Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog
By shopgirlaudi
(Esmeralda Cavazos)
Copyright August 2, 2004
Written Exclusively for ThePartyWorks.com

Invitations:
Use red cardstock and stickers or clip art to make your own invitations.

Or purchase character ones at The Party Works.

Cut out the shape of a bone using a cookie cutter to trace the shape onto cardstock. Write party details on the back.

Ask guests to come dressed in red.

Decorations:
Use red and yellow streamers, balloons, tablecovers and party supplies. You can use a paw print stamper to decorate your solid colored table covers.

Make dog bone shaped placemats by cutting the shape out of cardstock or construction paper. Let the kids decorate with markers, stickers, etc. "Laminate" with clear contact paper for at home use.

Or purchase character supplies from The Party Works.

Use plush character toys or figures for decorations around the party area.

Cut out bone shapes from colored posterboard and hang on walls.

Enlarge pictures of the charactes and put around party area.

Use a Color Your Own House for Clifford's dog house.

Make a sign that reads "WELCOME TO BIRDWELL ISLAND".

Make a doggie paw print path to lead guests to the party area.

Use big, clean, new dog dishes to serve snacks out of. You might even set out small dog dishes at each place setting for the children to eat out of.

Set out some doggie toys, a dog bed, any dog accessories would add to the decorations.

Play doggie themed music. Who Let the Dogs Out, How Much is that Doggie it the Window, Bingo, Hound Dog, etc.

Cake or Cupcakes:
Decorate a sheet cake with a Clifford cake topper or toy figures.

Make a bone shaped cake.

Make a paw print cake. Use a round cake and four cupcakes to make the toe prints. Ice with red frosting.

Make cupcakes. Ice with red frosting and top with dog bones candies.

Food and Snacks:
Hot "dogs"

Bone shaped sandwiches. Use a cookie cutter to cut the sandwiches into shapes.

Doggie kibble; any type of snack mix. Serve this in the doggie dishes.

Make doggie bone shaped sugar cookies.

Red jello cups.

Red fruit punch. Or Clifford juice boxes. You can also find the Belly Washer type drink bottles with the Clifford character tops. These run a little over $1 each, but would also
serve as a party favor.

Any red foods or snacks will work for this theme.

You can also prepack lunches in brown lunch sacks and label them "doggie bags". Include a doggie bone shaped sandwich, a Clifford juice box, a bag of doggie kibble,
and a Clifford fruit snack.

Goodie Bags and Prizes:
Doggie bags. Use paper sacks and write "Doggie Bag" on them with a red marker. Add some doggie stickers of bones. Use the paw print stamper to
stamp some paw prints on the bags.

Decorate red plastic stadium cups. Usings a black permanent marker draw on eyes, a nose and a mouth. Cut two red floppy ears out of felt or cardstock and
tape onto each side of the top of the cup. Fill with goodies:)

You can include a Clifford coloring/activity book and some crayons.

Clifford stickers. Any doggie stickers will do.

Bones candies.

Clifford fruit snacks.

A small can of red Playdoh and a bone shaped or dog shaped cookie cutter.

A ball.

Small Clifford figures of squeezie toys (Dollar Tree).

Clifford book or video tape.

Games and Activities:
Pin the tail on Clifford.

Toss squeezie doggie toys into a doggie dish for a doggie version of a bean bag toss. You could also blow up a doggie pic. Cut the mouth space out and have the
children toss bones into his mouth.

Ring around the fire hydrant. Played like ring toss. Use a small red pail turned upside down.

Play "Puppy Obedience School". Played like Simon Says, give the "puppies" commands like "Sit", "Roll over", "Bark", etc.

Play muscial dog dones. Played like musical chairs. Make bone cut outs as the place markers. Play the doggie themed music.

Using the doggie themed music you can also play a doggie themed version of hot potato. Pass around a small stuffed Clifford or a doggie chew toy or bone.

Find the bones. Cut out bone shapes from cardstock and attach a piece of candy to each one. Hide around party area beforehand. Let children look for the bones
and keep what they find.

Make Clifford doggie head bands. Use regular head bands and attach a pair of precut, red felt ears. Make sure to make the ears large and floppy. Glue to headband. For an extra touch you can give the children a little black puppy nose using a black face painting crayon. You might also want to make doggie collars
for them to wear to complete the "outfit". Make "dog tags" out of cardstock. Cut a bone shape out of white cardstock. Write each child's name on their "tag". Punch a hole at the top with a hole punch and string a long piece of yarn through it. Knot at the end.

Read a Clifford story book or watch a Clifford video. This a good activity for guests who are waiting to be picked up.

Clifford coloring books/coloring pages. Set out crayons for children to use or give each guest a small box of crayons to use and keep as a favor.