Hairy Maclary party
Canine capers for a birthday celebration of one of New Zealand’s favourite pooches, Hairy Maclary.
- Cakes made by Jazmine Nixon from Jazmine Nixon Cakes facebook.com/pages/Eat-Cake/123613497794288
- Wooden crates and milkshake cups, poprocparties.co.nz
- Ice cream holder and cookie cutters from kiwicakes.co.nz
- Dog sandwich cutter from lunchboxeswithlove.com
- Paper bags for favours and food from hellopaper.co.nz
- Dog bowls, bed and chew toys from The Warehouse
- Hairy Maclary character toys and books, Penguin Group
- Models wore tops from Charlie & Me and Pumpkin Patch
- Special thanks to Lyn from Penguin Group, Angie and Sarah from Fab Faces (fabfaces.co.nz) and Moscow the dog, from Titirangi
If you’re feeling bold, have a real dog join the party and perform some tricks for the kids. Despite the common caution to never work with children and animals, we invited Moscow, a shih tzu toy poodle-cross, much to the delight of our human guests.
Playful puppies
Our guests loved getting their faces painted by Angelina Lee from Fab Faces and then entertained themselves (and anyone watching) playing puppy peek-a-boo from inside our play doghouse.
Other party games include:
- A sandpit dog bone dig
- Four-legged relays
- Pin the tail on the poodle
- Dog trainer says... Sit, Stay, Bark! Get your guests to “perform tricks” and reward them with yummy treats
At the end of the festivities, our guests were invited to take home one of the dozens of miniature Hairy Maclary dogs we had set up at an “adoption centre”. What a dog-gone way to end a party!
Pride of place on the dairy counter was a birthday cake in the shape of a dog bowl, complete with chocolate-covered cereal “dog biscuits”. Jazmine Nixon, from Jazmine Nixon Cakes, made the cake on request. Find and follow Jaz on Instagram: @jazminenixoncakes.
A doghouse makes an excellent photo booth and is simple to construct with just a large cardboard box, a craft knife and a roll of packaging tape.
Doggy bags
Our guests each took a doggy bag home containing some mini dog bone cookies, a mini dog bone cookie cutter, a rubber ball, a 50-cent mix and some paw print stickers. We made the stickers by printing paw images onto sheets of label paper, available from stationery shops.
We also made dog bone-shaped cookies and named them with icing. Fresh fruit added some colour to our spread, and liquid refreshments were served in the iconic Longest Drink in Town milkshake containers.
Food and drink
In honour of Hairy Maclary’s famous address, party guests were served the kind of refreshments you’d find at your local dairy. Pies and sausage rolls, hokey pokey ice creams, 50-cent mixed bags of lollies (but from the good old days, when 50 cents bought you more than just one lolly) and bone and dog-shaped sandwiches made from fresh TIP TOP bread.
Set the scene
We hung bunting, set out stuffed toy versions of Hairy Maclary and his friends — Muffin McClay, Schnitzel Von Krumm and Slinky Malinki — and invited a few children along to “Donaldson’s Dairy” on a doggy day out.
A dog-themed party is easily achieved with plenty of paw prints, bone shapes, and props from your local pet shop.
The 30th anniversary of Hairy Maclary’s first appearance in print is a milestone worth celebrating. So Penguin Books has set up a dedicated website — hairymaclary.com — where you can download bunting, invitations and activity sheets, just as we did, to decorate and entertain at your doggy party.
Hairy Maclary has been entertaining children and families all over the world for 30 years. With help from Penguin Books and TIP TOP Bread, we put on a party to celebrate the birthday of this delightful little dog from Donaldson’s Dairy and his wonderful adventures.
Canine capers for a birthday celebration of one of New Zealand’s favourite pooches, Hairy Maclary.
AS FEATURED IN ISSUE 22 OF OHbaby! MAGAZINE. CHECK OUT OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE BELOW
