Make A Wish Mermaid Party Ideas

May 19, 2019 5:42 AM

My 3 yo was diagnosed with cancer last year (we were lucky to be able to ring the bell this year). Make A Wish just granted their wish. Part of which is a mermaid themed party at our home. What should we ask for?

They said we could ask for anything we want. My kid is 4 and can’t think beyond a cake with a mermaid on it. If you had limitless resources (some being reasonable required), what would you ask for? My kid is 4 now, very gender queer, and a twin. It’s a celebration for my kid even though I’ll sob through all of it. So I need some help! Thanks!

posted by anonymous to Human Relations (24 answers total)

I'm so sorry for your ordeal and wish all the best to your kiddo and family.
For a four year old, I can't think of anything better than having a mermaid at the party. Translated to adult words I mean hiring an actor (or student) to wear a mermaid costume (either Ariel, if that's the mermaid your kid knows and loves, or else just a beautiful, glittering, bluegreen, magical mermaid) to come to the party and bestow mermaid hugs and charms upon your child. Like your own private Disneyworld without the lines.
posted by nantucket at 5:53 AM on May 19, 2019 [18 favorites]

If it's possible to go to a local aquarium (which would be an amazing place to have a birthday in itself), you could have a someone swimming in a mermaid costume in the water there. If not, definitely bring a mermaid to your house.
posted by pinochiette at 5:55 AM on May 19, 2019 [10 favorites]

Do you have any mobility or other accessibility concerns?
posted by mce at 5:56 AM on May 19, 2019

There are people who "are" mermaids and then have conventions these days. (google mermaid convention). They seem to be a lovely crowd from what I can gather online. It is likely that there are some of those people nearish to you, or that they would be willing to come to you for this wonderful purpose. I don't know what they would do for your party, out of the water, but I bet they would have ideas.
posted by sheldman at 6:00 AM on May 19, 2019 [11 favorites]

If you were close to Florida and your child was able to travel I’d suggest a trip to Weeki Watchee to see the mermaids and swim with them:
https://weekiwachee.com/mermaids/

For ideas and potentially contacts for authentic mermaid performers who could come to your home, you may want to contact Marina Anderson (MeduSirena)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-anderson-8780a02b/

Or the organizers of the Mermaid Mega Fest
https://www.mermaidmegafest.com/

I hope these resources spark some ideas for you and joy your child.
posted by msladygrey at 6:01 AM on May 19, 2019 [4 favorites]

Make up artist to paint the kids faces.

Fancy mermaid balloons?
posted by MadMadam at 6:01 AM on May 19, 2019 [2 favorites]

Mobile tide pool for interacting with starfish and whatnot

Mermaid dress-up opportunities

Giant kelp forest diorama for taking pictures while wearing mermaid costumes.

Bubbles
posted by juliapangolin at 6:06 AM on May 19, 2019 [9 favorites]

A friend of mine is an entertainer at mermaid parties, and they go swimming with mermaid tails at the pool (health club that has a warm pool for kids), and then string jewelry out of shells and pearls.
posted by xo at 6:09 AM on May 19, 2019 [5 favorites]

I was coming in to recommend Weeki Wachi Springs too!
posted by saladin at 6:11 AM on May 19, 2019

I'd try to get a sense of what your child is actually imagining when they think of mermaids - the colors, sounds, feelings, what do mermaids do, etc. How do they see them and what do they love about them?

It could be good to have a photographer and get a book or scrapbook made of the party that they can look through afterwards.
posted by trig at 6:49 AM on May 19, 2019 [7 favorites]

For an activity (plus a party favor), what about an ocean-in-a-bottle station? Have an array of tiny plastic fish, seashells, etc., and a bunch of different tiny vials of glitter in blue and blue-adjacent colors. Each kid picks out some plastic fishies and some glitter and then takes it to a the grown-up running the station, who makes it into a glitter jar. (That one uses a glass mason jar, but you can also do this with plastic jars if you're worried about glass getting dropped. Oriental Trading Company has some that look promising.)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:50 AM on May 19, 2019 [2 favorites]

Videographer

Something for the other kid(s) so everybody has a good time

Storyteller?

Mermaids are known for singing. Someone who can help your child make up a song and then sing it would be wonderful.
posted by amtho at 7:16 AM on May 19, 2019 [1 favorite]

A fruitful search term is "Under the Sea" since it's a super-popular prom theme. "Under the sea decorations" "under the sea party rentals" etc. (Like I discovered you can rent a seashell throne for picture-taking!)

I would ask for a sea-themed bounce house, like this or this. A really big bubble machine to blow bubbles across the party constantly. Definitely an "animal encounter" if you can swing it (it will depend how close you are to zoos & aquariums) -- most zoos, aquariums, and animal rescues have some ambassador animals who will come to parties, and some sealife animals to visit would be awesome. (Mobile tide pool would kick ass but I'm betting they have fairly limited ranges they visit.)

You can also have basically carnival food stands/trucks at your party -- a snow-cone booth or an ice cream truck or an old-timey popcorn machine.

Maybe have them turn an outdoor party tent (or a room in your house) into a sort-of undersea wonderland for the kids to explore, where it's all lights and sparkles and blue streamers and fish decorations and it's sort-of maze-like and dream-like in there.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:27 AM on May 19, 2019 [7 favorites]

Oh, also, an activity table where they can find shells and pearls and pirate gold and shark teeth by sifting through a sand table. Maybe little treasure chests to stash those treasures in to take home.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:34 AM on May 19, 2019 [1 favorite]

As a mermaid loving child, I had a great birthday mermaid paper mache piñata. You could also go on theme with a fish or treasure chest piñata.
posted by Champagne Supernova at 7:56 AM on May 19, 2019

Add in professional photographer to document the whole thing. You’ll be too teary-eyed to take non-blurry pics.

Congrats and giant hugs to you and your family!
posted by Neekee at 8:15 AM on May 19, 2019 [3 favorites]

Maybe along with face painting and shell necklaces have some wigs or the spray on hair color in sparkly mermaidy colors for some dress up ?
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 8:24 AM on May 19, 2019

Hi, I recently had a friend whose daughter also rang the bell (YAY). In the call, the child (a little older) spontaneously expressed a desire for something her parents didn't see coming (memail me for details), and the parents were taken aback, but the Make-a-Wish folks were, like, "Cool, no problem." Their trip was INCREDIBLE, and entirely generated by the good folks at the org. So I just wanted to chime in that while these ideas are all awesome, the folks at the organization do a SPECTACULAR job of making it a magical time, so you don't have to take more of this on than you want to. Like, it doesn't have to feel like a burden. Best wishes to all of you.
posted by purpleclover at 9:36 AM on May 19, 2019 [18 favorites]

Could they make a pop-up beach in your backyard, with some rocks that a visiting mermaid could lounge on? I’m thinking some kind of decent-sized paddling/splash pool, serious amounts of sand (over a tarp to give your grass a fighting chance of survival). Just by way of giving you a “big thing you could never pull off so spectacularly on your own” idea.

The kids can meet the mermaid and also get to splash about in the water, build sandcastles, eat ice creams etc. You could even ask for a real life kid-friendly lifeguard or two in uniform to add to the ambience and give a spare hand to play with the kids and give everyone a touch less stress about having to watch the kids with a super hawkeye to make sure no one comes a cropper in the water.
posted by penguin pie at 12:47 PM on May 19, 2019

I am very happy for your child and you. As a parent and grandparent who has seen lots of kids, I wonder if you have any risk of the “scary clown” effect with a “real” mermaid. Small children don’t (always) like clowns or Santa or giant scary Easter bunny. Mothers, on the other hand, always are sure the kids will love them and disappointed when they don’t (for some value of always that is probably at least 0.25). I am not trying to rain on the party, just emphasizing that figuring out what she expects first is a real good idea. Hope you all have fun.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 1:41 PM on May 19, 2019 [2 favorites]

The Mermaid handbook by Carolyn Turgeon has loads of mermaid-themed party and craft ideas.
posted by MeFiMouse at 2:02 PM on May 19, 2019 [1 favorite]

Can you get a caterer and/or cleaner? That will free you up to have a great time with your child.
posted by kjs4 at 6:58 PM on May 19, 2019

The sky’s the limit here right? (Let them deal with how to make it happen).

Obviously mermaids would need to be transported to your house to make it to this party right? Probably in a giant tank mounted on the back of a semi truck or something like that, right?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 4:29 AM on May 20, 2019 [1 favorite]

I dunno, if I were a mermaid, I'd want to be carried into the party on a sedan chair by four lifeguard types wearing head leis and sarongs, if not ti leaf skirts. I might be mixing up my memes though.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:31 AM on May 20, 2019 [1 favorite]