Boy or girl, a superhero party remains one of those party themes that never goes out of style. Don’t feel you have to stick with the licensed character stuff in the big party stores–there are so many cool superhero printables and decor out there that let your kid be their own superhero.

Here I rounded up some of my very favorite options from Etsy artists and smaller designers, all of them pretty amazing looking and best of all, easy. In other words, don’t expect to see any of those insane, ready-for-television 16-layer cakes here. I’m a mom, not a wizard.

SUPERHERO PARTY INVITATIONS AND DECOR

Olliegraphic’s printable superhero party invitations and matching thank you notes not only look amazing, they’re totally customizable to look just like your kiddo. And I love that girls are included too–and they don’t even have to be wearing pink.

Sandy Ford will actually illustrate your own child’s face from a photo and insert on these personalized superhero party invitations. She draws, you print. There are twin and sibling options too.

Minted has a pretty great collection of superhero party decor. I especially love the sophisticated superhero party invitations along with matching touches like a personalized bunting banner and themed confetti.

Way back when, we tracked down 4 of our favorite superhero invitations for kids. For just $12, I still think the totally custom printable superhero invitation at Etsy’s Vintage Sweet is a great deal.

If you want to go all out on a photo invitation, Tiny Prints has quite a few cute designs to choose from, like this simple SuperKid Firecracker card designed by Petit Alma. It’s going to be spendier, but for a really special party, it’s a really special card.

SUPERHERO CAPES AND MASKS FOR KIDS

Can’t have a superhero party without capes, right? If you’re crafty, download the free superhero cape pattern from Kelsey Vanilla Joy who is kind enough to offer them to us, gratis. You can also embellish with her free superhero logo pattern PDFs.

Not so crafty? No problem. Sew Plain Jane offers DIY superhero cape kits that are super easy, complete with cape, mask and wrist bands. Even better, they can be the activity for each kid who can make his or her own. And the prices are amazing.

If you’re ordering for a big group, Sew Plain Jane’s handmade felt superhero masks start at just $1.75 each. Kind of hard to beat that.

If your kid fancies the classic comic book characters, check out this superhero mask printable from Bessiepoh on Etsy–awesome for kids who are indecisive, or like mine, who want to be “more than one” for the duration. Just print out a ton from the 10 designs and let them go to town.

If you want more of a keepsake, grab a needle and thread and this superhero mask DIY from Cutesie Crafts which aren’t all that cutesie. In fact, they’re pretty great, and they’ll last long past the party.

SUPERHERO PARTY PRINTABLES

For just $25, One Charming Party (also shown at very top) will send you a 60-page PDF filled with every printable and tutorial you need for a superhero party, like faux 3-D invitations and thank you cards, printable cake toppers, a comic book banner, party activities, and even instructions for DIY superhero shirts.

Anders Ruff is always a favorite shop and source of inspiration for everything party-related, and I love their whole suite of superhero party printables, including this vintage superhero printable coloring poster. Print it out, mount it to the wall and give the kids an instant activity–and your kiddo a birthday keepsake.

Another option are the cuter than cute free Justice League printables from Mariah DeMarco of Paper & Pomegranates. They can be stickers or just coloring pages depending on what you print them on, or download the pre-colored PDF to use for nametags or place cards.

More power to you fondant-wielding genius, but if I do my own cupcakes, I like cheating with printable cupcake toppers. At Lauren Haddox Designs on Etsy get 4 cupcake topper designs, two of them customized with your child’s name for just $5. (Probably easier if your kid has a short name.)

Lil Faces Printables has a lot of well-designed superhero party printables, from favor tags and water bottle labels (so awesome!).

I also like her pop art superhero photobooth props. If you’re not handy with InDesign (like I’m not), $8 gets you 5 fun designs. Just add heavy card stock and a stick.

Printable Parties to Go offers lots of printable labels for candy minatures. For just $5, print them on paper, punch with a 3/4″ circle and glue. Done.

Another option are the personalized printable superhero candy wrappers from Lil Faces–I love that you can customize with your own kid’s name before you print or just go for the baby superhero version–especially cute for younger kids.

SUPERHERO PARTY FAVORS FOR KIDS

While any old bag will do with a cool sticker or printable gift tag, I like these handmade superhero favor bags from Etsy’s Two Early Birds. They can do an assortment of 10 like the photo here, one specific bag, or even add some more female character options.

While of course the capes and masks above make for perfect favors, if you’re looking to stuff goody bags, longtime favorite Frecklebox makes personalized coloring books and more. For just $6.95 you can even have one personalized with each kid’s name–provided you have friends who are good at RSVP’ing. My only complaint is that they only make them for boys. Huh?

I am so taken with the personalized superhero crayons at Cio Prints. You can customize the box to look like your kid, but even the crayons themselves are personalized. Adorable.

Lightning bolt soaps are so fun! These are a dollar each in a bulk set of 30, and they’re smart if you’re looking for favors that aren’t plastic…or sugary.

Teeny superhero girl buttons are adorable, aren’t they? Especially at just $6.50 for a set of 15–though you can get even more if you need. (Can kids ever have enough buttons?) They come in superhero boy buttons too.

Check out the custom comic labels from Kidecals. You can order each kid their own if you’re having a small party, or get a generic word (“SUPERKID!”) and cut up the sheets. $21 gets you 66 small labels.

A fun DIY project: These superhero lollipop favors at Zakka Life. They were originally conceived for Valentine’s Day but it would be easy to create a different note on the cape.