Plants vs. Zombies Party + Live Action Game
Plants vs. Zombies is one of my family’s favorite games, so much so that, you guessed it, I planned a Halloween party around it. Both of my kiddos play the game on their iPads, and to be perfectly honest, my daughter is better at it than I am! My goal for this party was to create a life-sized, live action version of the game for our friends and family to play with us in the middle of our cul-de-sac. I knew it would be a challenge to make it work, but I'm always up for a challenge!
Did I achieve my goal? Read on to find out!
Please note this page contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through these links will not incur additional fees on your part. Thank you for your support!
Decorations & Activities
It's All in the Details
Invitations & Party Favors
DIY Your Own
Party Food
Themed Snacks
DetailsPartyDesigns is your one stop shop for all things party-planning!
Click on the links below for a list of supplies needed to create the decorations, activities, and party favors/bags I describe in this post.
Check Out These Party Decorations!
Plants vs. Zombies Party Decorations
"Scary" Fun Plants vs. Zombies Party Decorations
When you're planning a party for families with young kids, zombies aren't usually a topic you'd consider. Luckily, Plants vs. Zombies is just about the most PG version of a "scary zombie" party theme you'll find. Bright colors, goofy zombies, and oddly aggressive plants made for some awesome party decorations!
Too Cute to be Scary
These little guys can wreak some serious havoc in the game, but in this case, they’re just too cute to be scary. Helium filled red balloons with a “scary” face drawn in black sharpie and a double sided cutout of a zombie tied to the balloon with red ribbon…super easy, and guests can take one home after the party!
If you want to have them ready well in advance of your party (to allow plenty of time to draw the “scary” face), blow them up yourself (no helium) and hang them from your ceiling. You’ll get the same effect…with less stress the day of your event. After the party, attach each balloon to a balloon stick, and the kids can still take one home to enjoy!
Image credit: DetailsPartyDesigns
Image credit: Etsy
Crazy Dave and his Zombie Buddy
I absolutely love this decoration and really wanted to make something similar for our party, but alas, I ran out of time. But if you want to craft Crazy Dave and his zombie friend, all you need is an art tracing projector to bring them both to life…well, not exactly to life, but they’d look really cool on your living room wall!
Image credit: CatchMyParty.com
Zombie Warning Sign
You can find these on Amazon, but if you'd rather make your own, just use your trusty projector again. Place it on your front door so guests will be warned upon entering!
Image credit: cranberrycorner.blogspot.com
Anybody Wanna Play a Quick Game?
This image I found on Pinterest reminded me of the game itself, so I crafted my own version in our dining room. You can see the kiddos in the photo below studying the game board to develop a “strategy” before we played the life-size game outside.
Image credit: tutusparafiestas.com
Image credit: Ron Jones
Bok Choy, Meet Tall Nut
Both of these little guys are made quite simply from paper bags. Check your local supermarket for larger bags. If they don't have advertising all over them, they'll work even better than the smaller lunch bags.
The tall nuts were used as props during our life-size game. The bok choy is constructed around a stuffed lunch bag, using two different varieties of green tissue paper.
Image credit: Pinterest
Image credit: Pinterest
Zombie vs. Sunflower
One of my friends made this awesome photo mural for our party. The picture is zoomed in so it's hard to tell, but she used a large cardboard box and painted it with acrylic paints. The kids had fun taking turns being the zombie and the sunflower.
Image credit: Ron Jones
Cool Party Game Supplies!
Plants vs. Zombies Party Games and Activities
Plants vs. Zombies Live Action Game and Other Party Activities
I found tons of ideas for Plants vs. Zombies party activities online, but no instructions for a life-size game. If you've seen any of my other party pages, you know that I'm always up for a challenge (take my Lord of the Rings Scavenger Hunt, for example). So, I set out to design my own real-life version of the game, and as you can see from the photos below, it turned out pretty well. If you're looking for something similar for your party, hop on over to my Party Shop and download a copy (coming soon)!
Plants vs. Zombies Live Action Game
There's a lot going on with this game, but if your party guests know the general rules of the digital version, they shouldn't have any problem playing the live action one. I made special t-shirts for my kiddos to wear during the game - per their request, they were both plants (vs. zombies).
Image credit: Ron Jones
Image credit: Ron Jones
Zombie Target Practice
Now it’s time to bring out the big guns for some zombie target practice…well, maybe not too big. These mini marshmallow shooters would work well for an indoor game (click on the link below to visit a website with good ideas for indoor games), but for my live action game, we needed more “oomph," so we just threw our ammo!
Image credit: cranberrycorner.blogspot.com
Clay Plants - No Zombies
Although there wasn't time for us to do this craft, I thought it would be worth mentioning. Not only would these air dry clay plants (the plants pictured are actually made of fondant) in small clay pots be a great project to keep your kiddos busy, but they'd make excellent party favors as well. If you're not into air dry clay, try perler beads instead (see photo below).
Image credit: CuteFoodforKids.com
Image credit: retrogametech.tumblr.com
Must-Have's for the Snack Table!
Plants vs. Zombies Party Food
Fuel Up for the Battle Ahead!
Check out these sweet (and not-so-sweet) Plants vs. Zombies treats!
Sunflower & Zombie Table Decorations
Here are a couple of fun and easy table decoration ideas for your Plants vs. Zombies party! These would make great party favors as well.
Image credit: Etsy
Image credit: JacobsFamBlog.com
PvZ Game Board Cake
I love the chocolate and yogurt-covered raisins for the border! This cake looks too awesome to eat (almost)!
Image credit: SimplySuzannes.com
Zombie Cookies
Believe it or not, but you can find zombie cookie cutters on Amazon. My zombie cookies weren't perfect, but you get the point!
Although my party was mostly for the kiddos, I couldn't resist including one adult reference. Check out the photo in the black frame below. It's Rick holding a pea shooter - get it?!
Image credit: DetailsPartyDesigns
Image credit: DetailsPartyDesigns
Tasty Zombies in a Cup
These look so goofy; I absolutely love this idea! Green seedless grapes and marshmallows placed just right inside the cup create a funny zombie face that you can eat! The eyes, nostrils, and mouth are drawn on the outside of the cups with permanent marker.
Image credit: CatchMyParty.com
Brain Cupcakes
I saw several different versions of brain cupcakes (and even one recipe for brain Rice Krispie treats), but the extra props on these set them apart!
Image credit: PumpkinNSpice.com
Good-For-You Veggie Snacks
With the focus on plants, it seems only fitting to throw a few veggies in the mix. You've got peas, (pop)corn, sunflower seeds, peppers, and watermelons (among others) to choose from. Don't forget the dip!
Image credit: SeededAtTheTable.com
Party Favor Bags & Goodies!
Plants vs. Zombies Party Invitations and Favors
Plants vs. Zombies Party Invitations and DIY Favor Bags
Check out the goofy party invites and only slight gross party favor ideas below!
PvZ Party Invitation
If you search on Pinterest, you'll find lots of great ideas for party invitations. This is one of my favorites!
Image credit: Pinterest
Plants vs. Zombies Papercut Style Invite and Matching Banner
I love the papercut style, but it can be time consuming to put together invitations with real paper cut-outs. So, I created a bit of an illusion with this invitation and matching party banner. You can find both in my Party Shop.
Image credit: DetailsPartyDesigns
Hand Deliver Your PvZ Invitation!
If you want to go all out and hand deliver your party invitations, this is the way to go! You can find this balloon zombie invitation in my Party Shop. Just print, fill in the party details, add red balloons, and deliver to your guests. What a fun way to get the fun started!
Image credit: DetailsPartyDesigns
Plants vs. Zombies Party Favor Bags
All you need for these simple goodie bags are green paper favor bags and your favorite PvZ characters printed on white paper. Add a little glue and you'll be ready to party within minutes! The little homemade walnut on the left was a party favor for our guests, as well as a prop in our PvZ live action game.
Image credit: DetailsPartyDesigns
Zombie Station Party Favors
If you're planning your own game, this station would be a good place for your gamers to pick up the necessary props - and they could take their props home as party favors, too!
Image credit: Pinterest
Brain Suckers
Who wouldn't want to open their goody bag after a super fun Plants vs. Zombies party and find a tasty brain sucker as a thank you gift?
Image credit: CleverPinkPirate.com
Check Out These Other Party Ideas!
Minecraft Party
Super Hero Party
Batman Party
Join the Party!
Subscribe and you'll receive my quarterly newsletter, along with a free party planning e-book written by yours truly. Follow it and you won't miss a single detail! Oh, and don't worry; I'm not the spammy type...promise!
© 2022 DetailsPartyDesigns. All Rights Reserved.