50's Drive-In Movie 9yr - Backyard Drive-in

For my daughter's 9th Birthday I did a 50's Drive-In Movie Party. 

For the invitations I went to a thrift store and bought the old 45 records.  I then made labels to cover the middle part of the record that read Nine Candle's Production Presents: Back to the Future.  Shake Rattle and Roll to Kennedi's Birthday Drive-In Movie.  Poodle Skirts, Scarves and Leather Jackets Welcome!  To Be Produced on: September 18th at 6:30pm.  RSVP to the Sound Engineer: Kimberly at ###-###-####.  The records also came with a hard cover sleeve that I was able to mail to all her friends. 

For the girls party favors, I also went to the thrift store and found cat eye sunglasses that I just popped out the lenses, scarves to tie around their neck or ponytail, went to McDonalds and got a coupon that was for a free ice-cream cone, and a 50's matchbox car.  I put that all into the 50's cardboard cars I got from Steak n Shake.  The boys party favors were an old fashion flavor gum pack, a punching bag (this toy was made in the 50's) free McDonalds ice cream coupon, as well as a matchbox car all put into the Steak and Shake car.

The birthday girl was dressed in a poodle skirt that was handmade with a white tshirt that I had transferred ironed on the letter K.  Her hair was in a side ponytail and she wore the cat-eye glasses and neck scarf that I had bought from Gymboree from their halloween 50's girl line.  My other daughter was dressed in a white tshirt with the letter B ironed on( I bought the iron on transfers from Joanns) the 'Pink Lady' jacket from the Gymboree halloween 50's girl line.  Black capris, white bobby socks and tennis shoes with her hair on a side ponytail. She also had the Gymboree cat eye glasses and scarf.

We had the party in our yard so we could project the movie onto the house when it got dark.  I made 2 50's looking cars out of huge furniture boxes.  One I painted pink and the other I painted turquoise.  The kids could actually sit in these and eat their food while the movie played.  I also made a huge jukebox out of a furniture box.  I had music notes hanging from the trees.  I had 50's music playing when all the kids came.  Most of the kids did dress up in poodle skirts or jeans with white shirts!  I had bought 2 big plastic 50's cars that I taped to the house so it looked like a drive-in. 

Off to the side we had the Diner.  I made a huge sign that said Our last Name Diner.  Also at some point on clearance I found an old time diner clock that actually lit up like you would see in a diner that we had hung from the house.  I dressed up like a 50's waitress and had an apron to take everyones orders.  I also had cat eye glasses, a scarf and my hair in a ponytail. 

I also made and hung an old time diner menu I copied from the interent to look like a Coca Cola theme.  Hot Dogs 10 , Hamburgers 15 , Chips 5 , Rootbeer Floats 10 , Candy 1 ,Coca Cola 5.  We grilled the above food, and I had found at the dollar store the old fashion red plastic baskets you put your food in that I lined with wax paper. The ketchup and mustard where in the old fashion squeeze bottles. I also had found an old fashion straw holder that was on the table.  With the extra 45's, I found on the internet how to melt them into bowls and I used that for the chips and to hold the napkins. 

I also found a miniture jukebox clock that lit up and played music that I used as the centerpiece on the table.  My table cloth was the red/white checkerboard print.  I laid extra 45's all over as decorations and laid the food on.  The meat was placed on an old coca cola sign I had found. 

I had pink and turqoise cupcakes as well as I made a doll cake and the doll looked like a 50's girl.  Her top was blue and with a sharpie marker I made the letter K. I placed her hair in a side ponytail and she had a scarf around her neck.  The body was the cake and I iced it plain and then printed out a picture of a poodle and laid it on her skirt and then just piped the leash from icing.  Turned out so cute! (I have used that doll cake for many party's and have adapted it to my theme) I bought the old fashion glass coke and sprite bottles to drink from. 

I had a penny candy table.  I used the old fashion candy conatiners from pottery barn kids and had bazooka gum, tootsie rolls, sixlets, jujubees, and nector wafers.  I also had rootbeer floats.  I bought the glass sundae's from the dollar store and had found the long sundae spoons at Joanns in the pink and turquiose colors.  All the kids got to take the sundae glass and spoon home as a party favor as well. 

The games were a hula hoop contest and the girls also each got to take home a hula hoop, a bubble gum blowing contest, and we had matchbox car races with the cars they got in their goody bags.  They all lined up together and had to blow their car to the finish line with a staw. 

After all the games were done and it finally was dark we started the movie 'Back to the Future' projected onto our house.  The kids ate their food in the cars.  In the middle of the movie I brought out popcorn in the old fashion plastic popcorn containers I had found at the dollar store.  This party was so much fun and just as much fun to plan.  It took almost a year to plan this party!