How I Created a Life-Size Pizza Planet Restaurant for My Toy Story Party

The Vision
I wanted the kids (and adults) to feel like they had stepped into another world. My goal was to recreate the energy of a chaotic, glowing arcade where you lose all sense of time and place. A room that smelled like fresh pizza, glowed under blacklight, and made everyone forget they were still in a house.

Why dedicate a whole room? Because immersive experiences don’t happen in corners. Floor-to-ceiling transformation makes all the difference.

➡️ Pizza Planet was just one part of our Toy Story Party.  You can check out the main party overview here.

The Perfect Room
We were lucky to have a weird 1970s-era sunken room with no windows — possibly a converted garage. It had tall ceilings and total darkness, making it the perfect blank slate.

Kids’ playroom before being transformed into Pizza Planet for Toy Story party — This old school sunken room became Pizza Planet!

The Decor

Walls: I covered every inch of wall space with 4-foot-high black plastic roll printed with stars. It took two 40-foot rolls. I attached everything using black gaffer tape and also wrapped large furniture pieces in black tablecloths so they’d blend into the background.

➡️ The exact black plastic roll I used is no longer available on Amazon, but this should be a suitable substitute.

Signage: We had a TV in the room, so I just created a Pizza Planet logo graphic in Photoshop and displayed it full screen. No crafting required.

The Pizza Planet party room featured space-themed decorations, hanging planets, and a rocket-shaped prize machine.

Lighting & Glow Effects
Black lights were the magic ingredient. I mounted them high up on photography light stands to keep them out of guests’ eyes while still hitting the glow-reactive objects.
Things that glowed great:
   * Neon balloons
   * Glow-reactive plastic plates, cups, and utensils
Things that didn’t:
   * Anything not UV-reactive (which I expected)

The Food Setup
I ordered white 9-inch pizza boxes from Amazon and decorated them with Pizza Planet graphics from Etsy. We used them as props behind the real pizza, which was picked up fresh right before dinner and served on pizza pans.  We also served baked ziti (hot from the oven) and cold salad.

The timing was everything. If you’re trying something like this, aim to finish food prep just as you plan to serve so it doesn't get cold.

Pizza Planet-themed table setup with stacked pizza boxes, glow utensils, and alien figurines, before food service begins. — The Pizza Planet table all set with glowing partyware and themed boxes

Toy Story-themed Pizza Planet table display with custom pizza boxes, blacklight-reactive plates and utensils, and a printed Pizza Planet menu sign. — The pizza, pasta, and salad were added when guests arrived.

Green alien-themed drink dispenser with glowing green punch beside Pizza Planet boxes. — Alien punch ready to serve—waiting patiently for the real party to begin.

Red tub filled with White Claw seltzers and water bottles, decorated with Toy Story alien and “The Claw!” sign. — Our grown-up refreshment station, featuring “The Claw!” White Claws and cold drinks.

The Clawwwwwwww
This space was mostly for food, but I couldn’t resist recreating the iconic Alien Claw Machine as a mini activity. It was nothing more than a cleverly decorated plastic bin filled with ball pit balls and hidden toys. Kids stood on a stool behind it and used a grabber to reach inside and pull out prizes.

A red cardboard rocket ship labeled “Prize” holds a bin of colorful balls and small toys, recreating the iconic Pizza Planet claw machine from Toy Story. — Guests tested their luck at “The Claw,” our DIY rocket-shaped prize machine filled with alien-approved goodies.

🚀 How I Built the Claw Machine Rocket 🚀

Designing the claw machine took some trial and error, but once the vision clicked, it was surprisingly easy to put together. The base is just a clear plastic storage tote placed on a tray table. I wrapped the sides of the tote with the same black starry plastic used on the walls—except for a cutout window in the center, shaped like a rocket segment, so kids could peek inside at the blue and green ball pit balls and spot the prizes hidden among them.

For details, I used black letter stickers from Dollar Tree to label the bin “SPACE CRANE,” then cut red foam board into rocket pieces and attached them to the front. Finally, I crafted a little prize chute out of black construction paper, added the word “PRIZE” with the same stickers, and glued it on as a finishing touch. Simple materials, big impact!

I highly recommend investing in a hot knife if you'll be doing any detailed cutting of foam boards.  I use mine constantly!  It slices through foam board like butter.

Close-up of a homemade rocket-shaped claw machine labeled “Space Crane,” filled with ball pit balls and small toy prizes for a Toy Story-themed party. — This claw machine is nothing more than a clear plastic storage bin in disguise!

Finishing Touches
Let’s talk planets. These giant inflatable solar system decorations made the room. I strung them from the tall ceiling with fishing line and let them hover over guests while they ate. It was such a fun visual (and a solid workout blowing them up).

Hanging inflatable planets in a black starry room, part of a Toy Story Pizza Planet birthday party setup. — Giant inflatable planets dangled overhead to complete the Pizza Planet illusion — an eye-catching and easy way to transform the space into another galaxy.

We also used an inexpensive star projector to cast moving stars across the ceiling — a subtle detail that added so much.

Biggest Challenge:
Gaffer tape starts to lose its hold after about 24 hours. I re-taped loose sections as needed during the party setup to avoid damaging the walls with stronger adhesives.  Even though it doesn't hold as long as I wish it did, gaffer tape is my most beloved party supply.  I go though a full roll of it for every event.

Advice: Do not save something like this for the day before your party. It’s a full-day project minimum, and you’ll want time to troubleshoot.

Loved this part of the party? Here’s everything else I did:

➡️ How I recreated Andy’s bedroom in the dining room
➡️ Decorate your own Candy Land style birthday cake
➡️ Step-by-step breakdown of all of our Toy Story party games