• Rafael, Michelangelo, Donatello and Leonardo: if these names bring up images of turtles rather than famous artists, then a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party is the right theme for you. Tap into your guests playful sides with a festive, engaging Ninja Turtle party that celebrates the exploits of everyone's favorite turtle quartet. Whether you're hosting a child's birthday party or the retirement party of a child-at-heart, a Ninja Turtle theme adds a playful element of high-energy partying.
  
  

Invitations and Decorations

• Though many stores offer Ninja Turtle theme invitations, handmade invitations are also an option. Consider making invitations in the shape of turtle shells by cutting ovals from pieces of green card stock; paint or draw a shell pattern on one side of the card and write party information on the other side. Gray or silver paper invitations cut into circles and stamped with the word "sewer" on one side look like the manhole covers used to access the turtle's lair. Another option is to include either a red, blue, orange or purple ribbon around a simple green card to represent the various colors associated with each Ninja Turtle; the card should instruct guests to attend the party in the color the ribbon of their cards display.
  
  Red and purple balloons paired with orange and blue streamers creates a festive atmosphere for party guests. Because the turtles reside in the gritty sewers of the city, scatter tables and counters with rubber rats, old news papers and odds and ends; an array of old, empty pizza boxes recognizes the turtles' favorite meal. Mount sets of Chinese fighting stars or nunchucks on walls, safely out of reach of guests.
  
  

Food and Drink

• No Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party would be complete without including the classic turtle meal of pizza with extra cheese. Turn the meal into an interactive activity by providing guests with miniature pizza crusts or English muffins to create their own pizzas from an array of fixings like red sauce, various cheeses, pepperoni, sausage, peppers or onions. Green side dishes like lime gelatin with fruit or a salad of mixed greens suits the color scheme; green fruit punch and green soda are also fitting. For dessert, carve a cake into a round shape and then frost with green frosting and pipe black hexagons to create a turtle shell. Round sugar cookies become turtle shell cookies with some green frosting and brown piping gel.
  
  

Games and Activities

• Guests young and old are entertained by games and activities. For younger guests, arrange a craft table with several ovals cut from stiff pieces of cardboard. Decorate the round pieces with glitter, paint, construction paper and fabric crafts; thread a piece of elastic or string through two holes punched in the sides of the cardboard so that each guest can wear her turtle shell craft on her back. Slightly older guests stay entertained with more physical games. Host a ninja training course in which guests are put through a series of physical challenges like balance walks, relay races or freeze dancing to test their ninja skills. If you have access to a pool, host a cowabunga pool jump contests in which guests show off their best jumping and diving tricks while yelling, "Cowabunga!" A panel of judges awards the best jumps a fitting prize, like a Ninja Turtle action figure.