Friday, August 19, 2011

Outrageous Kid Parties is Back!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I was surprised to see that Outrageous Kid Parties came back with so little marketing. This is why DVRs are so handy, hehe! Anyway, if you missed it or if you just want a recap, take a look at the fortunes these parents are spending on their children's parties... 


Outrageous Kid Parties "Derek's Candy Fantasy Party" (S02E01):
The Background: Donna wants to throw a big preschool graduation party for her five-year-old son, Derek, who is the middle child of three. [you know, since finishing preschool is such an accomplishment. You have to be able to share and know your colors, and maybe read if you're lucky.] They live in Long Island and will host the party in their backyard. She wants people to feel like their weddings sucked in comparison. [and this totally baffles me. Also, note that she makes no mention of her own wedding during the episode...] Derek loves candy but is allergic to nuts. He wants a rock wall at the party. [I think this is a pretty modest request. yes, it would be cheaper to go to a rock-climbing place, but it's not too outrageous yet.] Donna says she clashes on money with her husband, who is terrified of the party. [the use of the word "terrified" is really amusing.] Carolyn is the party planner. "Willy Wonka Candy Fantasy" is the original theme... it becomes "Willy Wonka Candyland Explosion" later. Donna is even considering having chocolate flowing over the side of the house. [thank goodness this doesn't happen in the end!]
The Invitations: Donna and Derek head to his preschool. The invitations are golden tickets, which anyone could have seen coming. [they aren't very impressive, though they do invite entire families to attend.] The party was April 30th. They also have candy to throw out to get everyone excited about the party. A lot of it was loose and unwrapped. [I couldn't believe how gross that was!] The teacher agrees that it wasn't sanitary. Another mother walks in and is upset that she wasn't told ahead of time about the candy, as her child will now be on a sugar high. Candy: $75.
The Outfits: Donna's sister did all the hair and makeup. Donna had pink and purple in her hair - but Derek doesn't want purple hair. Derek's costume: $350; Makeup: $350.
The Entrance: Donna wants Derek's entrance to be a performance, so they head to a dance studio, where they meet a troupe who will be dancing to a song that Donna had commissioned. The day of the party, Derek gets nervous about performing for so many people. He's able to do it in the end, though the cuts make it look like perhaps he did it twice... Oompa Loompa Dancers: $1500; Original song: $1500.
The Food:  Derek did some taste-testing at a candy store. Donna let him load up on candy as his dinner. [and apparently this isn't a rare thing...] $500 is the candy budget... $1303.50 is what it rang up as in the end. Donna rips up the receipt so her husband won't see the total. At the part they have a Fizzy-Lifting Drink Station as well. The guests find the purple food to be strange. [as do I, really. Purple hot dogs and purple macaroni? I'll pass.] Catering: $5000; Cake: $2500 (for the kids); Truffles: $1250 (for the adults)
The Entertainment: They have Aerial Dancers for $2200, Bounce Houses for $800, and a Rock Wall for $900.    
The Gift:
He receives a 40-foot rock wall ($8500) as a gift from his parents. The parents of others really felt that the gift was most obscene of everything. Later, Derek's parents race on the rock wall, and Donna's skirt goes way up. 
The Favors:  T-shirts: $700; Favors: $850


Some of the moms think the party is over the top, especially for a preschool graduation. [that's true. Remember, it's not even a birthday!] They had no big problems, thought some of the giant blowups needed to be moved because they would have blocked the views of the aerial dancers.

I feel like the vast majority of this party was inappropriate for children that young and without a major event going on. Oh, and the Total Cost: $31,838.53.

Outrageous Kid Parties "Sadie's Country Carnival" (S02E02):
The Background: Janine, mother of 4 daughters, wants to have a big party for her youngest's sixth birthday. Janine, Sadie, and family live in Cary, NC. Sadie wants a tattoo for her party "so she can be cool like the big girls." [which I assume means her older sisters - it's implied that Sadie was an accident and that's why she's a bit younger than the others.] While getting her nails done, Sadie talks to a party planner. [and this is where I start rolling my eyes - I wasn't even allowed to paint my nails at 6, let alone get them done professionally!] Sadie mentions dancing on stage, a ferris wheel (her number 1 desire, which she even ran around the salon talking about), a roller coaster, a cow girl outfit, a dunk tank, horses, and cows. Janine adds in a cotton candy machine, a popcorn machine, and a limo for the entrance. Janine's husband barely okay'd a $10,000 budget, and the planner mentions it's more like $23,000 already.
The Invitations: nothing fancy, at least that we saw.
The Outfits: Sadie gets an airbrush tattoo designed and done. [though the commercials want you to think it's a real tattoo.] It costs $80. [I can't even convince myself to get a $15 airbrushed tattoo on vacation, LoL!]  Cowgirl Costume: $175.
The Entrance: The limo was 20 feet long and jacked up, which was absolutely absurd - even Dad agreed. But she rides a horse into the party... so why even have a limo??  Horse: $500; Limo: $600.
The Food: At the bakery, it's decided that they want a five-foot, elaborate cake. Janine suggests a horse, a Ferris Wheel, a Sadie replica. They go with a Ferris Wheel at the end, and she's quoted $4,000. [I thought the cake looked like crap for $4 grand. I see that cake being worth $2,000 tops. It ends up being $3250.] Candy Booth: $700; Catering BBQ: $5500; Carnival Food: $1250. [Candy PLUS Carnival food? they couldn't have done one or the other?]
The Entertainment: They have a dance audition so they can pick three dancers to dance with Sadie on-stage at the party. The instructor really blew this out of proportion, too. Sadie had some stage fright during the dance and forgot part of it. [this is my favorite part about things like this... so much pressure on the kid and then they mess up. haha.] Oh, and those professional dancers? $1800. Plus $1200 for the choreographer. They also had a live band for $3500, a Kissing Booth for $325 (at a party for young kids??), a Bounce House for $500, and Face Painting for $550. Plus, a Dunk Tank for $800, which one of Sadie's sisters got into. [at least she was a good sport!] Oh, and they had some sort of dog show for $675. But it seemed pretty small for such a large crowd, so I have to wonder how that worked?
The Gift: The gift is a giant playset. [That might have been a better gift for the oldest daughters years ago so all of the girls could have used it... especially if Janine says she always wanted one.] Gift: $5700.
The Favors: nothing mentioned.

The Ferris Wheel was struck by lightning so it isn't able to be there. [I was glad that Sadie held it together and had a good time even though her top choice wasn't available at the last minute. Though if it was struck the day before, why did it take them so long to find out?] We don't hear from other parents, though Janine's brother is a bit flabbergasted at the elaborate nature of the event, mostly because he's afraid his daughters will think this is normal. Dad, who was skeptical at the beginning and felt it was over-the-top during the party, said that at the end of the day, the cost was worth it. Janine said that it was so worth it, she'd do it again. Sadie said she wants a bigger party next year. [first person to be featured on this show twice? maybe...]

Total Cost of this one: $32,550.00.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I loved it!!! Bring back Derek