10 Thomas the Tank Party Ideas

All aboard! Our latest boy’s birthday party theme features the always-popular Thomas the Train and his friends, James the Red Engine and Percy the Small Engine. If your little guy loves watching Thomas & Friends, then this might be a perfect party theme for him! Our collection of Thomas the Tank Birthday Decorations includes everything you need to throw a party, from invitations to plates, cups, napkins, balloons, and favors galore! And, to make your party planning easier, here are 10 creative ideas to inspire your Thomas the Tank party planning:

1. We offer two invitation options. The first, pictured above, looks like a ticket to ride the train. The second resembles a luggage tag that might be identifying someone’s travel trunk! You could also use card stock to make your own DIY invitations. It would be simple to make them in a ticket shape or even in the shape of Thomas himself! 
2. For decor, we have Thomas-themed balloons, danglers, a scene setter, and more. Pair these with red, true blue, and lime coordinating solid streamers, balloons, and tissue balls and fans. Include train-related items that you already have — or that you find at the thrift store. Lanterns, toy train sets, conductor caps, and shovels with “coal” (painted rocks) are just a couple ideas.
3. Make your own railroad crossing and railroad station signs out of poster board and butcher paper! For the crossing, make an X-shaped sign that says “Railroad Crossing” with red lights and a red-and-white-striped gate, as well as a circle RR sign with an X in the middle. For the station signs, make some that say “all aboard” and “tickets for sale.”
4. Get creative with the food presentation! Above the food table, make a sign that looks like a cloud of train smoke that says, “Chew, Chew!” — a clever play on ”choo-choo!” Circle the perimeter of the food table with a set of toy train tracks, and put the food in the middle of it. Make a “Snack Train” by taping train tracks on a table with black electrical tape. Create a train of snacks by using aluminum loaf pans for the cars, Oreo cookies for the wheels, and a toy train for the engine. Fill the cars with cookies, crackers, fruits, candies, and more!
5. Serve cleverly presented sandwiches as well. Make up a batch of pb&j sandwiches and cut them into rectangles using a cookie cutter. Use small Ritz sandwich crackers to look like wheels! Also serve up a platter of “bar-b-choo” sandwiches!
6. There is tons of inspiration online when it comes to Thomas the Tank birthday cakes! Home bakers are doing amazing things with fondant and creating Thomas’ island of Sodor out of cake! Another fun dessert idea is to make Oreo cookie truffles dipped in dark chocolate and calling them “coal.”
7. For a craft project, have the kids make their own model train! Cut out the train pieces from paper before the party, and have the kids glue the pieces together to form a train that they can then color; use toilet paper tubes for the wheels. Another option is to make plain wooden trains — or buy them from the craft store — and let each guest paint his or her own train.
8. To get the kids moving, spray paint sets of train tracks in the yard and run races on the tracks! Make things more interesting with sack races. Or, fashion train engines out of boxes, give the boxes shoulder straps, and have the kids race while wearing the train boxes!
9. For a game, we offer a fun twist on the party classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey. With our version, the goal is to “pin the stack” on Thomas! The game even comes with a mask blindfold, which looks just like Thomas’ eyes.
10. We offer a bevy of fun favors, including whistles, bubbles, temporary tattoos, and more! Put them in our red favor pails, label them as “cargo,” and place them on a table with a sign above that reads, “Baggage Claim!”

We hope these 10 ideas inspire your own Thomas the Tank party planning! Please drop your ideas in the comments below, and also stop by our Thomas the Tank Party Ideas Pinterest board for more clever inspiration!