Stacey in Whittier, CA.

I had a Thomas the Train and friends party for my son, it was his 3rd party. I stamped a train scene invitation that said "All aboard the Birthday Train Express" The inside said " Station"- address, Arrival time and date, RSVP: to the Station Master. I had everyone come dressed as a conductor or engineer. I made railroad tracks from the end of my driveway to through my house and to the backyard,(where the party was) passing the place where they can drop off the present on the ground out of construction paper and sidewalk chalk, I had signs that said "all aboard the Birthday Train express" Track "3" (age) straight ahead, when they got to the door I gave each person. including adults a boarding pass with a # on it and put the same # in a bowl, I had a bowl for the kids and adults, throughout the party I drew numbers and whoever had the matching # got to pick a prize (same for the adults), I gave each kid handkerchiefs, and train shaped whistles and personalized them, I made "James" the train out of an old cardboard box (water heater box) and let the kids take pictures in it and play in it, I made train picture frames to put the Polaroid pictures in so the kids could take them home, I bought wooden train with wheels on them that said "Happy 3rd Birthday" and I tied balloons to it and put it in the center of the kids table. I had Thomas and friend cutouts hanging up all over and balloons. I made train place card for each kid and it said for them to look under their chairs, where there was a train pencil attached with a lollipop. I stamped white lunch bags with trains and wrote "Toot Toot" Popcorn and gave them to the kids, I made train cutout cookies and let the kids decorate them and take them home, I had a large wooden railroad crossing sign with flashing red lights (Still have) set up in the center of the party area. We had a piñata (Thomas the Train), Has a toy walk, Train hunt, Pass the train, I made bingo cards and called them Toot Toot Bingo, so when they got bingo they had to say toot toot!! It was cute. When we opened gifts, I did something a little different I had each guest / family get the gift they brought and sit in a circle, the birthday boy in the center and had him go to each family and open the gift in front of them and say thank you, this kept him involved in opening the presents and I didn't lose his attention. Food: I had a pasta bar and had my sons wooden trains set up all over the table, the cake was a 3D Thomas the Train and I set up one of my sons mechanical trains to go around the cake, it was great!! FAVORS: I found Thomas the train gummy trains, pencils, erasers, stickers, I called operation safety and they mailed me free train coloring books, magnets, key-chains and stickers, I also made activities books from pictures I printed off the internet, it included train songs, word puzzles, coloring pictures and short stories, I decorated the outside of each one with train stamps and wrote each kids name on them, I put crayons in the bags and candy! Don't forget they already got the whistles and handkerchiefs. My family were all dressed like engineers and it was great!!! My son and his friends loved the party, all together there was about 50 people and we had a great time!!!