Asher's "Legend of Zelda" birthday party!

I'll admit I was pretty excited when Asher asked for a Legend of Zelda themed birthday this year.

My husband and I were avid video-gamers, and The Legend of Zelda has always been a favorite of ours. Now that Asher is older, he's been enjoying the newer versions of the game, though I'm not sure anything can top that first pixelated version that the original Nintendo released in the 80s.

When I showed Asher a picture of the original Link, he said, "What is that?" I guess it's a valid question considering this is how Link looks these days:

I found a Link hat on Amazon and ordered it as a surprise for Asher. Needless to say, he was really excited when I gave it to him.

This party was sort of last-minute, so I didn't go completely overboard with the theme (which would have been easy to do! Remember the Sonic the Hedgehog party we gave him a few years ago?) We're going to Disney for Asher's actual birthday in September, so we wanted the party to be as low-key as possible. We invited friends to meet us this morning at a local playground for cake. Easy-peasy. No need for decorations, games, or paying a fortune. 

I decided I'd focus my creative efforts on the party favors. Each child went home with an inflatable sword and treat bag.

There were three themed goodies inside the treat bags: a heart cookie, a bag of rupees, and a notepad.

I made heart-shaped sugar cookies and placed them in individual packages. 

Inside that package was a screenshot of a Legend of Zelda game to explain the significance of the heart cookie.

Next, I included a bag of rupees (the currency in all Legend of Zelda games) with a label to explain. After much searching, I finally found some "gems" at a local crafts store that were about the correct shape. I also included a few diamond-shaped clear gems that are not the correct size or shape, but they were so pretty and fun that I just had to include them. Asher agreed that their coolness factor was enough to disregard the fact that they look nothing like rupees!

I found the inflatable swords through Oriental Trading, and they were perfect. I printed off this graphic from the original Legend of Zelda game and attached it to each sword.

I gave out the favors as the children left the party, which proved to be the right decision because almost every single one of them starting beating someone else with his or her sword immediately. I was glad I'd gone with the inflatable, rather than the plastic, swords.

I did manage to find some Legend of Zelda plates and napkins, which I supplemented with plain green plates, napkins, and forks. I ordered the cake from a local bakery.

I really can't believe we've got a big number eight on the cake this year!

It was a great time with friends, and I'm so glad we decided to have a party after all. Disney World is fantastic and magical and fun, but I'm not sure there's anything quite like celebrating with your friends :)