So, we did it again... I didn't know if I could top my 1920's Speakeasy themed costume party, but I was sure going to try for Halloween! And I might even say our Clue party exceeded my expectations. Inspiration can come from anywhere, in this case it was a peacock blue peplum costume dress burning a hole in my closet, combined with a deep love of Clue the movie and wanting to pay homage to our 1920's era home. I've done some thinking and, I'd say a few key elements to a great themed party include: Picking a theme that people are familiar with so they can get excited, Thoughtfully utilizing the theme enough that guests don't feel strange or self-conscious being dressed up Creating enough structure or guidance to help guests get excited into the theme, and A broad enough theme that people can be creative This party hits all those notes. Invitations! I designed these e-invitations referencing the Clue game cards, including the actual Clue font. Thank you internet for answering which fonts those were. We had to know in advance that I was to be Ms. Peacock, and Peter picked Colonel Mustard. Invites placed an emphasis on coming in costume, since we devised a game that required you to play a Character. The rest of the invitation read as follows: Crack open your closets & find your best Clue-themed attire. We hope many Miss Scarlets, Professors Plum, Colonels Mustard, Ms. Peacocks, Mrs. Whites, Mr. Greens will be in attendance. Maids, butlers, cooks, and detectives are also welcome characters! Even T-shirt tuxedos or trench coats can do in a pinch. Appetizers, desserts, and drinks will be served. For those Clue movie fans and those who haven't seen it before - we'll be showing the movie later in the evening. - SOs, kids, are all welcome - even MORE welcome if they're in costume. - Close to Caltrain (easy bike ride or walking distance if you walk a lot) - We have some over-night guest accommodations, please let us know if you'd like to stay with us. I also included links to a Pinterest board I created with Costume Ideas to inspire guests, and a link to Rare Clue characters wikipedia page so signal we were inclusive of a broad range of ideas. Costumes! People did NOT disappoint on the costume front. We saw everything from sexy Miss Scarlet's, a dapper Professor Plum in top hat, quite a few Colonel Mustard's - even a Dr. Brown and a Mr. Gray from Cluedo in the UK. Photo courtesy of Kirill Buryak Photo courtesy of Kirill Buryak Even the kids & our dog got into it. One of our youngest guests wore a custom hand-drawn "Revolver" card themed t-shirt. Dr. Watson played the role of the butler, Mr. Body in his tuxedo. Name Tags! For this party, we were intentionally inviting a LOT of people from many different social circles. Being terrible at introductions and bad with names, I find it's nearly always a good idea in larger groups to wear name tags. Bonus if they're IN THEME like these! Photo courtesy of Kirill Buryak I did a play off of old Clue game cards printing them vertical, with the character name below in a frame and room to write in your name above. They read [Blank space for your name] Starring as... Professor Plum in the style of the old cards. If you're going to do this, I suggest buying the "peel away design"name tags by Avery #25395. You can print them on the 8.5x11 sheet, then each name tag + backing separates from the sheet so you're left with individual stickers with their backing. Play Clue in real life! We knew not everyone would know each other, and that there would be a good number of introverts in attendance. So we devised a large-scale group party version of Clue, more details in a different post. Photo courtesy of Kirill Buryak