Animaterna

Mermaid Parties – a fantastic theme for your Little Mermaid

The ongoing popularity of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid and Disney’s hit comedy Splash which they followed up with their children’s cartoon  mermaid character Ariel have all served to make a Mermaid themed parties a firm favourite with girls.  Whether you buy a costume or simply adapt a bikini and sarong to suit all little girls of all ages love to pretend that they are sirens of the sea.

But does this love of mermaids come from and why do we find them so cute when legend would have us believe that they used to lure sailors onto the rocks with their singing and then drown them out of spite? 

If we start at the beginning, mermaids are fictional creatures being half human and half aquatic creature, fish, dolphin or seal.   Mermaids exist in many cultures and stories about them date back thousands of years.  Their name derives from concatenating a derivation of the old English (and French) word for sea; ‘mere’ and maid which would simply mean servant. 

The earliest representation of a mermaid as we would think of them today would be the story of Atargatis who was goddess who fell in love with a mortal and in so doing killed him and through this loss of love threw herself into a lake taking on the form of a fish.  It was said that the waters were unable to hide her beauty and thereafter she took on the form of a mermaid, human from the waist up and fish below.

The most popular depiction of the current day mermaid is left to us by Hans Christian Anderson in his story of The Little Mermaid which has given form to our modern day interpretation of the mermaid form and indeed was the model for the bronze statue that stands in Copenhagen Harbour.

And once Disney had spotted the potential and appeal of the mermaid theme its success was assured.

Today there are official Disney licensed Ariel fancy dress costumes which are available both in store and to buy on-line.  These and most other mermaid costumes tend to follow the same design being a bikini styled top with a flesh coloured body suit with a greenish blue coloured tail.  Most costumes come complete with a seashell tiara and necklace but if you are making your own, seashell jewellery and loose seashells are readily available.

There is an increasing range of sewing patterns available for Halloween and other costume themes and it would be worth checking with your local haberdashery to see what they have available or could get for you.  Materials should be translucent in shades of blue and green with gold or silver scale effects to form the outer tail which should/could be over a more solid material for the base skirt – unless you are very daring.  If the thought of making a costume is off putting then there are two basic options for purchase, visiting your local fancy dress retailer or buying from a specialist online internet costume retailer.

Online retailers tend to lay their shops out so that it’s easy to find the costume that you are looking for and a few will have an exceptional variety of fancy dress costume accessories.  And in the main, it is the careful selection of your costume accessories that really brings the whole costume together.

Ariel Costume: Tiara – Child’s One Size Fits All $6.55 Our Ariel Disney Princess Tiara features green sequins, green, white and purple faux-pearls with purple marabou and a silver Ariel cameo in the center. Wear with our Ariel costume and other Ariel accessories. Officially licensed Disney Princess accessory. Ages 3+Tiara measurement: 5.5″ around head; 4.75″ high…

Seaweed Costume Boa $6.65 Glamour goes green and seaweed is always greener! This Seaweed Costume Boa features multigreen organza and is a great accessory to complete your magical mermaid costume. Even at the bottom of the ocean floor a girl has got to look her best and the princess dressed in the mermaid Halloween costume is no exception. One size fits kids and adults. Note: To achieve the look in the picture, two seaweed…

Manhattan Toy Maddie Mermaid Groovy Girl (Girl Size) Dress-Up – Blue $34.97 Dress up like Maddie Mermaid with this matching Groovy Girls Dress-Up! This fancy mermaid outfit comes with a wrap-around skirt that ties in back, made of stretch velvet and satin with a silver foil sparkly tail. It’s made of stretch poly spandex and you get a super cool seashell handbag. Fits sizes 4-6….

Ariel Wig $21.96 Contains: One child wig…

Newborn Mermaid Costume $30.36 Your child’s Halloween will go swimmingly when she’s wearing this newborn mermaid costume! This adorable baby bunting is made of 100% polyester but feels like soft fleece. The top of the bunting is light pink and has jagged short sleeves. The bottom half of the bunting is green with black “scale” accents. There is an attached green fin at the end of the bunting! The costume velcros at the back of …

Ariel Tiara Swim under the sea with Flounder and Sebastian in this Ariel tiara! Straight from the Little Mermaid movie, this tiara features beads with an assortment of shapes and colors including white, purple, blue and clear. The blue headband provides a comfortable fit and is lined with green sequins. A silver character pendant is featured in the center and surrounded by sparkling, purple mesh netting. (Ple…

Etsy 101: Sell Your Crafts on Etsy, the DIY Marketplace for Handmade, Vintage and Crafting Supplies $12.15 Step away from the craft fair. Set up shop on Etsy, the world market for art, design and home decor!For artists, crafters, designers, and vintage resellers, it’s a revolution. Never before has it been so easy to open a storefront that will reach millions of paying customers–with no up-front investment–online, in an afternoon!Learn how thousands of Etsians, young and old, have launched their busi…

Dreamland Social Club $6.00 Jane has traveled the world with her father and brother, but it’s not until her fractured family-still silently suffering from the loss of Jane’s mother many years before-inherits a house and a history in Coney Island that she finally begins to find a home. With the help of a new community of friends, a mermaid’s secrets, and a tattooed love interest with traffic-stopping good looks, the once plai…

Fairy Tale Knits: 32 Projects to Knit Happily Ever After $5.14 wiley publishers fairy tale knits. this great book features thirty two projects to knit happily every after dreams for your little ones. this magical collection is reminiscent of the worlds most beloved fabled characters. designed for everyday school and play and using yarns that are soft durable and easy to maintain these whimsical patterns delight the imagination and inspire creative play. from …

Aztec Imports Mermaid Pinata $12.99 20″ tall mermaid pinata is one of girls favorites! Featuring a red-haired mermaid holding a flower with lovely detailed printed face, our mermaid pinata will perfectly match your little mermaid party theme….