Mario Kart Party Games and Activities

Of course, the first thing the guests will probably want to do at any Mario Kart themed birthday party is to get a hold of the controllers and play the Mario Kart Wii video game itself. But since not everyone can play at once, and you certainly don’t want your guests spending the entire party in front of the television screen, you can also come up with some other fun games and activities to play. Try a few of these to keep the guests having a great time even if they aren’t steering around the track. Then after the games, food, gifts and activities the kids can go play Mario Kart as a way to start unwinding as the kids leave!

Race Mario and Luigi Around the Track
Another fun game is to setup a small indoor (or outdoor with the proper equipment) race-track. Then using remote-control cars let the kids race around the track. If your kids have remote-control cars already than you can use those cars and simply place a Mario sticker on each car. Otherwise, you can also buy Mario Kart Remote Control Cars which are availble as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser and more! Check them out here.

Pull Back Car Distance Race
A fun game to try at a party is a pull-back racing car distance race. Simply give each child a pull-back car, they don’t have to be expensive as they’ll all be about the same. Then setup a starting line and a let the kids race their cars to see who goes the furthest. You can then mark that spot and give them a chance to try and beat that spot! A very simple game that kids love!

Shell toss
Players in the Mario Kart game can toss shells at each other when they obtain the right power-up. Create a simple game using easy to make shells out of cheap foam balls. You can pick up a 12-pack of two inch foam crafting balls for $3.69 on Amazon. Use permanent markers to draw a turtle-like shell on the top half of the ball in the Mario Kart turtle shell colors like red, green and blue. There are two games you can play with your “turtle shells.”
Game 1: Set up a bucket and a toss line an appropriate distance away, and challenge the guests to see how many shells they can get in a bucket.
Game 2: For a slightly more complex game, print out images of the Mario Kart characters onto heavy card stock. Turn them into small stand-ups using cardboard props to hold them up from behind. Then, have the guests toss the shells and try to knock the stand-ups over.
Alternatively, you can use plush stuffed turtles for your turtle toss but that will increase the cost and make it an indoor activity.

Coin hunt
Gathering coins as you make your way around the track is one of the major components of the Mario Kart game. Send your party guests on a hunt around the house for hidden coins, with prizes for the guest who finds the most coins. You can buy plastic coins, $3.99 for 100 from Celebrate Express, or you could also use chocolate covered coins, although if you have pets around the house be sure to keep them out of their reach!

Power Up Memory Game
Using card stock and a color printer, along with some Mario clip art, create your own Memory game with a Mario Kart theme. Breaking down each sheet of paper into 4 or 6 squares, print a question mark on one side and the Mario characters or other images on the other. Be sure to have two copies of each image you use. Then, cut them out and turn them upside down on the table. Players can turn over two cards at a time in an effort to make a match, and must try to remember where they saw which image when their turn comes around again! If they make a match, they keep the cards and take another turn. A missed match means the next player is up. The player with the most pairs when all the cards have been matched up wins!

A Mario piñata
This traditional party event can be made to fit your Mario Kart theme easily with the Mario and Luigi Mario Kart piñata. You can also purchase a Super Mario pinata which features the giant Mario. Both of these pinata’s are “pull-string Pinatas” which means that they are SUPER durable so all the kids will get a chance to hit the pinata. Then at the end the kids each pull a string to release the prize inside! You can fill your piñata with small toys and candies or purchase pinata fillers. Some other ideas include small banana candies like those thrown by Donkey Kong, Jr., race car erasers that resemble go karts, and chocolate coins.

Hopefully these ideas help to start a very fun and entertaining party for your kids. If you’ve hosted a party and have a Mario Kart party game idea let us know in the comments!