When we knew we were having a boy as our third child (after two girls, mind you), we had a whole new set of names to go through. I was thinking we’d name him more of a traditional boy name, and then my husband threw out the name Maverick. I thought to myself, “Hmmmm…I’ve never thought of that name before, but I do kinda like it!” Boom. It was a unanimous decision, and Maverick was born (literally)!
Everyone always asks us, “How did you come up with the name Maverick? Do you like the movie Top Gun?” Well, the answer is—YES, that did have something to do with it! It is one of our favorite movies of all time, so I can’t say we weren’t influenced by the high flying, cool cat Maverick character from the movie.
So, when you have a kid name Maverick, what do you do? Well, you throw him a Top Gun themed birthday party, of course! This Top Gun/Jet Fighter theme is perfect for a little boy named Maverick, a child who just loves airplanes or even an adult who LOVES the movie like we do! In this post you’ll see my how-to steps for planning the perfect Top Gun party for your little pilot!
I had a TON of fun designing the graphics for Mav’s Top Gun party! I started by designing these invitations, which we sent to our party guests. All pilots and wingmen, please report for duty!
I was also inspired by the Top Gun logo and created from scratch this custom name logo backdrop, which I displayed behind my cake table. It was the perfect accent to our party!
I used our dining room to house the buffet table. To make it feel like we were really up flying high in the clouds, I draped light blue tulle all over the ceiling. Then I hot glued pieces of pillow batting to make very realistic looking clouds, which I hung with fishing line. I also found some paper and cardboard model fighter jetplanes to hang among the clouds. I found them in many colors, but I spray painted them gray and silver to match my color scheme.
I also designed an aviator sunglasses graphic and made this simple aviator pennant printable banner to hang up around our party.
Top Gun features some of my favorite movie quotes EVER (warning: do not watch this movie with me, you may be highly annoyed)! I loved taking some of my favorite movie quotes and turning them into table top signage for the party.
I feel the need, the need for SPEED!
I also created this “Welcome to the Danger Zone” sign to greet guests as they entered into the party. I love the missile lock target “cross hairs” at the corners of the sign.
As favors for the pint-sized guests, we gave them their own mini aviators and dog tags. I added these “You can be my wingman anytime” stickers to the front of each goody bag.
Finally, in case you are short on time and need a little help, I created this Top Gun inspired “Party in a Box” printable birthday kit featuring all of the items I showcased today. This party pack can be customized with any name and age you’d like! Let’s get this party started! Turn on the Top Gun soundtrack, set up your sand volleyball court, and your party will be sure to fly high!
Corey
Tuesday 13th of February 2024
So awesome! Where did you find the paper/cardboard airplane?