The prize for this contest is that we are giving away Super Mario Wrapping Paper. I know this sounds like a weird giveaway, but anyone who has ever hosted a Super Mario party will know that this wrapping paper is RARE and hard to come by in North America! In fact, we special ordered it from the UK especially for this contest! And now we'd like to give it away to our fans!

So how can I enter? Simple. We will be giving away entries in a few different ways (up to a max of 10 entries per person).
1) Like us on Facebook - 1 Entry
2) Tweet about the contest with #mariopartysupplies - 1 Entry
3) +1 us on GooglePlus - 1 Entry
4) Link to our site - 3 Entries
5) Provide an original Super Mario Party idea to our site (decorations, invitations, party favors, food, etc...). If it's not already posted on our site we'll accept it. The idea may be used in future posts on our site. Enter your idea here. - 3 Entries
6) 1-5 above gives you a total of 9 entries. If you do ALL five you will get 1 bonus entry.

Please email us when you have entered the contest so we can verify and ensure you have the correct number of entries! Use the contact form here.

The deadline for this contest is January 31st, 2011.

If you have any questions or comments leave them in the comment form below or send us an email through the contact form. We are going to hold a contest giving away more Super Mario Wrapping Paper and other Super Mario party supplies every few months so be sure to check back often!

Super Mario Pull String Pinata - This pinata is a circle with giant Mario on each side of the pinata (seen above right). It measures 18" in height and width and is 4" wide and also makes a great decoration before the pinata hitting!

Mario Kart Pull String Pinata - This pinata features Mario riding his motorbike on one side and Luigi on the other side (seen below right). This pinata also measures 18" in height.

What is a Pull String Pinata?
A very common question is what exactly is a pull-string pinata? A pull string pinata is a pinata that has been created to be SUPER ULTRA durable. In fact, breaking it with a stick or bat is almost impossible for kids and even difficult for adults (trust us we've tried). The pull-string at the bottom is used to break open the contents. A fun idea is to have each kid hold one string and then on the count of 3 they all pull as hard as possible.

Other Options
To explore all of your options the items below are from around the web. You can see that there are a few more characters and varieties available.

Pinata Fillers
Of course, no pinata is complete without the Pinata fillers. The fillers can be purchased at your local dollar store, on Amazon here ($4.99 - $15.99) or Birthday Express here.

Of course, you can decided to create your own homemade pinata for the birthday party. In our next pinata article we will show you step-by-step how we create our Super Mario pinata.

• Luigi
• Mario
• Goomba
• Piranha Plant
• Shyguy
• 1-Up Mushroom
• Super Mushroom (Original)
• Super Mushroom
• Block
• Ground Block
• Brick Block
• Metal Block
• Question Mark Block

These crafts are a great way to allow the kids to create something while keeping them off of the video game station for a few moments. If you think this won't be a successful party game than you can always include the templates in the Mario gift bags for the kids to complete later!

We created a Super Mario Power-up Mushroom to give it a try. You can see the result below.

We started with a standard piece of computer paper (9.5" x 11") and the finished product was 1.5" in height. You can see the image below compared to a AA duracell battery.

All in all this was a fun activity but it does take a bit of patience and accuracy with the cutting. We highly recommend using thicker paper (cardstock) to create your character. This will ensure the cutting and folding is a bit easier and less finicky. We also recommend using a color printer as you will have a more realistic and colorful character.

Super Mario activity placemat: This place mat (shown above right) features giant Mario destructing some of the Mario Land. The games on the back include a word search, word scramble and find the path to the princess.

Mario Kart Wii activity placemat: This placemat features a large picture of Mario on the front (as seen to the right).

Both sets of placemats measure 11" X 14" and are created from something more like poster board than paper. This means that they're more durable than paper.

To finish the table decorations simply add a red-tablecloth and you'll have a Mario themed table!

Therefore, we tried to create our own set of Super Mario cupcakes using a set of Super Mario Edible Image. Our goal of this was to see how the edible images worked, how easy they were to apply and the final product.

First, we ordered a set of Super Mario Edible Image cupcake toppers from one of the links below. We choose our set of edible images (shown above right) based on the price and characters in the set. Note: You typically only receive 12 in a package but box of cupcake mix makes 24!

After you receive the images, you bake a batch of your favorite cupcakes and ice with WHITE icing. White icing is important as the cupcake images are created with white icing and they won't look very good with different color icings.

To apply the image you simply have to peel the cupcake topper from the sheet and place on the iced cupcake. This may sound like it's 'too good to be true' and believe it or not it is really that easy. If you are having trouble peeling the icing from the sheet you simply place in the freezer for a few seconds (yes, seconds!). The image below demonstrates the peeling of a edible image from the sheet.

Here we are applying the image to the cupcake.

Here is what the image looks like on the cupcake

We found that the edges of the cupcake image were 'poofy' or 'folded' which wasn't the desired look. To fix this problem we simply tried to push the edible image straight down thus squishing the icing. This could have been because we had too much (or even too little) icing on each cupcake.

Here is the final product. After a few hours the icing images had 'melded' into the cupcakes making a more polished look. Unfortunately the cupcakes were all eaten before any photos of these were taken. : )

All in all the Edible Image cupcake toppers are quite easy to apply and took very little time. The final result looks pretty good and is definitely something that kids would enjoy. We will definitely purchase another set of edible images for future birthday parties!

Super Mario Chocolate Mold
The first approach we tried was creating chocolate lollipops. We used the chocolate mold below.

We simply melted a few chocolate pellets in a double boiler and poured it into the Super Mario Mold with a skewer as the stick portion of the lollipop. The only 'trick' here is to ensure you have enough chocolate on the stick portion to provide support for the chocolate.

Here is what it looked like before

Here is what it looked like during

Here is what it looked like afterwards

All in all we were very pleased the way these turned out. They looked great and the kids definitely liked them! If we were to include these in our gift bags we would also include a Video Game controller chocolate mold to the package.

Super Mario Character Molds
The second set of molds we used were MUCH more detailed and included a whole set of Super Mario characters. You can see a set of them below or here. The set included 10 different characters including: Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess, Bowser and more.

Here is what it looked like before

Here is what it looked like during

Here is what it looked like afterwards

These molds didn't turn out quite as well. The Princess, Toad, Turtles and Bowser chocolates turned out REALLY neat but the smaller moulds (Mario, Luigi, Wario, etc...) weren't as good. Also, we filled up the first set with too much chocolate and this took away from the final product. The next set (not pictured) with less chocolate per-mold turned out MUCH better. The neat thing about these molds is that they can also be used for soap, candles, candy, etc... So they are definitely worth keeping around for more projects!

To finish the chocolates off before placing them in a party favor package we would wrap them in a cello-plastic and place a ribbon on the top. For the second molds you can include a whole set of characters in a bag whereas the first molds you would probably only include one or two chocolate lollipops. These will surely be a hit in their gift bags!

Super Mario Time to Team Up Throw - This throw blanket provides a great cover to a Super Mario fan's bed. The throw blanket measures 50 by 60 inches which makes it almost large enough for a twin bed.

Super Mario and Luigi Blanket - This throw blanket features everyone's favorite Mario and Luigi. The blanket measures 50 x 60 inches.

Super Mario Who's With Me Blanket - This blanket is the largest of the three and measured 62 by 90 inches which means it's large enough to fit a twin bed comfortably. The blanket has Mario jumping into the air with a 'bad guys' surrounding him.

Hopefully these Super Mario Blanket ideas help you choose a great gift for a special child! Finally, if you are looking to 'finish off' your child's room decorations than consider a Super Mario Wall Decals which will add that finishing touch!

Super Mario Pencils
A Super Mario Pencil or package of pencils is a great idea for your party favors as it provides a usable and fun item to their gift bag. You can choose to give a package of four pencil crayons or divide them up one for each gift bag. Also, don't forget to add your Super Mario Pencil Sharpners with your pencils.

Super Mario Erasers
If you ask most kids they will tell you that they LOVE erasers and this will definitely be the case with their Super Mario Eraser. We highly recommend adding one of these to your party favors if you are looking for something fun that they'll definitely use!

Super Mario Bros Stationary Set - If you are looking for a gift idea for a child than a Super Mario Stationary set is a good idea as it combines learning with their favorite Video Game character!

Super Mario Pencil Case - Finally, a Super Mario pencil case is another great party favor or gift idea. As mentioned previously, this makes a great party favor bag as you can fill it with a pencil, eraser, small toy and a few pieces of candy and you'll have a great party favor for the kids.

You can also choose Super Mario Markers for their party favors, however, these are little less functional as kids don't really need markers for school.

Hopefully these Super Mario stationary items help to enhance your party favors or provide a more ideas for creating a great Super Mario birthday party!

Choosing a Super Mario lunch bag can be a bit tricky as there are so many different options. Here are the best 4 options that we selected. All these lunch bags are insulated to help keep food colder for longer.

Super Mario Gold Coins - This lunchbag (above right) has a bright image of Mario collecting coins. It is soft and insulated inside so the food won't be crushed.

Super Mario Bros Wii - This lunch box (left) features Super Mario on the Wii system. The lunch bag itself has two compartments to keep food separated if necessary.

Super Mario Kart Wii - This lunchbag (right) features an image of Luigi and Mario playing Super Mario Kart on the Wii! This is great for the child who absolutely LOVES Mario Kart on the Wii!

Super Mario Kart DS - This lunch bag features Super Mario Kart from the Nintendo DS system.

Backpack and Lunch box combination
If you are choosing the lunch box as a gift than we recommend considering a Backpack and lunchbox combination. With the combination you receive both the backpack and the matching lunch box. This makes a terrific gift or back-to-school item that your kids will love! The backpack to the right features Mario with Yoshi from Super Mario Galaxy. Check it out here.

Here are a few more Mario Bros lunch boxes that might be perfect for your child.

If you've seen other Super Mario lunch bags or boxes and would like to share them please let us know in the comments below.

Personalized Super Mario Brothers Banner - A personalized Super Mario banner creates truly unique and show stopping decoration piece. The banner is printed on heavy duty vinyl which makes them great for the kids to play with or for any weather. This banner comes in three different sizes: standard (18" x 61"), Medium (24"x 80") and Large (30" x 100"). Be sure to select the size appropriate for your venue.

Personalized Photo Super Mario Brothers Banner - A personalized photo banner is the most customized option and makes quite the impression on the guests. Simply choose the message and photo and the banner is printed on heavy duty vinyl which means they'll last for a long time and look terrific! Here are the two options to choose.

Basic Computer Print Out - You can create your own message by printing out a Happy Birthday message on pieces of paper and sticking it to the wall. We recommend printing one letter per page to create a large banner. You can also thread a string through each letter and then hang it from the ceiling.

Super Mario Custom Banners - The selection of banners can all be customized and make a great wall banner!

Super Mario Wall Scroll - Although a Super Mario wall-scroll isn't customizable it can still make a great banner. Simply attach a computer print out above the scroll and this will create a great banner.

If you found a different party banner or have a homemade idea let us know in the comments below!