Land of Oz Graduation Theme Party

No matter what your age, who doesn't remember seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time? Recall the black and white beginning? And the relief and awe when Dorothy enters the colorful world of Oz? I must say that vibrant world held me captivated to the boob tube for an eternity. And what about those scary monkey-things? Personally, I was glad she dumped that old aunt and uncle of hers for that taste of adventure, even if it was a dream. Help your graduate follow the yellow brick road to bigger and better things with a party all about the The Wizard of Oz!

There are so many wonderful ways to carry this theme throughout your party. Click your heels, use your imagination, and find yourself in the Land of Oz with your grad.

Be creative with ruby slippers, magic wands, diplomas (à la the Scarecrow), heart shaped clocks (à la the Tin Man), oil cans, badges of honor (à la the Cowardly Lion), witch hats and rainbow lollipops.

graduation invitations
Start with an invitation that will let everyone know this party will be over the rainbow. How about sending a magic wand attached to your rolled up invitation with the party details written in script?

Your grad will love any of these other invite ideas as well:

• Be sure to make the graduate the center of attention from start to finish. They've earned it. Our "over the rainbow" Land of Oz graduation invitation is perfect for this theme. 
• Try a Party411 custom caricature of your grad on the yellow brick road as Dorothy, the tin man, the lion, or the scarecrow. Don't forget Toto! We like the Scarecrow since he received his diploma. The end of the yellow brick road can be the place where your grad is headed, whether that's a new school or new job. Now THAT is a truly one of a kind invitation for your graduation party!
• Of course, we have dozens of other graduation invitations for you to choose from.  We love these graduation color invites - just choose a color and add a picture of the grad!

Add a handful of red confetti to match the theme and give your guests a surprise!

Choose the perfect wording for your perfect invitation:

• There's no place like a party! Join us in the Land of Oz to celebrate Josie's graduation!
• Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my! Grab your ruby red slippers and follow the yellow brick road to Cassie's graduation party.
• There's a wicked party in Oz to celebrate Julia's graduation day!

Whatever you decide, send out your invitations 6-8 weeks in advance. Graduation season is a busy time of year for everyone, and you want all of your guests to rsvp with a yes!

graduation decorations and party supplies
Decorate your entrance by first hanging a personalized Oz theme banner that says, "Welcome to Oz."  Grab some stand ups of Dorothy & Toto, the Lion, Tinman & Scarecrow, and a melting Wicked Witch for your guests to take pictures with.  After the party, print the pictures and send them with the thank you cards!

Transform your venue into Oz with a few more of these decorating ideas. Start with your sign-in table:

• Have your guests enter "Over the Rainbow" - if you are handy, you can build a little arched bridge into your house or party room, paint it as a rainbow and voila, your guests have to enter by going "Over the Rainbow."
• You can also create a rainbow entrance with a multi color balloon arch. Try this yourself or hire a local balloon company to create your rainbow. 
• At the door, hang a sign that says "Bell out of Order, Please Knock." A great reference to the film!
• Create a yellow brick road from the party entrance to the main party area. You can paint it on white posterboard, available at your local art supplies store, or line the outside entrance with real bricks painted in a yellow gold tone. Another simple way to create this effect is to use yellow sidewalk chalk along the driveway. (This is a great job for the little brother or sister of the graduate!)

It's easy to add a few rainbow touches to your party space to tie in the theme. Some of these ideas will help you add pops of color:

• If you have a DVD player or projector, play The Wizard of Oz throughout the party, as guests will enjoy catching glimpses of this timeless classic. Surely you don't want guests to hang around the television for the day. Mute the audio and let the screen run on its own.
• Find a closet door and have stuffed striped socks sticking out (without the ruby slippers, of course, since Dorothy, your female grad or mom hostess is wearing them).

Decorating does not stop here! Make sure your tables reflect your theme, too.

graduation table decorations and menu
Start with your paper goods when designing your table decor. You can't go wrong with any of these themed table ideas:

• Go simple and use ruby red paper goods and yellow tablecloths with bouquets of red poppies in glass jars.
• Match your seating cards to the rest of the theme. Take a rainbow swirl lollipop (Lollipop Guild, anyone?), and add a sticker with the guest's seating information on the label. 
• Using various objects from the movie, create your own custom centerpiece. For example, using an oil can as a balloon weight, tie a balloon bouquet to it made of peppermint pink, ruby red and light blue latex balloons.
• Magic star wands arranged in a clear vase filled with ruby red basket filler is a cute option.
• Another idea is to purchase plastic sand castle molds and paint them a sparkly green just like the emerald city!
• A picture graduation centerpiece is another easy way to go.  Just add a rainbow balloon bouquet to finish off this classic look.

A menu for breakfast foods may include Wizard of Oz themed dishes - Gale Farm Chicken Hash, Over the Rainbow Fruit Kabobs, and Wicked Witch Waffles. Try Cowardly Lion sweet treats like Sweetie Spiders, Cocoa Cobweb Cupcakes, Oglie Eyeballs, Da Lollipop Guild Lollipops, and Over the Rainbow Jello Mold.

Other fun dish names -

• Tornado Tacos (much better than Toto Tacos)
• Wicked Witch Waldorf Salad
• Scarecrow Salad
• Scarecrow Spaghetti with Tin Man Tomato Sauce
• Over the Rainbow Ribs
• Ruby Red Slippers Grapefruit Juice
• Emerald City Egg Salad
• We're Not in Kansas Anymore Cobbler
• Cowardly Lion Lemon Bars
• Magic Tornado Drinks (for adults!)

Make sure to have cute menu signs for each dish so guests get the joke!

graduation games and activities
Family and friends will spend most of their time catching up, visiting the buffet, and snapping picks with the grad, but it's important to have a few theme activities to keep everyone entertained.  Here are a few of our favorites for a Wizard of Oz party:

• Hire a caricature artist to draw your guests as characters from the film. Ask them to pre-draw a template (in color) of the yellow brick road with Oz in the background and have your child standing on the yellow brick road. Make sure they leave room to add an additional person. Then all they have to do is add people at the party!
• What about a Karaoke Contest of show tunes, or Judy Garland tunes? That would be a ton of fun. You can also have lip syncing with songs from the movie. Trust us, everyone knows the words, whether they want to admit it or not!
• Or let the graduates let off some end of the school year stress with a (very Wizard of Oz-like) rainbow piñata. Fill it with candy, grab a big pole and stand back!

Of course, we have tons of Outdoor Party Games to choose from which will keep everyone busy.

graduation party favors
We are big believers in party favors. It's a good way to keep your guests talking about your party, and sends everyone off in a good mood. Here are a few of our favorite Land of Oz party favors:

• Personalized Land of Oz lollipops - To represent the Lollipop Guild, of course!
• Personalized graduation candy bar wrapper - Everyone likes chocolate, and it's a fun remembrance of the graduate.
• Personalized Mint and Candy Tins - Another great favor everyone will enjoy (can you tell we like food and candy related favors?), and you can add a photo of the graduate to make it an extra special memento!
• Personalized Land of Oz Favor Bag - Make it easy on your guests to take home the party favors with a personalized bag to put all their goodies in.