Theme: Toy Story – “Two Infinity and Beyond”
Who: Mallory (turning 2)
When: November 23, 2019
Where: Inside our home
Highlights:
	•	Full-scale “Andy’s Room”
	•	Easy DIY Candy Land game board cake
	•	Out-of-this-world Pizza Planet eatery
	•	DIY alien claw machine game
	•	Five themed activity stations with custom mission logs

After raising five kids, I’ve learned a few things — one being that if I want to choose a party theme instead of the child, I have to act early. Very early. Toddler early. The window before strong opinions set in is tiny, and Toy Story was one of those “someday” themes I knew I’d regret not doing. So when Mallory turned two, I went for it.

In hindsight, this may have been slightly unhinged timing… since I had just found out I was pregnant with our fifth (and final) baby. I’m one of those lucky people who get smacked with relentless morning sickness, so I was pulling this whole thing off while feeling like I’d been hit by a Pixar-themed truck. But once I get a vision in my head, there’s no stopping it. I powered through, fueled by ginger ale and stubbornness.

And I’m so glad I did.

Andy’s Room: The Transformation

Turning our dining area into Andy’s bedroom was hands-down my favorite part. I was on a tight budget, so I had to get scrappy — but that only made it more satisfying. I even covered our tile floors with wood grain bulletin board paper to mimic Andy’s hardwood floors! No, I didn’t drag an actual bed in there. I used the dining table as a stand-in bed and covered it with bedding to pull the illusion together.

It became the perfect setting for both photos and the cake — which, yes, was an easy DIY Candy Land game board cake my mom and I decorated ourselves.

Where to Buy the Gabby Gabby Dress
Elsa’s dress brought the character to life. If your little one loves Toy Story, here’s the exact Gabby Gabby costume we used. 

Pizza Planet: Right This Way to the Arcade

Naturally, if you’re doing Toy Story, you have to serve pizza. But Pizza Planet doesn’t exactly fit inside Andy’s bedroom, so I converted the girls’ playroom into a galactic dining area. This was back when we lived in an older home, and the room was small, windowless, and dark — which actually worked in my favor. I covered every inch of the walls with black plastic, hung inflatable planets from the ceiling, and fired up the TV with a glowing Pizza Planet sign.

These giant inflatable planets were the star of our Pizza Planet setup—lightweight, easy to hang, and instantly transformed the space into another galaxy. 

The Clawwwwwww

Every Pizza Planet needs a claw machine. I made ours from a $5 plastic bin, printed graphics, and pure determination. It was a total hit — and the aliens may or may not still live in our house to this day.

The Mission Log

For activities, each child got a Mission Log journal and rotated through five Toy Story-themed stations. After completing each station, they stamped their log and moved on to the next. Once their mission was complete, they turned it in for a prize. It gave structure to the chaos — and if you’re starting to get the sense that structure is my love language… you’re not wrong.

Activities included:
	•	Mischievous Monkeys
	•	Mixed-Up Potato Head
	•	The Claw
	•	Bo Peep’s Missing Sheep
	•	Green Army Men Shoot Camp

We also had Toy Story coloring pages with each child’s name on them (custom, of course) and a scavenger hunt as guest arrival activities.

Looking Back

This was one of those parties I dreamed up with total freedom — Mallory was just two, which meant I got to choose the theme. That freedom didn’t last long. Three years later, she insisted on a Vampirina / Fancy Nancy / Doc McStuffins triple-themed party!

If you want a deeper look at how I brought this party to life — from transforming rooms into Andy’s world to crafting the DIY alien claw machine — check out the follow-up posts linked below. I’ve packed them with extra photos, how-tos, and all the quirky details that made this party one for the books.

➡️ Full Andy’s Room DIY post
➡️ Check out how I made the Candyland Cake
➡️ Pizza Planet transformation tutorial
➡️ All five mission log activity stations

This is the very first post on a brand-new blog, but I’ve got dozens more coming. With five kids, I’ve thrown over 40 themed parties (everything from Super Mario to Dr. Seuss to Lilo & Stitch). If you’re a fellow party dreamer — or just here for the photos — I hope you’ll stick around.