Hop Up! Jump In!: How to Throw a Handy Manny Birthday Party

Turner, Squeeze, Pat and Rusty, Felipe, Stretch, and Dusty, and of course, Handy Manny.  These fun and exciting characters from Disney’s Handy Manny are a great way to theme a party for your little one.  To create the perfect Handy Manny fiesta, follow these simple steps:

• Pack lunches for your construction crew by getting brown paper bags and packing sandwiches, fruit, vegtables, and juice boxes.
• As Handy Manny is Spanish, get a piñata of either Handy Manny or of a traditional Spanish style. If you don’t want to buy, search the internet for how to make one on your own.
• To keep hands busy, search the internet for blank Handy Manny coloring sheets that you can print and copy for kids to color. 
• For an interesting craft, you can get small toolboxes and let kids decorate them with stickers, paint, glitter, or almost anything.
• For any food that does not come in the lunch bags (or for grown ups), take a trip to the hardware store and buy inexpensive paint tray liners and plastic spackle spreaders to serve food.  Cutlery looks great in an empty paint can.
• Print off pictures of all of the tools, cut them out and hang them around the room.  Print off extra to place on your tablecloth. 
• Use brightly colored plates, napkins, and cups to match the animation colors.  Try yellow, red, green or blue.
• You can download Handy Manny music from most major music sites (iTunes, PureTracks), or simply play some Spanish inspired tunes.
• For goody bags try inexpensive plastic tools, hard hats, or your toolboxes from above. Don’t forget to include some candy from Mr. Lopart’s candy shop.
• Make funny signs for the food and condiments. Who wouldn’t love a cold glass of “Tool-Aid.”
• Get a ball and some nut and bolt combos to do some Bolt Bowling, or set up items (megablocks, empty boxes) to construct towers.
• Create a simple toolbox cake by piling two rectangular slab cakes on top of each other, and piping on a handle, drawers, and maybe a logo.
• Make tool cookies by using tool cookie cutters and decorating them to match the characters.  If you don’t have tool cookie cutters make your own by cutting 1” strips of disposable aluminum cookie sheet metal, and wrapping them around kid’s plastic play tools to create the shape.  Staple in place.  They are a little finicky to use because they can’t take a lot of pressure, but once you get the hang of them, they are fantastic.
• If you have dress up clothes, put the birthday child in jeans, a toolbelt, a baseball cap and green shirt to be the perfect little Handy Manny (or Mandy if it’s a girl).

By following these simple tips you will be sure to have a fabulous Handy Manny party.