50's Sockhop Party -16yr- Jukebox Music!

For my sixteenth birthday party, I decided to do a 1950's Sock hop/Soda Shop theme. The party started at 5:30 and included dinner, and then it was a sleepover.

INVITATIONS: Using construction paper, black poster board, and a marker, I created a 1950's record invitation. I used a plate to trace circles on the black poster board, and then cut them out. I traced a cup on pink (or whatever colors you are using for your party; mine were mostly pink, black, and white) construction paper, and glued them in the center of the black records. I used a marker to draw a black dot in the center, then in a circle around that dot I wrote Kelly's Sweet Sixteen Sock Hop". I typed up the info about the party (when where what to bring) on the computer in a 1950s looking font and glued that to the back of the record. To fit the invite in an envelope I bent the records in half.

DECORATIONS: For the party I decided to make my own jukebox decoration. The jukebox I made was about the size of an entire poster board but the edges were rounded off. I used a ruler and pencil to sketch out the design I wanted (I used some jukeboxes on Google Images to help with the design. Then my sister and I painted the jukebox with craft paint. I opted for some brown paint to make it look like a wooden jukebox but you can do a completely colorful jukebox if that's the look you want. We then traced the jukebox with marker to help make the design pop. We put half a record (made of black poster board and glitter) on the top and put the song title "Sweet Little Sixteen" on it. We put the jukebox in the corner and behind it put the music player.

We made record decorations to hang up along the top of the ceiling in the kitchen. We created these the same way we made the invitations but wrote 1950s song names and the artists (like Hound Dog by Elvis Rockin' Robin by Bobby Day etc.).  We cut out music notes from black construction paper and hung them on the walls. Pink black and white crepe paper  and a Pink Sweet Sixteen banner (from party store) was strung between doorways and pennants made out of poster board then painted and had the guests school names written on them were hung on the walls. We purchased a soda shop scene setter from the party store and hung that on the closet door in the hallway near the entrance of the house (put a white table cloth behind the scene setter so it’s easier to see).

My sister wrote the menu on a chalkboard we had from a toy teachers set and we put that in the corner of the kitchen. Record decorations found at the party store hung from the ceiling and white and pink balloons which said "Happy Sweet Sixteen" were scattered on the floor. Outside the front door we put a sign that was made out of cardboard. It said "Kelly's Pink Poodle Café" and was cut to have an arrow pointing to the door. It was painted pink turquoise and black-and-white checkered and had white Christmas lights taped behind it. I had photos of Elvis James Dean Laverne and Shirley Mel's Drive In and I Love Lucy printed out at Staples (it is very cheap to get these photos printed on regular computer paper there) and taped those to the wall over pictures that were already hanging on the wall.

ACTIVITIES: I created a playlist of 1950s music (Hound Dog Blueberry Hill Rock Around the Clock Yaktey Yak Charlie Brown Sweet Little Sixteen Jailhouse Rock Born to Handjive Happy Days theme Laverne and Shirley Theme Twist and Shout Long Tall Sally Who wrote the Book of Love The Stroll Splish Splash At the Hop Good Golly Miss Molly  Sixteen Candles Ain't That a Shame) to play in the background for guests to dance to if they wanted. I set up a mini bowling ally in the family room using mini bowling pins set and 2 wooden boards covered in laminate wood flooring squares(from Home Depot) that were put end to end to look like the bowling alley. I cut out some pennants from stiff felt and we decorated them with craft paint glitter gems and other pieces of felt. Some guests wrote their names schools or favorite sport. We had a bubble gum blowing contest played board games (Monopoly was popular in the fifties) and watched a few episodes of Laverne and Shirley. Of course we also took lots of photos!

GAMES: We played a game called "cut throat" and it’s almost like a Polly Anna type of game. How to play: before the party I wrapped up some small prizes together ( like lip glosses bracelets nail polishes hand sanitizers mini mirrors cute notebooks picture frames mini white boards)  in wrapping paper (one for each guest and yourself). I had the guests sit in a circle and handed out cards one by one from the deck until all the cards were gone but everyone had an equal amount of cards. With a second deck I would draw a random card and call it out. The person with the card called would pick one of the wrapped prizes and unwrap it. The next person whose card was called could either take the unwrapped present or take another prize from the middle and unwrap it. The game continues as each card is called and once all the gifts are unwrapped players can either trade the prize they have or pass and keep whatever they have currently. Game ends when all the cards are done being called.

Another game we played was a guess who you are game. As guests came to the party I put an index card with a 1950s character or celebrity on their back (Marilyn Monroe Little Richard Mouseketeer Elvis Lucille Ball etc.). They then had to ask other guests yes or no questions to help figure out who they were.

COSTUMES: On the Invitations I said guests could come in 1950s costumes if they would like to. I dressed up in a pink and black poodle skirt cat eye glasses and my hair in a side ponytail with a pink scarf hanging down. Other guests came in poodle skirts pink ladies jackets or white blouses and capris jeans. My mom dressed up in a floral apron and red scarf in her hair.

PARTY SNACKS: I laid out an array of 1950s candies on the table like licorice satellites Bazooka Bubblegum button candy candy lipstick wax bottles and Mary Janes. We had dinner at my party and we did a soda shop food theme. We had either hot dogs or hamburgers and fries all which were put in red plastic diner baskets with checkered wax paper in the bottom (found the baskets at Wal-Mart in the summer cookout items). We had Coke in mini coke glasses I found at the dollar store for two for a dollar. We made our own ice cream floats and sundaes using vanilla ice cream chocolate syrup cherries whipped cream and coke. Some of us also attempted making popular fifties desserts like a brown cow (root beer float) and egg creams (seltzer water chocolate syrup and milk).

CAKE: We ordered a cake made out of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes from Wal-Mart. It was a pink poodle skirt shape with a white poodle on it and said "Happy Sweet Sixteen Kelly!  It looked amazing and tasted great! We sent home some extra cupcakes when the guests because there were plenty left over.

FAVORS: I put the favors in plastic popcorn containers we found at the dollar store. Each guest got a pair of pink cat eyed sunglasses (ordered  online) set of jacks (from party store bubble gum Mary Janes butter mints with Sweet Sixteen Wrappers and plastic bead necklaces (either pink black or silver found in sweet sixteen section of party store).   My sweet sixteen sock hop was a blast and we made many memories!  "