safari cookie ideas

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Simple Tropical Leaf Cookies

Simple accent cookies are a great way to stretch cookie platters.  They’re tasty and adorable but far less labor intensive than other designs.

One of my favorites are these simple tropical leaves.  They only take a minute to make and work with a variety of themes.  They can be made with a few different cutters such as a paisley, simple leaf, or football.

• Green 20-second icing

Begin by outlining half of the leaf with 20-second icing.

After the icing has set repeat the previous steps on the second half of the cookie.

For fun coordinating cookie ideas, check out the helpful tutorials below:

• Tropical Luau Cookies via Glorious Treats
• Grass Skirts and Flip Flop Cookies via Glorious Treats
• Tropical Luau Cookies Via Glorious Treats
• Giraffe Face Cookies with Common Cutters
• How to Make Giraffe Print with Royal Icing
• How to Make Zebra Print on Cookies
• How to Make Leopard Print Cookies
• Creative Hibiscus Cookies
• Bamboo Border Cookies
• Hawaiian Shirt Cookies
• Mini Luau Cookies
• Flip Flop Cookies

Have a great weekend cookie friends!

I love this design! I can’t wait to use it next time I do some tropical or luau themed cookies!

Dang it, I wish I had seen these cookies this morning, while I was making palm trees. They are sooo pretty, you’re so creative!

Fabulous design, Callye! 🙂

Love the designs! Do you have any info on the cutters you used to make the monkey and elephant? I love the whole platter. Thanks for sharing.

Was curious about the mixer contest. Did I miss the announcement of the winners? Said it would be announced either yesterday or valentines day I think. Just wondering, thx. :] and of course cute cookies. I made my first batch last night. Have to put eyes, nose, mouth and other facial details on them. They are faces for a play date party on Tuesday.

Great idea!! I made your cookie recipe a month ago and ran out of time to add icing for an event. So they have been sitting in a closed tupperware container. I pulled one out and tasted it and I couldn’t believe how good it was!! After a month. Still yummee!! Not stale at all.

When I saw the title of this post, I couldn’t believe that I was seeing the word ‘simple’ with these leaves which I’ve always LOVED! Somehow, you always know exactly what I’m dying to learn! Thank you SO much….Can’t wait to try!

So. Freakin’. Talented.

This is awesome! It makes me want to make jungle cookies so I can try it out.

you make it looks so simple:)

Oh, I wish that I had seen this before I did mine! Love these, Callye! Your whole set is wonderful!

These are perfect! Thanks for the leaf tutorial!

posts…gosh tried several times…and here i m…cookies love goeruogs …hridays fav things car,airplane and above all BALL…haha

Hi Callye! We love these cookies! What cutter/cutters did you use for the zebra heads?

Used this last night to create minis! I love the way yours look Callye! They are just perfect!

I’ve been thinking about Lion cookies for something fun to bring to one of my LIONS CLUB meetings. While not at all what your tutorial is about, this set gives me a good guide for making the lions. Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks so much for all that you share with us! Kirsten

Can you tell me what Cookie cutters you used to make these jungle animal faces? They are so cute but I cannot find anything like the elephant face or zebra to work with. Thank you for your time.

What a plesruae to find someone who thinks through the issues

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Awesome work! What amazes me the most is how identical your cookie designs are! Lions looks exactly the same, just as the elephants do….that is serious art talent!

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Hello, I am wanting to have a jungle theme for my sons 2nd birthday and would like to try to make the lion cookies, do you have a recipe posted anywhere?

Did anyone find out which cookie cutters were used to do the above cookies? I know they are often not ones you would think that could be transformed into amazing animals like these. Just curious as I have safari animal cookies due next week. Thanks everyone.

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I was wondering what cookie cutters you used for these cute animals. 

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Roxy's Kitchen

Safari / Jungle Themed First Birthday Party Part I – Dessert Ideas

August 6, 2014 by Roxy

Last week was a memorable one as we celebrated Daniel’s first birthday party. I can’t believe he’s one year old already! My baby boy is seriously growing up too fast so someone, please stop the time! Choosing a theme for his birthday party was super easy as his favorite toys (apart from empty water bottles, TV remote control & cellphones) are all the plush animals around the house from monkeys to teddy bears to elephants.

This Safari / Jungle Themed First Birthday Party was completely styled by me – from choosing the decorations, designing my own banners to baking a cute jungle cake & his smash cake, cupcakes & cupcake toppers , jungle cookies and making all the finger foods (sushi included!). It’s a great party theme that I’m sure any kid would love regardless of the age and it’s a cute idea for a baby shower as well.

I wanted to make something special for Daniel’s 1 st birthday but at the same time we didn’t want to go overboard and spend a fortune. In this post I’ll show you how to throw a fabulous jungle birthday party on a budget for your little ones. Plus you can print all the labels, pennant banners, jungle animals stickers/toppers for FREE!

I wanted to share all food ideas and party decorations in a single post but it got ridiculously long so I split it into four parts:

• Part I – Dessert Ideas + Jungle Safari Cake
• Part II – Appetizers, Finger Foods & Snack Ideas
• Part III – DIY Decoration Ideas + FREE Printables
• Part IV – Cheap Party Supplies & Decorations

In the following weeks I’ll also post full tutorials with step by step photos for the two cakes I made, fondant cupcake toppers and fondant teddy bear cake topper . For the other food ideas, you can find some of the recipes on my blog and others on some of my favorite blogs/websites…I’ll explain everything in detail in these four posts. So sit back, relax and get ready to enjoy all the photos from our jungle party that will hopefully inspire you!

The cake topper is a fondant replica of our son’s favorite teddy bear.

I made two of these, one for the big cake and the other for his smash cake. Check out the tutorial on how to make this cute little teddy bear .

Talking about this, here’s Daniel’s JUNGLE FIRST BIRTHDAY SMASH CAKE. It’s a five-layer walnut cake (6 inches) filled with the same delicious chocolate walnut cream (full tutorial with step by step photos coming soon!).

And here’s my sweet little Daniel after he smashed his cake, we cleaned him and then he came back to play with his teddy bear , the fondant one that is :)!

Have some bananas around? Then place them in a basket and add a cute label named BANANAS FOR MONKEYS.

More monkey food coming up!

I made an easy BANANA PUDDING FOR MONKEYS. I don’t have a recipe on my blog but I like this Banana Pudding from Epicurious or this Homemade Banana Pudding from the Baker Chick . I adjusted the recipe a bit because I didn’t use any Vanilla wafers but placed half a ladyfinger in each dessert cup… just to keep things simple but still delicious!

Got some BERRIES FOR HIPPOS from the farmer’s market (blueberries, red & yellow raspberries and blackberries), placed them in some cups and made a few cute Hippo Toothpick Stickers (free printable coming soon in Part III of my post!).

Moving on to the cupcakes…oh my, I had so much fun decorating these JUNGLE ANIMALS CUPCAKES. They were Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Annie’s Eats. I’ve made Annie’s cupcakes before and loved them so decided to go with this recipe for the party.

I made every single JUNGLE ANIMAL FONDANT CUPCAKE TOPPER – from lions, teddy bears, monkeys to hippos, giraffes, tigers and elephants. Plus a few toppers with number one but you can personalize these based on your little one’s age.

If you don’t want to spend the extra time to make your own fondant toppers no worries, I’ve got you covered! You (can) will be able to download for FREE my Jungle Animals Cupcake Toppers that I’ll provide shortly in Part III of my post. Just print them on heavy cardstock paper, cut them out, tape them to ice cream sticks or toothpicks and pop them on cupcakes! Cute and simple decorations!

After all these yummy desserts I bet everyone is thirsty so let’s not forget the JUNGLE JUICE! Buy one of those water/juice glass jars with a faucet or borrow one from your friends (like I did 🙂 ). We filled it with orange peach mango juice but you could use anything you like.

Oh, I almost forgot, my Nutella Peanut Butter Monkey Cupcakes would be just perfect for this party theme as well!

Since I’ve been asked before what I use to bake and decorate my cakes, cookies and cupcakes here are some of the items:

And Daniel’s cute teddy bear in case you were wondering where I got it from :):

This must be the longest post ever but I truly hope it will help many parents out there organize an awesome Safari / Jungle Birthday Party on a budget. If you’ve found this useful I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more birthday party ideas, awesome cake decorating tutorials and much more!

You might also like these posts…

Safari / Jungle Themed First Birthday Party   –    Appetizers, Finger Foods & Snack Ideas

Safari / Jungle Themed First Birthday Party –  DIY Decorations + FREE Printables

Safari / Jungle Themed First Birthday Party   –    Cheap Party Supplies & Decorations

This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links for products I personally use and love. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your costs will be the same but I will receive a small commission which is used for hosting and running this site. I appreciate your support! 

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May 26, 2016 at 8:25 AM

ohh woww awesome this idea jungle theme for birthday party is awesome, kids gonna love this and even adults going to have fun with such themes , thanks for sharing

August 11, 2015 at 9:56 PM

What are the tools required for the cupcake decoration?

October 31, 2014 at 7:44 PM

Mmmm so many yummy desserts. You’ve made me hungry for sweets now.

August 27, 2014 at 12:05 PM

This all looks amazing!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!

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Everything You Need for a Safari Themed Birthday Party

Lauren Miolene

We’ve all been to dozens of kids birthday parties , and we can probably agree they get repetitive quickly. That's why it’s always best to have a fun and exciting theme to make it stand out from the rest. If you’ve ever thought about hosting a safari themed birthday party, take this as your sign to get adventurous!

If your kiddo’s birthday is soon, take a walk on the wild side this year by hosting a safari themed birthday party using creative ideas from The Bash. Start with an outdoor venue, live animals, and of course plenty of safari inspired food and drinks. Use our handy kids birthday party checklist as a guide, so you don’t miss a thing.

Keep reading for safari themed birthday party ideas…

Safari themed venue.

You’ll want to establish a home base for this safari themed birthday party. We recommend keeping the festivities outside to enhance the adventurous setting.

Having the safari themed birthday outside just makes sense, so take the party to the park! Visit your local park that has plenty of tables, a pavilion, and a play area to celebrate the guest of honor. The park is also the perfect location so guests have ample space to run around and play.

You can never go wrong by hosting your child’s birthday party in your own backyard with the fresh air and sunlight. Sometimes the comfort of your own home makes the best party venue for everyone. Spend the day outside and easily transition the get-together inside depending on the weather.

If your child is an animal lover, organize this birthday bash at the zoo. Contact zoos in your area to set up a tour with different event packages. Visit different  website to read about animal interactions, a private party space, and other fun surprises.

Safari Theme Party Outfit

You’re probably wondering what to wear for a safari themed party, and the answer is all in the details!

Safari Hats

Invite guests to bring their dress up safari hats or take a trip to your local party store to distribute at the celebration. Your child and their friends will love this special touch that will get them into the safari spirit and provide additional protection from the sun. This creative touch also doubles as a party favor!

Animal Print, Camouflage, and Neutrals

Tap into the adventure for this safari theme with animal print, camouflage clothing, or neutral colors. Ask parents to dress their kiddos in these wild prints to help complete the safari aesthetic.

Safari Vests

To feel the part, guests will have to look the part. Stock up on children’s safari vests from Amazon so everyone can look like a wildlife explorer. These vests come complete with badges, patches, and plenty of pockets to keep some extra goodies in.

To complete any safari ensemble, you’ll need a set of binoculars. Of course guests can bring their own pair if they have them, but you can also distribute them in goodie bags so they can be used during the party. Shop binocular party favors on Amazon so everyone can have their own set.

Safari Theme Party Entertainment

These safari theme party entertainment ideas are guaranteed to bring a roaring good time.

Live Animals

This safari party requires animals, we don’t make the rules! Take a look on The Bash for live animals that can make a special appearance at the birthday celebration. Communicate with different animal handlers to decide which types of animals make the most sense for the faux-safari party. Choose from monkeys, reptiles, and much more!

Find Live Animals

Bounce House

The kids will feel like queens and kings of the jungle with an epic bounce house at the celebration. Browse various party inflatables including obstacle courses and waterslides that will match the safari themed birthday party. Jumping like kangaroos all day is the perfect way to release some of their energy.

Find Bounce Houses

Let the kids (and adults) unleash their inner animals by transforming them into their favorites! Face paint artists on The Bash use non-toxic paint to turn guests into safari creatures like lions, and tigers, and bears—oh my!

Find Face Painters

Photo Booth

A photo booth is exactly what this party needs to help create the safari feeling. Rent a photo booth for the day that will provide safari themed backdrops and props for an immersive wildlife experience.

Find Photo Booths

Allow the kids the opportunity to try different foods from various types of carts. From cotton pizza, to snow cones, and even donuts, party guests will love the freedom of choosing their own party food. Book your child’s favorites on The Bash.

Find Food Carts

Safari Theme Party Activities

Incorporate these safari theme party activities that will keep guests of all ages occupied and entertained.

You’ll need some sort of transportation for this safari adventure! Charge up your child’s mini trucks and cars, or shop safari vehicles on Amazon for guests to drive around the yard in. Block off an area with plenty of space so parents can keep an eye on the little ones.

Animal Charades

Put everyone’s acting skills to the test! A few rounds of animal charades is the perfect activity for this safari themed birthday party. Write various safari animals on a piece of paper for guests to randomly choose and act out. Their friends will have a ton of fun guessing and laughing about what animal they are.

Scavenger Hunt

Send the little explorers on a safari themed expedition during the party. Break everyone into groups, give them riddles to solve, and watch as they follow along to find the prize. You can keep this activity safari themed, but any type of scavenger hunt will work.

Outdoor Activities

Hosting your party outside means there will be plenty of space for all kinds of games and activities. Set up stations with things you probably already have like hula hoops, jump ropes, and other fun yard games that will keep everyone occupied.

Safari Theme Party Decorations

Get wild with these safari theme party decorations that will make this birthday extra special.

Any birthday party, especially a kid’s, needs balloons! Balloons are one of the best decor options because they are fairly easy to purchase or even assemble yourself. For this safari theme, use various shades of brown, green, and orange, or any other color you might find in the wild. You can also get balloons shaped like typical safari animals to incorporate. Details like this will help bring the wild theme to life!

Pro tip: Hire an event planner through The Bash that is an expert in assembling unique balloon arrangements.

Stuffed Animals

The key for any event decor is to make use of things you might already have. Incorporate your child's stuffed animals throughout the space to capture the safari theme. Find jumbo size plush animals including tigers, giraffes, and elephants that everyone will want to get a picture with.

One of the best places to incorporate themed decor for an outdoor party is on the tables. Whether you decide on multiple small tables or one large one, incorporate animal inspired tableware for guests to use. Shop animal print utensils , napkins, and tablecloths that will make the celebration pop.

For this safari, you can also use details like vines, pampas grass, and compasses for a wild dining experience.

Any experienced explorer most likely spends the majority of their time in a tent. Play into the safari theme by setting up tents in the outdoor space for a backdrop. Arrange a few blankets, pillows, and small activities like coloring books that will help keep everyone entertained.

Safari Theme Party Food and Drinks

Make sure there is plenty of fuel for the explorers at the safari themed birthday party.

Safari Themed Birthday Cake

You’re going to want to incorporate the safari theme into every party detail, including the cake. Place an order from your favorite bakery ahead of time to ensure there will be plenty of sugary animals, fake vines, and other wild accents on the birthday cake.

Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets

Who says dinosaurs can’t be invited to the safari party? Chicken nuggets are one of the most loved kid’s foods that are easy to make because all you have to do is pop them in the oven! Serve with different sauces, french fries, and maybe some broccoli trees.

It’s important that a safari explorer keeps plenty of snacks on hand that are easy to travel with, for example, trail mix. Make your own by purchasing a variety of nuts, dried fruit, and small candies. You can also set up a trail mix bar including separate ingredients so guests can make their own take home bag.

This dessert is a delicious DIY treat! All you’ll need to do is add crushed Oreos, gummy worms, and candy rocks on the top of a pudding cup to look like mud. If you don’t prepare these beforehand, kids will love decorating and customizing their own.

Ants on a Log

One of the best snacks for kids usually incorporates them being hiddenly healthy. Make a childhood classic of ants on a log that will help fuel the little explorers during the safari themed birthday party. All this classic entails is spreading peanut butter on a celery stick, and topping with raisins. This snack is easy to customize because you can easily swap the peanut butter with hummus in case of any allergies.

“Jungle Juice”

Whip up a big batch of kid-friendly jungle juice to quench everyone’s thirst. Add any ingredients you want; fruit juice, Gatorade, fresh juice, soda, the possibilities are endless. Serve in a beverage dispenser with a spout so kids will be able to easily refill their canteens. For an adults only drink, try adding champagne for a delicious and fruity mimosa.

Animal Crackers

Who doesn’t love animal crackers? Arrange a platter of plain and frosted animal crackers with different types of dessert dip. Guests will enjoy this sweet treat by dipping their cookie in edible brownie batter, cookie dough, and cheesecake dip.

Banana Splits

This safari themed birthday party will make everyone go absolutely bananas! Your child and their friends will love a homemade banana split that is the perfect treat to end the day.

Safari Themed Party Favors

You’ll definitely want to toss a few of these safari themed party favors into everyone’s goodie bags.

Custom Canteens

Once everyone RSVPs and the guest list is complete, place an Etsy order for customized canteens with everyone’s name. Kids will love having their own custom canteen to drink out of and make them feel like they are on a real safari.

Animal Bubbles

Little kids love bubbles, so give them their own to play with! Find animal inspired bubble bottles on Amazon for guests to use during and after the party.

Animal Ears

Once the face painter turns the kids into their favorite animals, give them ears to match. Visit your local party store or place an online order for lion ears, tigers, giraffes, and more. Try to stock up on a variety so everyone can choose what animal they want to be.

1st Birthday Safari Theme Party: Wild One

Turning one year old is wild! That’s why “Wild One” is such a popular first birthday party theme. You can easily incorporate these same safari ideas into this milestone occasion, but you’re not going to want to forget these details.

If you’ve seen kiddos go wild and destroy their gorgeous birthday cake, that’s exactly why smash cakes have become popular. Smash cakes are typically a smaller, homemade cake specially made for the guest of honor. After the proud parents help blow out the candle, let the one year old celebrate their special day with their own cake. It’s completely up to them if they play with it or eat it, but this way it saves plenty of birthday cake for the other guests to enjoy.

Photographer

A first birthday only happens once, so you’re going to want to remember it forever. Hire a photographer to capture every detail: the decor, the cake, and of course all the smiling faces in attendance! Miss no photo opportunity with our helpful 1st birthday picture list for ideas.

Photo Backdrop

You’re only going to be able to host a “wild one” themed birthday for your baby once, so make a photo backdrop for plenty of pictures. Create your own using a safari background, plush animals, and a big metallic “1” balloon. This backdrop will also act as a focal point in the party space.

Find more kids’ party ideas and inspiration here on The Bash.

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20 Unique Safari and Jungle Cake Ideas

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A jungle theme is a common kiddie party theme because there’s just something about animals in the wild that children find cool, mysterious, and amazing. Don’t get me wrong, the theme works for grownups, too. Contrary to popular belief, there are several ways to go about a jungle cake. This list of unique safari and jungle cake ideas will show you.

Having planned several jungle-themed parties for my nephews and friends in the past, I would admit that it can be a real struggle to find a cake that’s unique and different. That’s because when we talk about a jungle cake, we always picture the same elements: animals, trees, leaves, and a color palette that’s mainly brown and green. It’s almost always the same animals, too: lion, giraffe, elephant, and probably a monkey.

The good thing is that you can go for a jungle theme and veer away from the jungle cake cliché because there are some unique jungle cake ideas you can get inspiration from.

My Bottom Line Up Front

A jungle-themed cake is not just for little kids. Grownups, who love nature and animals, would appreciate a jungle cake, too. I would prefer something out of the usual fondant jungle cake with gum paste animals. I’d go for a number cake with buttercream topped with a mix of jungle animal decorations and the usual meringues, chocolates, fruits, and macarons.

Narrowing Down Jungle Cake Ideas

Getting unique jungle cake ideas may be difficult because you would have to sift through so many of the more common ones. So to help you save time, I have done it for you. In selecting these cakes, I made sure they fit the jungle or safari theme or that they have elements representing some of our favorite jungle animals.

I also look for the uniqueness factor. This is the tricky bit because “unique” is relative and could mean different things to different people. For me, however, jungle cakes are unique if they fit any of these criteria:

• They apply any modern cake decorating trend.
• They stay away from the traditional fondant animal models.
• They stay away from using plastic trees and animal toys as toppers or decorations.
• They are more experimental and adventurous with the use of colors.
• They don’t stick to the usual color palette of greens and browns.
• They are more creative in the representation of animals or jungle life.

Jungle Cake Ideas

1. baby jungle cake.

Jungle cakes with fondant animals are quite common and ordinary. So, some cakemakers give it a new — and cuter — twist by modeling the jungle animals as baby animals. The foliage will be done in fondant, too.

This uber-cute first birthday cake has buttercream frosting with a baby lion, baby giraffe, baby monkey, and baby elephant that are finely modeled in fondant. The leaves provide the foliage for this cake.

Here’s another take on baby jungle animals. This fondant cake also has a baby for a safari tour on a jeep. The name on the base is painted in gold, which is pretty trendy these days.

This jungle cake has baby animals in fondant, but it doesn’t have the usual green foliage. Instead, the leaves are pink and brushed with gold on the sides.

2. Cake with Gold-painted Toys

I know that little toy animals are overused as jungle cake toppers. But if you want a unique and modern twist to this otherwise very common jungle cake decoration, paint it gold. Gold, after all, is a very stylish color these days.

This three-tier buttercream birthday cake takes the jungle theme to a higher level by spray-painting the toy animals’ gold. This makes the toys look less plastic and cheap and classy. To make things more interesting, the cakemaker also wrapped the middle tier with a leopard print wafer paper, then topped the cake with dried pampas grass — both of which are modern cake decorating tools.

3. Prehistoric Jungle

Well, if you’ve decided on a jungle theme for your birthday, it doesn’t have to be the jungle as we know it now. You can go back to prehistoric times!z

This vanilla and Nutella jungle cake shows us exactly what we mean when we say prehistoric, with a T-rex and some plastic foliage right on top of it. The T-rex even has a little party hat and bowtie on and is holding a balloon! The cakemaker also showcases their piping skills on this one. That acrylic name in front of the cake adds a touch of elegance and sophistication.

Here’s another take on the prehistoric jungle cake. This time, T-rex is accompanied by a stegosaurus on top. The green pipings are still there to add texture and more greens to an otherwise overly basic cake.

The cakemaker decided to paint the dinosaurs gold for this buttercream cake. There are synthetic leaves for foliage and pallet knife elements on the sides.

4. Quilt-style Jungle Cake

This cute safari or jungle cake has an expertly executed quilted effect, with the fondant animals and other decorative elements sporting “stitches,” thus making them look like they were sewn.

5. Colorful Jungle Cake

A jungle theme doesn’t have to be dominantly green and brown. Experiment with color combinations. Or you can apply the celebrant’s favorite colors.

This fondant jungle cake, for example, is dominantly pink. Some of the leavers, the balls, the elephant’s ears, and the monkey’s party hat are pink.

More colors aren’t a bad idea. That’s what this fondant cake proves. The flowers give this cake a much-needed touch of pinks and purples, plus there’s a little bit of blue added to an otherwise green palette.

Of course, you can do a jungle theme sparingly, and for a lilac or lavender cake at that. There’s not even a tinge of green in sight. This fondant cake also proves that even if you only have an elephant and a monkey, that’s already enough.

6. Number Jungle Cake

Number cakes are very popular and in vogue right now. These are cakes that are shaped in a number from the top view, which number represents the birthday celebrant’s age. So why not incorporate the two concepts and make a number cake with a jungle theme?

This number cake for a baby girl’s first birthday showcases lots of bright colors. It has colorful cream pipings in various shapes and sizes, fondant animal faces, and fondant leaves. Here’s another safari number cake , for a baby boy turning a year old. This cake has a more subdued color palette. The theme is carried out through cookies with iced animal illustrations, leopard print, and leaves.

Take a look at this safari number cake with yellow and green piping. The animals are made of macarons.

7. King of the Jungle Cake with Synthetic Foliage

If you want a jungle-themed cake but want to keep things simple and avoid overcrowding your cake with too many animals, then just pick one. There’s no better choice than the king of the jungle himself: the lion.

A toy lion was painted gold for this cake. And just so nobody makes any mistake about him being the king of the jungle, a gold crown is there on top of the cake with him. Add some plastic foliage for more depth and more greens, sprinkle gold, silver, and white balls, then paint the sides with green buttercream using a pallet knife.

Another cake with just the lion roaring away. This cake has the trendy palm leaf in gold foil, chocolate balls, dried grass and leaves, and palette knife painting.

8. Paper-crafted Animal Toppers

You may want to consider making paper-crafted jungle animals as cake toppers. All you need are color boards or specialized paper products, a pair of scissors, glue, and sticks. If you have a Cricut machine, that would be swell, too!

This cake has animal toppers made out of a textured board.

You can also go for printed paper animal cutouts, like the ones on this cake . It’s also nice that this cake has palette knife painting on the side using soft pastel colors.

Paper animal toppers like these also look very cute on a cake.

You can create paper animals and punch leaves for your foliage .

9. Fondant Foliage

While fondant animal figures aren’t exactly a new and different thing, you can still make your cake look modern and stylish by using trendy foliage. Monstera leaves, for example, are quite trendy these days.

10. Palm Leaf + Stencil

This cake uses a combination of modern decorating techniques to turn an otherwise common theme and make it more contemporary-looking. As you can see, the cakemaker used the usual toy animals, but to give it a unique twist, they added a gold palm leaf and a buttercream stencil design on the side.

How about a light blue, white, and gold buttercream cake with gold palm leaf and subtle stencil at the front ? The animals are your usual toys from the dollar store, but they’ve been painted gold.

11. Piped Animal Frosting

Who says your jungle cake has to be three-dimensional? It could still look totally cute with a 2D decoration. By 2D I mean piping the design in colored buttercream icing on top of the cake so that it could be seen from the top view.

12. Edible Jungle Images

Edible images are pictures that are printed on edible icing paper using edible ink. So you can print jungle animals and use them as toppers. You can find suppliers or sellers online who could print the images you’d like.

Take this three-tier jungle Christening cake for example. All the animals are edible images, while the leaves are modeled from fondant.

13. Animal Cookie Toppers

You can pipe your design on a sugar or butter cookie using royal icing, then use the cookie as a topper. This cake, for instance, has lion and zebra cookies on top of the Swiss vanilla meringue buttercream.

These tiger and cheetah cookies are so meticulously done. They are painted using edible colors.

If you’re going for a prehistoric jungle, you can go for dinosaur cookies. These cookies have a dinosaur skeleton design and are dusted gold. The leaves are made of fondant.

14. Minimalist Jungle Cake

This cake is a great example of a minimalist cake. Its design details are very simple, with very basic shapes. Even the lion topper doesn’t require mad gum paste modeling skills.

15. Animal Fur Wrap Cakes

Edible image cake wraps are yet another cake decorating technique. These are designs or patterns printed on sugar sheets or wafer paper that you can wrap around the sides of your buttercream cake. You can get cake wraps with animal or fur prints for your jungle-themed cake.

This jungle cake has a different fur pattern for each layer. The first layer is wrapped in leopard print, the second layer in zebra print, and the third layer in giraffe print. Fondant animal figures are lounging on top of every tier.

16. The Lion is Not the Star

We can talk about jungles and leave the lions out of it. They’re not always the star of the show. With that being said, you can go ahead and let the giraffe or the zebra take the spotlight.

This pink jungle cake, for instance, only features a fondant giraffe and no other. Top it with dried bunny tails, pink blooms, pink monstera leaves, and pink macarons and you have one very feminine cake.

Here’s not just one, not just two, but three giraffes frolicking in the savanna. This cake is mostly beige and brown, with dried grass and brown buttercream smeared on the sides.

Here’s another gorgeous cake with a zebra at the center of it all. The zebra’s black and white stripes, as well as the black and white cake wrapper, provide a dramatic contrast against the pink surface of the cake.

And why not a giraffe and a zebra together ?

This cake only has a giraffe and an elephant. But what I probably find more unique is that the first tier is in a shade of green I don’t usually see in a jungle cake.

17. No Animals, No Problem

This jungle cake shows you that you can stay true to the theme even without animals involved. You only need leaves, something that says “wild,” and you’re ready.

18. Animal Silhouette Cake

You can cut out animal silhouettes from glittery paper and put them on your buttercream cake. Add a glittery acrylic topper, like this “Wild One” topper, and some foliage to complete the look.

19. Wooden Animal Cutouts

You can use wooden animal cutouts for your toppers or ornaments and add a combination of synthetic and real dried leaves.

20. Two-Tone Jungle Cake

Again, there are ways to make your jungle cake unique and elegant even if you decided to use toys from the dollar store. How? Use modern decorating styles and two-tone frosting.

This cake, for example, has buttercream frosting in white and a very soft pistachio green. Spice it up with gold palm leaf, gold names, dried pampas grass, and colored chocolate balls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: Technically, jungle and safari are two different things. A jungle is a forest with densely overgrown trees and tangled vegetation, while a safari refers to a trip or excursion. In other words, a jungle is a place while a safari is more of an activity. But when it comes to party themes, you can apply either “jungle” or “safari” to refer to anything about animals in the wild like giraffes, lions, rhinos, elephants, tigers, monkeys, and more.

  Answer: Jungle cake pricing depends on a lot of things. It would depend on the kind of cake you want, the flavor and the ingredients needed to make it, the frosting, the design, the size, and the decorative techniques and elements used. Cake prices also vary from baker to baker because of varying skill levels. If you want to have an idea of how much you need to set aside or allot for your cake budget, the best option is to call bakeshops and inquire. You can give them a picture or a description of the cake you want to order, they will suggest flavors based on their specialty, and they can give you an estimated price.

Answer: Jungle cakes are usually great for birthdays and even baby showers. Sometimes, the jungle theme is used for other celebrations, too, like Christening and even graduations. The theme is mostly used for kids since they’re usually the ones who are most fascinated with animals. Of course, I don’t mean to say that the theme doesn’t suit adults, because as long as you love animals and the wild, a jungle cake would still be a great idea.

Jungle-themed cakes have been around for as long as I can remember. So it’s safe to say that the jungle or safari theme never goes out of style. I think part of what makes the theme attractive is the fact that it’s more generic and you have more freedom to give it your own spin and your own interpretation. You don’t need to refer to a particular character or a specific color palette.

Recommended Reads:

• 10th Birthday Party Ideas That Your Little One Will Never Forget
• Baby Yoda Party Supplies Guide
• 27 Coolest Winnie the Pooh Cake Ideas
• 22 Best Ocean Cake Ideas
• Peppa Pig Birthday Party Ideas
• Bluey Party Supplies Guide: Everything You Need for a Bluey Birthday Bash!

Related Posts

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Colleen Michele

Invites & Ideas for Cute Parties & Showers!

Safari baby shower ideas: cute, creative and easy!

January 30, 2020 by Colleen 4 Comments

Looking to host a safari theme baby shower? You’ve come to the right place. We have scoured the internet for the cutest, creative and most of all easy ideas to make your jungle baby shower a hit. Here’s a look at what’s inside:

Jungle Shower cakes / sweets Safari Themed Invitations – gender neutral, girl and boy version Jungle shower decor Safari themed food and drink ideas Party with a purpose – how to give back to the jungl e FREE Welcome Poster Thank you favor tags and more

Jungle theme baby shower cakes make a wonderful centerpiece.

This adorable baby shower cake is perfect for the new mom celebrating with a jungle or safari theme. The jungle animals (even a little hippo) surround the cake to make an amazing centerpiece for your party.

You could also have several little cakes – like this three some featuring a giraffe, lion and elephant. Each one could be a different flavor to add to the variety. You can find the cute toppers here.

The elephant topper on this baby shower cake is adorable! And the cute giraffe is super sweet too. Yes, the kangaroo is generally not found in the jungle but somehow mom and joey hopped on for the ride.

Here’s a different take on a jungle theme cake – a three tiered cake featuring animal prints and jungle leaves.

Make the cake the centerpiece!

This cake is a standout and needs to be front and center. Mint green and gold are a perfect combination for a jungle shower. The decorations surrounding the cake are as creative as the cake itself.

If you like golden safari showers, there are plenty of options available. Here’s some inspiration for you to set the tone. This cake and dessert spread showcases the golden theme perfectly.

Jungle theme cookies and cupcakes – sweet as can be.

Are you a cookie baker with animal theme cookie cutters ? You can make your own jungle themed cookies and decorate with colored frosting and a steady hand. If not, just head on over to etsy and get these sweet faced jungle animal cookies delivered in time for your shower. Sweet elephant, spotted giraffe, curious monkey, orange tigers, cute zebra and baby lion cookies will accent your shower perfectly!

Are these the cutest jungle cupcakes you’ve ever seen? Monkeys, tigers and zebra make their debut on chelseasmessyapron . Head on over for complete step by step instructions.

Safari and Jungle theme baby shower invitations. Lions and tigers and so much more!

Unique jungle animals take front and center on this safari theme shower. I love the colorful toucan, the napping lion and the cougar on the prowl.

We’re wild with excitement! This is one of my most recent designs featuring playful baby safari animals. I have a swinging monkey hanging from a vine, a baby zebra, jumping lion, a sprinkling elephant and smiling giraffe all front and center. This is also available as an instant download – so you can download, edit and print on your home computer today! Can also be emailed too 🙂

I also have this design and quite a few matching pieces in this theme (such as this cute baby elephant with sprinkling water thank you favor tags ). Head on over to see the entire collection .

Baby girl safari themed invitations

I also had a request for a “girl” version of the safari themed baby shower invitation. I added a bit of pink, some ferns and flowers and of course, a pink elephant 🙂

You can also customize this baby shower invitation via Corjl – change background colors, fonts and more!

If you’ve never used Corjl before, here’s a quick video with the “how to”.

Super cute jungle animals hiding among the ferns. The elephant, hippo, lion and giraffe are soft watercolor versions – perfect for a gender neutral shower.

Here’s a creative touch to the lion king theme – multi colored jungle leaves surround the baby lion. And too, these are easy to customize for your own lion themed shower.

Fun jungle animals including a not too scary lion, blue elephant, spotted giraffe, hungry hippo, crazy crocodile and ready to party palm tree! Back has a repeating jungle pattern featuring the cast of safari characters.

Here’s a baby girl shower invitation featuring some jungle animals with cute flowers in their hair: a zebra, tiger, elephant and giraffe all join the party. Love the creativity!

Baby boy shower invitations

These safari animals are heading out on a hot air balloon with “It’s a boy” in the banner. So sweet!

Twin elephant safari themed invitations

Is your mom to be having twins? There are plenty of designs available for the twin theme – including these adorable baby elephants.

Jungle theme baby shower decoration ideas.

There is such a variety in jungle themes – your creativity and imagination can bring your ideas to life. Whether you’re hanging palm leaves from the ceiling or adding boho accents, you can’t go wrong with this crowd pleasing theme.

The animal prints above or those shown below can be showcased at the shower on the food table, gift table, or sprinkled around the room. Then when the shower is over, off to the nursery for the baby’s wall. This is a really inexpensive way to add cute jungle decorations throughout the shower.

An adorable stuffed animal always adds sweetness to the party – like this super cute stuffed lion . Plus he would look darling in the nursery after the shower. You can find tigers , zebras and elephants too

Safari theme welcome sign

There are plenty of welcome baby flags but this one is super cute. I love the accents on the flag and the fun animals – from My Happy Party shop on etsy.

Safari theme baby shower guest book

Greet your guests with a smile and a pen – and have them sign this adorable baby shower guest book. This sweet book gives guests the opportunity to add wishes and make predictions. It also includes a gift tracker log (great for mom!) and blank pages for notes or other mementos. Best of all, it’s less than $10!

If you’re handy with a needle and thread, these jungle animals would also be fun to decorate at the shower. You can find patterns and other beautiful fabrics with a safari theme.

These cute baby blocks will instantly add to your safari theme shower. Don’t forget the tropical balloon arch !

Safari theme balloons instantly set the tone with very little effort. These decorative balloons from evescraft at etsy include patterns for cheetah, tiger, zebra and giraffe.

Stuffed animals are always a great hit at a baby shower. I love this elephant rocking chair idea! Or you could also have a large giraffe at the entrance to really set the mood when guests arrive. Both also make great baby gifts once the wild one arrives!

Diaper cakes with a jungle theme

There are plenty of creative jungle theme diaper cakes on etsy but this one stands out for his simplicity and creativity. Another perfect accent for the popular golden safari baby showers.

It’s about to get wild! Featuring an ever so cute elephant, lion and giraffe, this diaper cake is sure to get the admiration of your guests.

So simple – safari themed food ideas!

How fun are these pretzel sticks with animal print patterns? You can find the basics on creating chocolate covered pretzels here . For the white chocolate, you’ll need some food coloring to create the giraffe, cheetah and tiger patterns. What’s even easier? Just order them from dalicakesweetshop and she will ship them to you!

This adorable tiger dip works perfectly for a jungle themed baby shower. Just cut up some red, orange and yellow peppers for the mane, arrange a few black olives for the face and crackers for the ears. You can use store bought dip or hummus – or if you’re feeling brave, you can create your own homemade hummus .

Ok – it really doesn’t get any easier than this to create a cute snack for your shower. Cheese cubes on a skewer with a little decorative jungle animal (or two) and a sign. These are poked into the side of a melon. Fun – and simple!

Love this pineapple palm tree! It looks pretty simple to do too – just stack up some pineapples (have a rod to hold them straight). Next add some palm leaves on the top. Lastly, surround the base with tropical fruit. So creative – and such a dramatic display!

Other fun food ideas for the party are:

Fruit skewers Sausage rolls Little Debbie Zebra cakes Finger sandwiches Animal crackers (make cute thank you favors as shown below)

Jungle Juice – fruity, flavorful and fun!

For drinks, what could be easier? Add some tropical fruit and ice to your water pitchers and you have instant jungle juice – perfect tropical drinks for the party. Super easy – and flavorful too!

Parties with a purpose!

Since you’re having an African theme, why not give the mom to be this so cute “ Save Elephants from Extinction ” from the Elephant Cooperation with cute mom and baby elephant. There’s also one for the kiddo with Jungle Love featuring two elephants with cute hearts. What’s more, this could be a great gift idea for the big brother or sister. Best of all, 100% of profits from the sales of the tees goes directly to protecting the gentle giants.  Buy a tshirt, save an elephant. ?

There are many more charitable organizations you can showcase at your party. I love this Wild in Africa store with beautiful bracelets. What’s more, they donate 50% of all profits to the charities such as the Wild Tomorrow Fund , the Rhino Rescue project and more!.

Free safari welcome poster printable

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Thanks for coming!

This is such a cute saying on the favor tag – the sentiment is so sweet. It reads “Please light me up when you hear the news that baby Sawyer has made his debut. The flame will glow to celebrate little Sawyer’s arrival date.” It’s easy to do too … get your candle votives with lids ( or without lids ) next add some twine, punch a hole in your note card and lastly, add to your candle favors. You can customize the tags with your own wording or poem too!

The Thank You Card features the golden safari animals. What’s more, there’s plenty of room inside to add your special notes.

More Jungle safari ideas – Jungle themed balloons, Welcome Sign and Baby shower favors!

Did you know that you can create a Baby Registry on Amazon ? It’s super easy!

These baby shower favors from Kate Aspen are adorable too. Jungle shower candle animals 🙂

We hope you enjoyed our safari themed shower ideas! If you have photos or ideas to share, we’d love to hear them. If you’re still looking for party themes, we have plenty more too … our baby bee shower and forest animals just to name a few!

ColleenMichele - Founder

ColleenMichele is a smile maker and graphic designer at colleenmichele.com. Her designs have been featured on national sites including Martha Stewart Wedding, Country Living Magazine, Bride’s Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Pop Sugar and BuzzFeed.

Reader Interactions

February 28, 2022 at 3:43 am

Hello. Can you tell me where I can get the elephant and giraffe cake toppers?

February 28, 2022 at 2:00 pm

Hi Ima! Those little cake toppers are so cute! You can find the cute toppers here.

February 9, 2023 at 3:17 pm

Do you know where I can get cutters or templates for fondant cut outs for the animals in the cake with the kangaroo?

February 11, 2023 at 2:25 pm

Hi Tracy – It appears that the templates were handmade with fondant. The cookie cutouts I’ve seen are similar – but not the same. There are a lot of cute ones out there though on etsy – you may find something you like!

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