traps and yo-yo's around will also jog some nostalgia in your guests.
5) Set up tables with different movie themes. This was easily my favorite area of the party: THE JURASSIC PARK TABLE! Beside the dino egg cake pops (recipe below), we set up a monitor that displayed Dennis Nendry head. "Ah, ah, ah, you didn't say the magic word!" This is actually a genius website that let's you explore Jurassic Systems (More on that below).
Additionally, I found some dino wall stickers that I stuck to the table and wall. They add ambiance and they're super easy to just peel off and toss after the party.
M U S I C
You absolutely cannnnnooooot have a 90's partay without some dope 90's tunes. Here's my 90's Spotify Playlist stuffed full of Backstreet Boys and Mariah Carey goodness.
View Playlist Here
E D I B L E S
1) Jolly Rancher punch will quench thirst and nostalgia all in one. This is a super yummy punch that I found on SugarandCharm.com and made a few alterations.
- 3 cups of Pineapple Juice
- 1 64 oz bottle of Cranberry Juice
- 1 bottle of Apple Cider
- 1 liter of Ginger Ale
- 1 bottle of Strawberry infused Vodka
- 1 Orange sliced for garnish
2) Fill up bowls with delicious yummies from your childhood. Any snack that used to be in your 90s lunch bag is perfect. Here are some suggestions: Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Roll-up, Dunkeroos (available at Walmart), Warheads, Double Bubble Bubble Gum, Pizza Rolls, Kool-Aid Jammers, Oreo Mud Cups...
Most of these snacks should be available at your local grocery store. For the more elusive edibles, Amazon should have you covered.
3) 90's movie themed cake pops are a must! Everyone loved the dino egg cake pops on the Jurassic Park table, and they were pretty super simple!
You need:
- 1 box of devil's food cake mix
- 3 tbs of Pilsbury chocolate fudge frosting
- 10 cake pop sticks
- 1 bag of white chocolate backing chips
- foam block or cake pop holder
- moss to cover foam block
- Following the directions on the box, bake the chocolate cake as you normally would.
- Once the cake is set and cooled, dump the cake into a large bowl and break apart the cake with your hands.
- Add the frosting 1 tablespoon at a time and combine until you get a consistency that will hold together when rolled into a ball. Devil's food cake is already very moist, so you shouldn't need much; too much frosting will give the cake pops a sickly sweet taste.
- Roll the mixture into balls, and apply more pressure at the top to get a pointier egg shape.
- Add a few white chocolate chips to a small cup and microwave in 30 sec intervals until melted.
- Dip cake pop stick ends into melted chocolate and insert halfway into cake eggs. This is going to make sure your cake pops do not slide off the stick.
- Place into freezer for about 20 minutes.
- Add more chips to your cup and melt again in 30 second intervals. (Don't microwave too long or you will burn your chocolate) Make sure you add enough chips so that you can completely submerge your cake pops into the chocolate.
- Remove cake pops from freezer and dip one at a time into melted chocolate. Swirl and gently tap the pops to remove excess chocolate.
- Stick pops upright into a foam block or cake pop holder and allow to harden.
- Cover the foam with decorative moss.
4) Use brown paper bags to make "lunch bag" goodie bags for your guests to take home when they leave. Write your guests names on each bag - just like mom!
Fill the goodie bags with all things 90s. Here's some suggestions: ring pops, milky gel pens, candy bracelets, War Heads, play dough, grow capsules (just add water!), funky pencils, and pixie sticks.
A C T I V I T I E S
1) Set up a station to play old Nintendo games. Totally tubular, right? I mean, what doesn't bring you back to the 90's like a good ol' round of Super Mario Bros?
There's a few ways you can set this up. VirtualNES.com is a free and legal way to stream your favorite Nintendo games. Simply set up a laptop with the website open and play away! You can also stream the website to your TV using an HDMI cord, Apple TV, or even your Xbox. We used our Apple TV and bought some old school Nintendo controllers that plug into USB. We bought ours from Microcenter, but if you don't have one of those near you, you can always buy it from Amazon or ThinkGeek.
2) You can't party like it's 1999 without 90's trivia. Trivia is a great way to pay homage to 90's pop culture, especially when your teams are named after Legend of the Hidden Temple teams! Woo, go Green Monkeys!
Here's a quick guide to setting up your own 90's trivia:
- Decide your trivia categories
- ex: Music, Movies, TV, Snacks, and World Events
- Come up with your questions or use mine below
- Some of these questions I pulled from inthe90s.com
- Print out Legend of the Hidden Temple teams
- I used Avery 8293 Round Stickers but you could simply print these on card stock, or laminated printer paper, whatever you have.
- Use a white board, poster, or anything large to draw out the categories and points similar to Jeopardy.
- During the party, divide your guests into teams and pass them the sticker/labels you printed out earlier.
- Roll a die or flip a coin to decide who's going first.
- Let the first team select their category and points they want to try for.
- If they answer successfully in under 60 sec, they are rewarded all of the points. If they do not answer successfully, the next team gets a chance to steal for half the points.
- Game play continues until all questions are asked.
3) Set up a desktop or laptop with the website www.JurassicSystems.com. This is a genius website that mimics the computer system in the movie Jurassic Park. You can toggle JP music, pull up the Zebra Girl pic (display zebraGirl.jpg), check the systems, and more. (Hint: make sure you try to access system files for a little surprise - ah, ah, ah, you didn't say the magic word!) If you have an old computer screen lying around, that would be perfect for this!
I hope this post could give you some ideas and inspiration for throwing your own tubular 90's partay! Word to ya motha!
do you still have your trivia documents?
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