The 90s are full of nostalgia for me! It’s become a popular party theme, many styles and toys are back in stores, and you have an entire decade of movies, shows, toys, music, and fashion to work with!
For my eldest sister’s 40th birthday I did a Survivor Party and I chose the 90s for my middle sister’s 40th birthday!
I incorporated so many aspects of the 90s for this party – music, movies, toys, TV shows, food, clothing, and technology. I asked everyone invited to dress up and they delivered! It was great seeing butterfly clips, windbreakers, nylon, intense geometric patterns, overalls, and more. We also had a great playlist of 90s music going the whole time.
There is lots to unpack here so feel free to jump to what interests you:
90s Decorations are All That!
Cardboard Game Boy
Video games were a big part of the 90s, especially the Game Boy.
I painted a larger piece of cardboard to be a 4 foot tall Game Boy. I used a Cricut to make all the buttons and labels. Here is the Cricut file to cut the Gameboy shapes out yourself – for the up/down/left/right buttons, the triangles are under the squares and I creased the top layer to get the impression of the triangle button.
For the party, I added old family pictures to the screen of the Game Boy. This made a cool decoration and a good showcase for pictures.
CD Wall
This CD wall makes a cool photo background. The only supplies I needed were a lot of CD’s (that I didn’t mind destroying), a bunch of binder rings, and a drill bit. If you don’t have a box of old CD’s in your basement like I do, buying a set of CD-RWs would be an inexpensive way to get a lot of CD’s. I used 48 CD’s for this project.
I drilled holes in the CD’s on two opposite sides. Be sure you have a flat surface to drill on and apply slow, constant pressure. The CD’s can shatter if you go too fast.
Movie Poster Magnets
Beyond a Space Jam movie poster, I didn’t have a lot to represent the movies from the 90s. So, I created a set of fridge magnets to dress up the drinks area.
I printed out movie posters from classic 90s movies. Then I used Mod Podge to affix them to pieces of wood cut 3×5 size. My husband hot glued fridge magnets to the back. Simple but effective!
Fanny Packs, Confetti, and More
Adding balloons and decorations to the walls is an easy way to transform your space for a party. I ordered a set of photo booth props and taped them to the walls and cabinets. We have a large white cabinet right inside the door where people walk into the house. Adding these fun images made the space feel like it was part of the party too.
Fanny packs were the goodie bag item for this 90s party. These added a fun display and gave everyone an instant costume.
Geometric shapes are a classic 90s look – whether its from Saved By The Bell or the roller rink carpeting! To dress up the tables for the party use simple geometric shapes cut out from bright colored paper. Then, sprinkle onto the black tablecloths like confetti.
If you have a Cricut you can cut out a lot of confetti in a single sheet of cardstock. Here are links to the files for the 1 inch circle confetti, 1 inch triangle confetti, 1 inch square confetti, 2 inch rectangles confetti, and Zigzag confetti.
Cootie Catchers or Fortune Tellers are simple to make and very nostalgic. I used origami paper to create these colorful fortune tellers and then strung to together to make a garland.
All the Stuff
The majority of the decorations for the party were legitimate 90s stuff. Toys and games stored in my basement. Finally my large storage bin of Beanie Babies could be opened! We had video games, old clock radios, and inflatable chairs. I reached out to several friends to borrow anything they still had stored away.
Oh Snap, there’s Food?
Microwavable snacks ruled the 90s! Bagel Bites, Hot Pockets, Totino’s Pizza Rolls. I stuck with Bagel Bites, Smiley Fries, Dunkaroos, and also Lunchables.
Originally I was going to buy a ton of actual Lunchables and make a buffet, which would have been cool, but less enjoyable for adults. Let’s face it, those crackers were always terrible.
Instead, I created a giant version for a charcuterie board. I filled it with crackers, cheese, and a variety of meats (bologna, ham, salami, and pepperoni) that you would find in a Lunchable. These were just higher quality versions.
I used a sweater gift box, then cut holes to hold the food trays. The inserts were food prep containers leftover from a Dinosaur Excavation Kit I made for a Dinosaur Party.
I painted the box yellow and orange to look like a Lunchables tray. The logo was made using vinyl cutout I designed on my Cricut. Here is a link to the design to cut yourself.
This project didn’t take very long to complete but had a big impact and everyone enjoyed the food.
Get Jiggy with Games
90s Trivia
Trivia is always a fun activity for an adult party. It’s easy for everyone to join in (one of my planning tips), even if they aren’t buzzing in to give answers. People sitting around can hear the questions too.
We had a 90s Trivial Pursuit game and I pulled all my questions from that. I chose to stick to questions about TV shows, fashion, toys, technology, movies and leave the political questions out of it.
Name that 90s TV Show
So many great 90s shows are still popular today, like Friends and Seinfeld, while others have been rebooted, like Full House and Rugrats. For this game, we played the theme song from these popular shows and also ones you might have forgotten about – Fraiser, Mad About You, Wings, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman!
This was another game that everyone could play, even if they were just watching. I did underestimate the amount of background noise that would be in the room though. I suggest having a separate set of speakers if you are playing the songs off a phone or computer.
90s Nostalgia Race
This game got the kids involved. I knew the kids at the party would be unlikely to know the 90s Trivia and may know only a few of the shows. This game allowed kids to participate and got them moving!
First, I gathered a bunch of nostalgic items (I have a suggested list below) and put them in an inflatable pool at one end of the yard. Then at the other end of the yard, I divided the group into two teams with kids and adults on each team.
I gave each team a riddle/clue and the answer was an object from the 90s in the pool that they had to bring back. The challenge? Only kids born after the 90s were allowed to run to the pool and see what was inside. The adults didn’t know what the options were and had to describe what to look for in the pool.
Every time they brought back the right item, they got another clue/riddle until they completed all six.
Items:
- Furbies
- CD Cases
- Beanie Babies
- VHS Tapes
- Slap Bracelets
- Pogs
- Polly Pockets
- Trolls
- Game Boy Games
- Nintendo Games
- Casette Tapes
- Disposable Cameras
The clues I used were for these six items:
- Furbies – I was banned from the NSA base in Maryland
- Pogs – I’m more likely collected than played with – just don’t get a slammer
- Polly Pockets – Call me Tiny if you want, but I prefer Compact
- Game Boy Games – I fit in your pocket and I’ve also been to space. But I don’t do much on my own.
- Beanie Babies – We had names like Patti, Derby, Happy, Chocolate, and Bongo
- CD Case – I probably came from The Wall
Using an entire decade as a party theme gives you a lot to work with – movies, shows, toys, fashion, food, games. Gathering items you still have and asking friends to dig out their old stuff will make your party feel authentic and save you a lot of money! Who doesn’t love that?
