Best new party ranges for 2014

Some years it all seems to happen in the party industry! For 2014 there is a fantastic array of new children’s party ranges coming on the market. Some such as Lego are to coincide with a movie release while others are released to compliment a successful TV show or game.

But this is a crowded market with some proved winners like Mickey Mouse, Spiderman & the Disney princesses already established and ever popular.

So what will be the winners? With 15 years plus in the market and with sales already very strong in the first 6 weeks of 2014 we are well placed to predict the future in this regard.

Our top 5 would be:

WWE Wrestling 

The new WWE range is brilliant with a combination of graphics and pictures of the main fighters featured on every item. The Scene Setter and WWE Foil Swirls are the best decorations we have seen for a while. This is aimed primarily at young boys and I think it will knock many of the super hero ranges off the top spots in sales terms. A must have for a young boy who likes his wrestling.

Angry Birds

The Angry Birds party range is simple with tableware featuring the distinctive red bird on most of the items. While the range is not extensive it is a sure fire winner with such a large number of kids playing the game on a daily basis. Initial sales from the UK suggest it is beating all expectations so no reason to believe it will be any different here. A piñata featuring one of the targeted guys with a saucepan on his head would have been great I think. It would have brought a bit of fun into the range. Maybe it will come!

 Sofia the First 

Sofia the First is a really popular Disney Channel show for little princesses. For 2014 they have introduced a Sofia the First party range and I think it will be a great success. The range is different in that there are no tableware pieces but there are some great hair accessories, games & room decorations. The scene setter is brilliant. A winner for sure.

Moshi Monsters

Adding to their toys and online magazine come a Moshi Monsters range of party supplies. Really well designed with bright colours and featuring all the main characters from the show it is a certain success. The tablecover is sure to be noticed by the party goers and will make for great colourful pics.

Ninja Turtles

Prepare to be shocked! The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles range of party decorations and tableware is shockingly good. Featuring the iconic colour scheme and action poses it is both well designed and features some great products. The mini figurine candles are really cools and will create an impression on the birthday cake and the 24 piece favour pack offers some great Loot bag fillers. All in all they have got this one right and it is sure to be a big 2014 seller.

Cupcake Party

Cupcake party

Want a great idea for your child’s next party? Try a cupcake party for kids. Allow the kids to be creative with lots of colors, flavors and sprinkles which will make for great photos they can share with their friends.

You can either make the cupcake decorating a part of the festivities or as the main theme of the party with all the tableware and decorations to match. 

All you need are cupcakes and plenty of sweets -- and of course, the unmatchable power of kids' imaginations -- and voila! You'll have platefuls of delicious kid creations and some very proud cupcake-decorating artists who'll be eager to show off -- and eat -- their handiwork.

This cake stand from our new 2014 cupcake range is ideal for displaying the finished product.

 

What You Will Need

The first thing you need is enough space around a table for all the children to be able to sit down. I would also advise a maximum of around 10 -12 children as beyond that they can get a bit over-excited and it can be difficult to give each child the help they need.

Aprons are a good idea as with all that icing sugar and buttercream it can get a bit messy but if you don't have enough aprons ask each child to bring (or wear) and old t-shirt or something they don't mind getting messy.

You'll need cupcakes which can either be made or bought ~ if making them it can be fun to buy some themed cupcake cases, maybe birthday ones or a mix of colours. For a really good party you'll need some buttercream in piping bags, some glace icing (though this can now be bought to use in packets with nozzles which is a real bonus) and plenty of sweets. Have a wide range and be ready to use your imagination to show the kids what to do ~ for example jelly beans make great flower petals and chocolate buttons can be eyes or ears.

Have a couple of cakes made up so you can show the kids the sort of things they can do ~ sometimes they need a little help to get them on their way. If you're just letting them get on with it you'll need to allow about 5 mins per cake, so an average child will complete around 6 cakes in 30 minutes. If you want to string the party out a bit have a couple of cakes that you make together so they follow what you do ~ this works out to be around 10 - 15 mins per cake.

Another option is to throw a cupcake related game in there. One of my favourites is what I call the 'straw face game'. Use sweets to make a face on a cake and give either each child, or teams of 2 or 3 kids a cake and the sweets they need to make the face. Also give them each a straw (make sure all the sweets you use are bigger than the end of the straw ~ you don't want any accidents with children sucking up sweets).
Without using their hands they have to suck on the straws to pick the sweets up and put them on the cake ~ the winner gets a prize.