DIY Dragon Sisu Birthday Theme, from Raya and the Last Dragon
Check out our adorable DIY dragon Sisu birthday theme!
My now 6-year old daughter loves Sisu, the blue and purple dragon from Raya and the Last Dragon.
She fell quickly in love with Sisu after seeing a picture of the adorable, fluffy dragon. When she chose her birthday theme, Sisu was an easy pick, even though she hadn’t seen the movie!
During our small, family party, we whacked a Dragon Gem piñata, played pin the tail on Sisu, and enjoyed Sisu cake. Of course, my daughter needed a Sisu inspired dress and party hat with two horns and a mane – just like Sisu. Check out our mermaid penguin theme for more birthday ideas.
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DIY Dragon Sisu Birthday Theme Party Dress
Rather than make a dress from scratch, we spruced up an inexpensive Target turquoise dress to create a Sisu inspired party dress. We added gathered purple, blue, and turquoise tulle around the waist, reminiscent of Sisu’s mane. My daughter loves wearing and twirling in her Sisu dress.
Dragon Gem Piñata
For the last couple years, we’ve enjoyed creating, then destroying, a birthday themed piñata. I’ve learned that the kids don’t want to whack their favorite character, so we’ve tackled Chick Hicks (from Disney’s Cars), a lightning bolt, and a house.
The Dragon Gem piñata was our first attempt at a sphere. I was a little nervous it wouldn’t turn out, but the flexible foam board held up to the gentle bends necessary to form circles. We followed the same method as our other foam board piñatas, except rather than follow an outline for the frame, we formed a circle by gluing two long foam board strips together.
Then we built out the round frame from there, adding in a lot of supports. Then we picked up our regular process for paper mache re-using scrap paper.
Making the piñata is so fun (and messy)! The kids love helping design the piñata, glue the foam board strips together, apply the wet, gooey paper mache, and (usually) painting the finished piñata. For our Dragon Gem, I spray painted the piñata instead of using craft paint. This was much faster and covered really well. I blended lavender and turquoise to create subtle marbling. Since I used spray paint, the kiddos didn’t help paint.
DIY Dragon Sisu Birthday Cake
Supplies:
- candy melts
- offset spatula
- parchment paper
1. Make Sisu’s Head, Tail, and Scales
Find an image of Sisu (print from the internet or trace from a coloring book).
Place Sisu image on a baking sheet, then cover with parchment paper.
Follow bag instructions to melt colored candy melts, each color in a separate bowl.
Dip a spoon or offset spatula into the melted candy, then spread on the parchment paper, following the outline of the Sisu image.
Blend colors together on the parchment paper, creating swirls. Use a toothpick for fine details. Candy should be about 1/8″ thick. Create a base on the head and tail to insert into the cake.
To create the scales, dip the back of a spoon into the melted candy. Spread into a scale shape on the parchment paper. Blend colors on the parchment paper to create detail.
Let candy shapes cool.
The candy decorations can be made a day or two before decorating the cake. Store in a cool, dry place on a flat baking tray until ready to use.
2. Bake the Domed Sisu Cake
Follow your favorite cake recipe (box mix works just fine) to make cake batter. Form a rounded cake by baking in an oven-safe glass bowl – read this great article for baking instructions, time, and tips. If you have leftover batter, make a couple cupcakes!
Let cake cool for a few minutes, then run a thin spatula or offset spatula between the cake and bowl. Place a cooling rack upside down on the bowl, then flip the bowl and rack together so bowl is upside down on top of the rack. Wear pot holders when handing the bowl as it gets and stays HOT! Tap the bowl until the cake releases from the bowl.
Let the cake cool to room temperature before frosting and decorating.
3. Decorate Sisu Cake
Make a 1/2 batch of your favorite recipe for buttercream frosting. Add blue and green food coloring to create Sisu’s aqua color (or divide icing into 2 bowls and make 2 different frosting colors). Cover cake with frosting, creating swirls with an offset spatula.
Wipe extra frosting off of the serving plate with a damp paper towel.
Place candy head, tail, and scales onto the frosted cake. When adding the head and tail, make a thin slice into the cake with a knife. Insert head or tail into the slice. The candy pieces are delicate and may crack or break if pressed directly into the cake.
DIY Dragon Sisu Birthday Party Hat
Supplies:
- blue construction paper
- ruler
- pencil
- scissors
- low-temperature hot glue gun and glue sticks
- tulle
Mark the middle top of a piece of construction paper. Mark 6 1/2″ from the center point around in a semi-circle.
Connect marks and cut out the semi-circle.
Roll construction paper semi-circle into a cone. Trim overlap and glue leaving a small opening at the top.
From the scrap paper, create another, smaller semi-circle.
Roll into a small cone and glue.
Cut a triangular piece off of the bottom of the cone so it points up rather than forward when placed on the hat.
Glue onto hat base.
Cut strips of purple, light blue, and turquoise tulle (use leftovers from Sisu inspired dress).
Glue onto hat base to create Sisu’s mane. My daughter couldn’t miss the opportunity to use ribbon, so we glued ribbon on the bottom of her Sisu hat.
I asked my daughter to help cut and glue, so these hats looked 100% homemade. Hats prepared by a careful adult turn out less messy. Use hair clips to hold hats in place.
My daughter loved her DIY dragon Sisu birthday theme. If you have a kiddo who also loves Sisu, try a Sisu themed birthday.
