The Ultimate Birthday Party Planner Blog
by Paul Mordoff, owner of Party Talent, LLC
Paul Mordoff performs over 300 shows a year in the Northeast as Mr. Bungles, a comic clown character without makeup, whose act includes a comedy show, juggling, magic, and huge bubbles. For more information, visit PartyTalent.com or call (203) 846-2000. (This blog may be copied or reproduced in its entirety as long as this byline is posted.)
I have found from experience both as a children’s performer and as a parent that sometimes it is hard for children to make decisions. Many times they want to be involved with the party planning, but are not able to be decision makers. If you were to ask a child what they want, they mostly will have no concept of budget or what is possible. It is always better to limit choices and not leave everything wide open. Decide where you would like the party to be: At your house? At a separate party venue? Make some initial phone calls about pricing, then decide what will work for your budget. Ask your child, “Who would you like to have at your party?” Discuss names of relatives, friends, and classmates. Establish planning parameters. Many times children will change their mind at the drop of a pin, and that could drive you nuts! We all want to please our children. After all, this party is for them; but, if the child has too many choices to make and doesn’t understand what the restrictions are, it can be a very frustrating experience for both the parent and the child. I have found that the best thing to do is to give only two choices. For example, “Would you like to have a pony ride or a bounce house?” Of course, that would limit the choices to things you know you already want to do or can afford.
Let your child make simple decisions like what color balloons, napkins or plates. By allowing your child to make simple decisions, you will stay in control as you plan the party while your child still will feel involved. If you are dealing with children eight to ten years old or older, you can give them more responsibility. They will enjoy doing it. Think about what you, your spouse and friends would like. Think about the number of children you are inviting and how that relates to your child’s comfort level. For example, some children respond better with smaller groups of guests, while they may be overwhelmed by a large group. Thing about your budget, then make the big decisions on your own. Otherwise, you will become frustrated when you expect your child to think like an adult.
The Ultimate Birthday Party Planner Blog
by Paul Mordoff, owner of Party Talent, LLC
Paul Mordoff performs over 300 shows a year in the Northeast as Mr. Bungles, a comic clown character without makeup, whose act includes a comedy show, juggling, magic, and huge bubbles. For more information, visit PartyTalent.com or call (203) 846-2000. (This blog may be copied or reproduced in its entirety as long as this byline is posted.)
Once, when a mom planned her party on the phone, she told me that she was expecting between 10 and 15 kids. When I arrived, she looked very stressed and said that the guests had increased unexpectedly to 40 energetic kids. She was relieved that I had plenty of extra goody bags because she didn’t have enough party favors to go around. The dad also seemed at his wit’s end coming in the door with six more pizzas in his hands. When I started my children’s birthday show as Mr. Bungles, I got control of all the kids and everyone started to laugh and have fun. The best thing you can do is to prepare for as much as you can think of and know that you will have to go with the flow as things happen and not allow yourself to become upset.
As Mr. Bungles, I do 300 shows a year during which I entertain thousands of kids. I’ve learned to channel their energy in positive ways so that they have fun; and while doing so, I help to relieve the stress that parents experience when they are the host.
It is very hard to plan the perfect party because there is no way to predict everything that can happen. Special moments can be missed because one- and two-year olds sleep through their birthday party after weeks of planning. Parents may not respond to RSVPs and bring siblings, creating additional guests. Children can have short attention spans, tons of uncontrollable energy, personality conflicts with others or cry and become upset over anything. This is where hiring a birthday performer becomes so helpful. A trained children’s entertainer allows you to focus on your guests, and the kids will have a truly fun experience. Although parents will need to step in if there are behavior issues, the children’s performer will be able to handle almost anything. Professional performers learn from years of experience how to deal with the restless child, the wondering two-year-old, and the distractions of the moment. We end up making the host’s job much easier.
The Ultimate Birthday Party Planner Blog
by Paul Mordoff, owner of Party Talent, LLC
Paul Mordoff performs over 300 shows a year in the Northeast as Mr. Bungles, a comic clown character without makeup, whose act includes a comedy show, juggling, magic, and huge bubbles. For more information, visit PartyTalent.com or call (203) 846-2000. (This blog may be copied or reproduced in its entirety as long as this byline is posted.)
One of the most important things to consider when planning a birthday party is the age of the children and how to gear the activities for the age range of most of the kids or solely for the birthday child, if different. People love to have a special one-year-old celebration, and the children attending may range from infants to teens. It can be a challenge to try to have activities that appeal to all age groups. With smaller children you have to be careful with them putting foreign objects into the mouth and their short attention spans. With older kids, you need to keep them interested so that they do not become bored. Since you need different activities for the three-year-old and the twelve-year-old, it is important to understand the age range of the guests before planning activities.
Birthday entertainers specialize in different age groups. As Mr. Bungles, I gear my show towards children from three to nine years of age, all of whom have a great time laughing and having fun. I modify my show for older kids. It is always helpful to provide the birthday performer with the age range of the children who will be attending, so that the entertainer can be prepared with activities that are appropriate.
Costumed cartoon characters can sometimes pose a problem. Younger children, around two years of age, often burst into tears at the sight of a costumed cartoon character while the four- and five-year-olds will enjoy it. Whenever parents have a party of mostly two-year-olds, I always discourage them from hiring me as a costumed cartoon character because seeing a two-inch lovable TV character become six feet tall with a gigantic head can frighten most toddlers. As kids get older, they can process reality from fantasy better, and they will enjoy meeting characters.
Parents often stay at a party with children younger than three years of age and sometimes surprise you with siblings that you were not expecting. Therefore, you need to make sure you have enough food, goody bags and activities for them as well. As Mr. Bungles, I provide goody bags for all the kids, and I always make sure to have at least ten extras for any unexpected guests. Once you have a guest list and know the ages of the children, you can plan a great birthday party that will be special and enjoyable for everyone.
Handling Distractions to Keep Them Having Fun
It is important from the beginning to set the parameters for children by establishing the boundaries of where they can go (for example, the bathroom or party room). This will help to minimize distractions which come up during the birthday party with children in unwanted areas of the house. As I pointed out previously, distractions can be a serious problem indoors or outdoors. If you are trying to conduct an activity like a craft or a game, or if you hire a birthday entertainer like my character, Mr. Bungles, it is important that you eliminate as many distractions as possible. For a child, just about anything can be a distraction, including the sun, bugs or a wonderful array of toys on the floor.
If you are using the family room, any visible toys will distract the children. You can easily resolve the matter by moving the toys out of the way and covering them with a sheet, or by choosing another room for the performance. Noisemakers are another obvious distraction. One time, when I was about to start my birthday comedy show, a mom was handing out noisemakers to all the children as I was setting up. All the children were blowing their horns and making lots of noise. The mom had not imagined how loud 30 horns could be. I had to collect them all in order to be able to start my show and to restore the “sanity” of the other parents. I told the children that they would get them back later.
When outside, plan your activities in an enclosed area like a deck, a porch, or screened area that would be away from swing sets and yard toys. When planning an event outside, think about where the sun will be and where your guests will stay. The sun and flying insects can be a major distraction preventing you from successfully running activities. Does your budget allow you to rent a tent? If you are hiring an entertainer, it would be best to have the children and performer in the shade with their back facing any major distractions like a swing set or bounce house. It’s also a good idea to define the space with blankets or chairs around the perimeter of the performing space. By giving the illusion that the kids are “contained” they will run around less and be more focused with the planned activity.
One time while I was performing as Mr. Bungles, the children spotted a snake crawling nearby. This caused the children to focus on the snake rather than on my magic routine. I knew there was no way I could go on with the show until we dealt with this distraction. I improvised some jokes about the snake and moved it away, bringing the focus back to my show. Another time, an ice-cream truck arrived about 30 minutes early. All the kids ran to the truck as soon as they heard the bells. I solved that problem by moving all of my props to the front of the house and continued my show.
Another important rule is to keep the children hydrated and fed with nutritious snacks. Sometimes they will become dehydrated and have behavioral issues just because they are thirsty. A hidden culprit of dehydration in children is the bounce house. Children who play in bounce houses use a tremendous amount of physical energy and become dehydrated without knowing. Whenever I perform my comedy and bubble show and the parents have scheduled a bounce house, I suggest that they unplug it before my show to remove the distraction. I also encourage the parents to have the kids drink water before I start. Plain water instead of sweetened drinks is always the best choice. I find that too many sweets and sugary foods can cause disruptive behavior. The best plan is to serve cake or cupcakes right before they go home. It is important to make sure that you set up the desserts and sweets where the children cannot have as much as they want. It could be out of reach or brought out right before serving. Other common distractions that need to be addressed include, dog waste on the lawn, holes in the ground, broken glass and other types of garbage, tripping hazards, and napkins and paper plates blowing in the wind. Small chairs for children often fall over as the kids move about and the chairs shift in the soil. A simple solution is to use blankets when possible. It is less of a problem when the chairs are set up on a solid surface like cement. Helium balloons are really fun and create a wonderful atmosphere, but they too are a distraction since kids will play and not be focused during the birthday show if they are free floating in the area where you have a planned activity. If a child slips and falls or gets hurt somehow, always have a first aid supplies handy, including ice packs.
Guests should arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled entertainment begins. It is always better for all the children to have some gathering time before watching the birthday show. When guests arrive after the show has started, it is very distracting for everyone, and it takes away from the comic energy being created in the room. It is like someone walking into a movie theatre minutes after the film has started. It is not only distracting to the other moviegoers, but it takes a while for the person arriving late to figure out what is happening on the screen.
The Ultimate Birthday Party Planner Blog
by Paul Mordoff, owner of Party Talent, LLC
Paul Mordoff performs over 300 shows a year in the Northeast as Mr. Bungles, a comic clown character without makeup, whose act includes a comedy show, juggling, magic, and huge bubbles. For more information, visit PartyTalent.com or call (203) 846-2000. (This blog may be copied or reproduced in its entirety as long as this byline is posted.)
Introduction
Being a performer is a wonderful life. You get to travel and meet all kinds of people, make children laugh, and have a great time.
My adventure as an entertainer started many years ago in kindergarten when my class put on a circus performance. I had the rather impressive role of Ringmaster. Many of the kids were going to be dressed in wonderful animal costumes, and it was my job as ringmaster to introduce their “acts.” We practiced for weeks and weeks.
The big day finally arrived, and just before my big debut, I started to cry. “I can’t do this. I can’t go on,” I pleaded with my teacher. She gave my part to another child; and as I watched him perform on stage, I thought to myself, “I could have done that!” At that moment, I realized that I wanted to perform more than anything in the world. The following year, I proudly made my debut as the “Boastful Bass,” a comical fish character who stole the show!
My love for performing continued to grow throughout my high school and college years. I played leading roles in touring productions of major musicals and dramatic works in New York and in the UK. During those years, I also created my first clown character, with a juggling act that I choreographed myself.
After graduating from college, I suddenly found myself a very small fish in a very large pond. I had a brief career (if you blinked, you may have missed it!) in television, film and commercials, and worked with many renowned performance artists. They gave me the opportunity to develop and perfect my characterizations in various performance media.
I soon realized that the best way to work professionally as a performer was to create my own performance opportunities. I started several touring troupes and produced “shows.” I continued performing on a part-time basis for many years. In 1996, I decided to become a party planner and full-time children’s entertainer. Since then, I have performed at over 3,500 birthday parties and other events.
Currently, I perform as “Mr. Bungles.” My comedy show features magic, music, crazy props, juggling, games, lots of bubbles, and balloon sculptures. The kids have a blast! The parents are relieved to know that they can relax and enjoy their guests while I entertain the kids. As a performer, I love to create a fun moment that the kids will remember for a long time to come. The best part is that I have just as much fun performing and watching them laugh!
I also do singing telegrams and make balloon deliveries for adults in an assortment of characters (including a gorilla in a pink tutu!) that will bring a smile to a loved one’s face or create a fun memory for a birthday or other special occasion.
Yes, mine is a zany world, but every day is different and a lot of fun. Whether it is an adult in the middle of an office or a child enjoying a birthday celebration, I have the opportunity to brighten that person’s day and perhaps create a memory that will last a lifetime.
The purpose of this blog is to facilitate your event. I draw from my years of experience to help you plan that perfect birthday party or special occasion. You can read every chapter or just those that are relevant to you. I include links that will help you locate everything you will need. Sit back, relax and enjoy. I’ll answer all your planning concerns so that you can make your birthday celebration the best one ever.
