Hi! I am always inspired by the great ideas posted on this     site. I generally come up with a theme or idea, read some    of the same ideas from this site and then expand from there.     Last year had to be one of the most fun birthday parties I      have had. My daughter was turning ten, and every year we      have had a lot of fun planning her birthday parties, but I    wanted her tenth one to be really special. We decided to go    with a "Secret Agent" theme. Once the theme was established,     everything just started falling into place. We needed a      mystery to solve, and since my daughter had originally wanted     a mall party I decided to combine the two ideas. About two weeks    before the party I took her out to a shopping mall and had her      pick out her favorite shops. In each shop I had her pick out     some items that she would love to receive as a gift. Each item     had to cost less than $20. I wrote these items down and which     shop they were found in. As a bonus the movie "Secret Agent      Cody Banks 2" was just coming out in the theater, and so my      plans just kept getting better! I called the theater and booked     our party. Then I made the invitations using plain file folders     with Kim Possible across the front of them and TOP SECRET stamped    across this. On the top I placed a white sticker with each "agents"    name typed on it and the words "shopping mall fiasco". Inside each     folder I had written up the invitations as instructions for each     of the agents to attend a meeting regarding operation birthday    present, where we were to meet, the time, date, what to bring,    what their mission would be should they choose to accept, their     secret agent identification badges, and a clip on secret agent    spy glass case complete with a set of black sunglasses. Each agent    was asked to dress in all black clothing. The invitations were    printed in reversed lettering which I did myself on my printer. They     had to use a mirror to read them. I didn't have to ask anybody to     help me because parent's were calling me and asking me if they could    come because it looked like so much fun. Some of the girls met me     after school (as I am a teacher) and some went to the mall with their    parents. Once at the mall I gave each parent a clipboard with a set     of clues on it and a group of girls to take on a mall hunt. They had    been told in advance not to bring a present because they would be     hunting for the right present for her in the mall. Each of the clues     led them to the different shops that my daughter had previously chosen     items that she liked in. Then there were clues as to what she liked.    They had a half hour to find all of the stores and items that she    liked, then they had a half hour to buy her a present. She never got     to see what they bought. I also included some money in their secret     agent spy case for them to purchase something for themselves. This    was their loot bag. While everyone was shopping I called the theater     to double check on things only to find out that they had lost our    reservation and were not prepared to cater to us, this meant our cake     and everything! I hastily called another theater who were playing the    same movie and who offered to take us all on at half the cost but we    had to supply the cake. I called Wendy's who immediately went into     action and prepared things really quickly for us and very cheaply.     I grabbed a cake on my way past a grocery store, we ate at Wendy's,     the girls gave her the treasures that they had boughten for her       themselves (huge hit!)and then we motored on to the movie. They were     great at this theater! They were very sympathetic to our needs and    everyone catered to us to make this night special since it was almost     prematurely ended.    The kids had so much fun and then they came back to our house for a    sleepover and to share what they had each boughten for themselves. They     especially like being able to shop for their own presents for the     birthday girl and then to shop for themselves. The parent's thought     it was a great idea (less fuss for them) and the customer's and people    who worked in the mall got a big kick out of seeing the groups coming    though the stores in their secret agent garbs, black clothing and    sun glasses. We even had the Men in Black walk down pat. My youngest     girl who was seven had a lot of fun too. She really thought she was on     a spy mission. When everyone went home they were given certificates    that said they had passed their first mission successfully and had been    officially declared secret agents with their names, the date, etc.,    Lots of fun! It cost less than a party at home and less to clean up too!