I -= I Make A Memorable Children’ s Birthday Bash (NAPSA)—Creating a great birthday party for your youngsters can seem more like child’s play if you dig deep into your inner child. Here are some hints that may help. Theme: Does the birthday child have a favorite television or movie character, singer or musical group? Play videos that include favorite actors or singers throughout the party. Have a movie “sereening” complete with popcorn and other movie treats. Ask a local coach or school athlete to offer basic instruction in basketball free throws or soccer goal kicks. Games:The theme of the party can be incorporated into games the kids play. For example, hot potato becomes “burning basketball.” If the theme is music, make up your own version of “name that tune.” Create a fun quiz game with interesting facts from a book, TV show or movie. Cake: If the theme is springtime, decorate a plain cake with edible flowers and use mini-pretzels for butterfly wings with shoestring licorice for antennae.If the themeis tennis or baseball try an unwrapped and frosted Nestl Wonderball™ next to a toy tennis racket or baseball bat on top of the cake. Nestl Wonderball features the “very best” Nestl chocolate molded into a hollow ball. Inside are chewy SPREE or tangy SweeTARTScandies in the shapes of characters from Pokmon and such favorite Disney films as 101 Dalmations, A Bug's Life and The Lion King. It can give the cake decorating an exciting three dimensional look. Here’s a great recipe for a Wonderball Clown Cake. Nestl Wonderball Clown Cake (Makes 10 to 12 servings) 1 box (18.25 oz.) cake mix 1 container (12 oz.) white frosting, divided A fun and affordable children’s birthday party may be easier to arrange than manyparents realize. 2 19 1 2 2 6 food coloring, any color candy confetti or sprinkles Nestl Wonderballs, unwrapped strands red shoestring licorice, divided fruit roll snack, any flavor SPREE or SweeTARTS candies peppermint candies to 8 candy orange, lemon or limeslices PREHEAToven according to cake mix package directions. Grease and flour one 8inch-round and one 8-inchsquare cake pan*. PREPARE cake mix according to package directions. Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake according to package directions for round cake pans. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Turn onto racks to cool completely. CUT hat from square cake by cutting from two adjacent corners to a midpoint on the opposite side of the square. Cut two rectangles from bases of the leftover triangle-shaped pieces to form collar. Assemble clown cake by placing the hat above the face (round cake); push together. Place two rec- tangle pieces of cake below the face to form onelarge rectangularcollar. STIR food coloring into 1/2 eup frosting; frost hat. Sprinkle with candy confetti. Reserve I tablespoon frosting to use to attach candies. Use remaining frosting on face and collar. With a small dab of reserved frosting, place one Wonderball at top of hat. Twist 16 strandsof licorice to form clown’s hair; press into frosting. Cut 2 diamond shapes from fruit roll snack. Place on face where eyes would be located; use small dab of reserved frosting to add SPREE or SweeTARTS candies. Twist remaining strands of licorice together and place on face to form mouth. Place peppermint candies at both ends of mouth. Add orange slices to collar. CUT 1-inch square from center of face; lift out cake and discard. Press remaining Wonderball into square to form clown nose. * One 9-inch-round and one 9-inch-square cake pan can be used in place of the 8-inchround and 8-inch-square cake pans. Party Favors: They extend the fun and don’t have to be expensive, consider cookies, crayons, pencils, bubbles or Nestl Wonderball. “It’s important to keep the focus of the party on kids and their interests,” says Tricia Bowles, manager, Public Relations, Nestl Confections and Snacks. “That’s why Nestl Wonderball is such a popular favor, because it features candy characters from such Disney films as Toy Story, Hercules and Aladdin plus, inside each Wonderball box is a special prize such as a colorful collectible sticker, hologram ortattoo.” For more information, visit www.wonderball.com.
