FOR MY SON'S 5TH BIRTHDAY I DECIDED TO HAVE A CAT IN THE HAT BIRTHDAY PARTY. I FOUND THE TABLEWARE ON THE CHEAP AT OUR LOCAL PARTY STORE. THE CAT IN THE HAT PARTY SUPPLIES WERE BEING DISCONTINUED, AND WERE MARKED DOWN TO $1.00 FOR THE PLATES, TABLECOVERS, INVITATIONS, NAPKINS, ETC. I STOCKED UP AND STORED EVERYTHING FOR 8 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE PARTY. WE HAD THE PARTY AT A LOCAL PARK, WE RENTED A PAVILLION AND A BOUNCE HOUSE. THE CAKE WAS SPECIALLY ORDERED FROM A LOCAL BAKERY. IT WAS A SQUARED SHEET CAKE. I HAD THEM DECORATE AS FOLLOWS: THE SIDES OF THE CAKE WERE WHITE, THE FRINGES WERE RED. I HAD THEM MAKE A LARGE UPRIGHT STOVEPIPE HAT (RED AND WHITE LIKE IN THE STORY). NEXT TO THE HAT THERE WERE MORE RED ICING PUFFS. (THIS WAS DONE TO SEPARATE ONE SIDE FROM THE OTHER.)THE REMAINDER OF THE CAKE WAS MADE TO LOOK LIKE A LAKE. WE PUT THE FIGURINES ON TOP AND IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE FLOATING ON A LIGHT BLUE LAKE. I FOUND THE FIGURINES ON EBAY. THE SET CONTAINED 2 CATS IN THE HAT, THING 1 AND 2, THE 2 KIDS FROM THE STORY, AND THE FISH IN HIS BOWL FROM THE STORY. THE CUTE THING IS THAT ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE ON WOODEN PLANKS, SO IT REALLY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE FLOATING ON THE BLUE ICING AWAY FROM THE BIG HAT THAT WAS ON SHORE. MY KIDS LOVED THIS CAKE. I LOVED IT TOO BECAUSE IT WAS EASY TO TRANSPORT FROM THE BAKERY TO THE PARK! DECORATIONS: I PURCHASED SOME LARGE INFLATABLE GRINCH AND MAX DOGS (THE GRINCH'S DOG WITH THE ANTLERS)I BOUGHT THESE ON-LINE BY THE DOZEN FROM A PARTY SUPPLY COMPANY, I WAS ABLE TO HANG THEM AROUND THE PAVILLION. THEY SERVED DOUBLE DUTY, AS DECORATION AND AS PRIZES FOR THE KIDS. WE WOUND UP PASSING SOME OUT DURING THE PARTY BECAUSE THE KIDS JUST COULDN'T WAIT. (MY KIDS STILL PLAY WITH THEM!)WE ALSO TAPED CAT IN THE HAT CUT-OUTS TO ALL THE COLUMNS OF THE PAVILLION. I FOUND SOME CAT IN THE HAT PRINTED LATEX BALLOONS AND LARGE MYLAR BALLOONS ON EBAY. WE SPREAD THE 12 LATEX BALLOONS AROUND THE PAVILLION AND PUT THE 2 LARGE MYLAR CAT IN THE HAT BALLOONS ON EACH END OF THE CAKE TABLE. MOST OF THE KIDS AT THE PARTY WERE TODDLERS, MY SON WAS THE OLDEST SO I DECIDED AGAINST A PINATA. INSTEAD I USED THE PLASTIC CAT IN THE HAT CUPS I PURCHASED AT THE PARTY STORE, I STUFFED THEM WITH CANDY AND CAT IN THE HAT STICKERS. I WRAPPED THEM IN CELLO, AND ATTACHED CAT IN THE HAT GIFT TAGS WITH CURLY STRING TO THE TOP. THIS WAS VERY SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE. THE CUPS WERE 50 CENTS A PIECE ON CLEARANCE, I FOUND THE STICKERS AT BIG LOTS. THEY CAME IN BOX, AND I PAID $4.00, THERE WERE ENOUGH IN THE BOX FOR ALL THE KIDS. THE TAGS WERE PURCHASED AT PARTY CITY(OUR LOCAL PARTY STORE) FOR $1.00 A PIECE. CENTERPIECES: I MADE POSTER BOARD HATS WITH THE CAT IN THE FRONT OF THE HAT. THIS CENTERPIECE WAS ALSO USED AS A LOLLIPOP HOLDER. I PURCHASED TWO LARGE PIECES OF WHITE POSTER BOARD PAPER, AND TWO LARGE PIECES OF RED POSTER BOARD PAPER. (79 CENTS A PIECE AT WALGREENS, SOMETIMES THEY HAVE COUPONS AND YOU CAN GET THEM FOR 33 CENTS A PIECE.)I CUT THE WHITE POSTER BOARD INTO WIDE, TALL SQUARES. I ROLLED EACH SQUARE INTO A CYLINDRICAL SHAPE AND GLUED IT. I CUT OUT RED CIRCLES FOR THE BOTTOMS, AND GLUED IT TO THE WHITE CYLINDER. ALLOW THIS TO SET, I LEFT MINE TO DRY FOR A FEW HOURS. THEN I CUT RED STRIPS FROM THE RED POSTER BOARD, AND GLUED THEM ONTO THE WHITE HAT. (THIS MADE THE RED STRIPES FOR THE HAT.) WHEN EVERYTHING WAS DRY I STUFFED TISSUE PAPER INTO THE HAT, I FILLED IT HALFWAY WITH TISSUE PAPER. THEN I PUT IN A STYROFOAM BALL. THEN I SCANNED A PICTURE OF THE CAT'S FACE ON MY COMPUTER. UNDER THE FACE WE PUT TOMMY'S 5TH BIRTHDAY". WE HAD THESE ENLARGED A BIT AND PRINTED AT STAPLES. THEY ALSO PUT IT ON A CARD BOARD TYPE MATERIAL. I GLUED THE CAT TO THE SIDE OF THE HAT WHERE THE STRIPS MET. IT COVERED UP THAT AREA WHERE WE HAD GLUED EVERYTHING TOGETHER EACH CHILD LEFT WITH BALLOONS 1 LARGE INFLATABLE GRINCH 1 LARGE INFLATABLE MAX AND THE CANDY CUP. THIS IS A GREAT THEME THAT LEAVES A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM FOR DECORATING. EBAY PARTY STORES DOLLAR STORES ON-LINE PARTY SUPPLY STORES ORIENTAL TRADING COMPANY ARE ALL GREAT SOURCES OF CUTE AND INEXPENSIVE PARTY ITEMS. PLAN EARLY SHOP EARLY AND IT'S POSSIBLE TO STICK TO A BUDGET. IF YOU CAN'T FIND THE THEMED PARTY WARE YOU COULD USE SOLID COLORS AND GET MORE IDEAS FOR CUTE DECORATIONS FROM THE ACTUAL DR.SEUS BOOKS. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! "