Prehistoric party animal! How to make a unique and fun DIY dinosaur cake topper

“She’s so cute!”

“Why’s this dinosaur wearing a party hat?”

“This one wants to go in the pool. She already has her bikini on.”

“Could Dilophosaurus could swim?”

Our inquisitive party guests tested the theory after admiring the birthday cake topper and devouring the cake.

Are you looking for a way to give life to your unique dinosaur birthday party theme? A simple and fun DIY dinosaur cake topper is perfect!

These prehistoric party animals will instantly dino-fy your cake or tablescape and quickly become the talk of the party. All you need is a little imagination, our easy-to-implement suggestions and to raid your craft supplies, toy box and junk drawer.

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3 considerations when making your dinosaur cake topper

Before you start, you need to consider these three points.

Which dinosaur?

Perhaps the most important question – at least initially – is which dinosaur to use.

Which one is your little dinosaur fan’s favourite? Which one would fit best with your theme? And which one would be best (from the size and weight) and not flatten your cake like a pancake or sink into it like quicksand.

Will it faceplant in your cake?

Some dinosaurs perpetually lean, even on a flat surface. On a cake, they will headbutt your candles, leave a tail-sized crevice or imitate a cockroach on its back.

Does your dinosaur need some help to be stable? Do you need to attach some toothpicks to its legs to help it stand in place?

To paint or not to paint

I originally purchased some cheap dinosaurs (the same ones we got for our dinosaur garden) because I planned to paint them gold. I didn’t want to risk a prehistoric meltdown because I’d painted some of our LDA’s precious dinosaur herd.

This is a personal preference and will depend on your party theme and what you want your dinosaur cake topper to look like.

Remember: you can get creative with your painting. Why can’t a dinosaur have stripes like a zebra, or a leopard’s spots? You could paint your dinosaur to look like a Piet Mondrian painting. Or paint on a football jersey or bright pink lipstick and nail polish.

Time to raid your supplies

What gems is your little dinosaur fan hoarding? We found Barbie accessories and Playmobil very useful. Action hero figurines and their accessories, Kinder Surprise Eggs, or other random paraphernalia your child (or you) has collected.

What crafting gems can you find?

• Beads
• Construction paper
• Felt
• Glue
• Material (scraps)
• Modelling clay
• Netting
• Paint
• Pompoms
• Ribbon
• Sequins
• Wrapping paper
• Wire

Raid the kitchen too! Sponges can be cut and painted to look like slices of cake. Raisin boxes make great presents. Add ribbon to the end of a toothpick for a gymnastics dinosaur.

Some easy prehistoric party animal ideas

We had a dinosaur pool party, so we wanted our cake topper dinosaur to look like a party guest. We found a pool float and sunglasses in our LDA’s Barbie collection, borrowed some flippers and a snorkel from a Playmobil figurine and added a tutu and some cake topper balloons. I wish I’d thought to paint the claws with nail polish!

Some others made great table decorations, too.

• A second (grey) T-Rex wore a blue tutu and grey sunglasses and carried a gift.
• A raptor wore a rashie (borrowed from Barbie), a short tutu and carried (Playmobil) flippers in one claw and a gift in the other.
• Triceratops and Stegosaurus wore party hats, carried gifts and lounged on beach towels with drinks.
• Dilophosaurus wore a pink tutu and bikini and rode a pink dolphin (we have lots of strange Barbies).

Try some of these DIY ideas for an original dinosaur cake topper:

• Artsy dinosaur – Pour bright-coloured paint over your dinosaur (or whatever colours you’re using for your party). Add a paintbrush.
• “Roar, I’m 4” – Have your dinosaur (or 4 dinosaurs) hold (or eat) a large 4.
• Dinos gotta skate – Put your dinosaur on a skateboard! These finger skateboards are perfect (and you can gift the rest as favours). Add some mini sunglasses (or borrow some from Barbie). You could even add some sneakers!
• Dinos and Doughnuts – Thread a Brachiosaurus head and tails through the doughnut holes, or let mini dinosaurs frollick on your stack of doughnuts.
• Glamorous dinosaurs – paint the claws with nail polish, paint on some lips, glue on some (cheap) glittery earrings and give them a lipstick or glittery toy phone to hold.
• Super dinos – Is your child going through a superhero phase? Why not have one of their superheroes ride a dinosaur? I can see Captain America riding one of the iconic US dinosaurs, like the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Or give a T-Rex a cape and glue red and gold (foam sheet) “T” on his chest.

How to make a skirt or tutu for your dinosaur

It’s easy to make a skirt or tutu for almost any dinosaur. For me, a skirt makes your DIY dinosaur cake topper look professional, not slap-dash. Of course, the need for a tutu will depend on your theme.

I used two layers of tulle (pink and turquoise, but rainbow tulle would be pretty). Cut two strips just over double the desired length of your skirt and enough to go around your dinosaur’s waist about 3-4 times. Fold the tulle in half to have a narrow strip about the length of your skirt, one layer inside the other.

Thread a needle with embroidery thread. Using a running stitch, stitch along the fold of your strips of tulle, then pull the thread to gather the tulle together into your skirt.

Place the skirt around the dinosaur and tie the two ends of embroidery thread together to hold it in place. Adjust the tulle so that the skirt sits to your liking and cut the skirt to your desired length.

Don’t have time to make your own?

Fortunately, etsy has numerous dinosaur cake toppers. These can also give you some ideas about what you can do with your own dinosaur cake topper.

• Dinosaur cake toppers do not have to be large, as these mini dinosaur cake toppers prove. And you can never go wrong with a handmade birthday hat.
• For a rainbow dinosaur birthday party, use bright-coloured dinosaur cake toppers (or paint them the colours of the rainbow).
• Your dinosaur cake topper can double as a candle holder. Use a screw or nail to make a hole in your dinosaur before inserting a candle holder. And make sure anything you add will not catch on fire.
• Pompoms, coloured beads and glitter are always a good idea.
• A dinosaur with a simple homemade sign might be all you need.
• Go for gold!
• Dinosaur cake toppers work for other occasions, too, like weddings.
• I know we have some plastic flowers floating around. Add some mini jewels for a real headdress for your dinosaur cake topper.
• One example of how you can use paint and a bit of ribbon to create an outfit for your dinosaur cake topper.
• Our dinosaur Advent wreath might also give you some inspiration!

Make your own dinosaur cake topper

A fun DIY dinosaur cake topper will instantly complement your dinosaur party theme and quickly become a party hit. All you need is to raid your child’s toolbox and your craft supplies and use your imagination to create a unique prehistoric party animal.

By the way… have fun testing whether Dilophosaurus could swim.

What will your dinosaur cake topper be doing?

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