101 Dalmatians Tea Party

Host a charming and memorable 101 Dalmatians tea party for guests of all ages with our decor ideas, delicious recipes, and complete menu.

Miss Phoebe, our English Springer Spaniel, turned one and we celebrated in style with a 101 Dalmatian Disney tea party. Read on to create a 101 Dalmatians tea party or movie night the whole family will enjoy. Scroll all the way to end for some bonus fun activities.

About the Movie

The Hundred and One Dalmatians is a 1956 children’s novel by Dodie Smith. The author actually had nine dalmatians–one of which was named Pongo. The idea for the novel came after one of her friends casually noted that the dogs would make a lovely fur coat.

Disney adapted the novel into an animated film, released to theaters on January 25, 1961 as One Hundred and One Dalmatians. This charming puppy adventure offers themes of discipline, loyalty, and bravery. The Dalmatian puppies also teach us that families are made from love.

101 Dalmatians was the first Disney animated feature set in contemporary times in a specific place. The film is set in 1958 in London where Roger and Anita along with Pongo & Perdita and their puppies live. Various parts of London are shown during the “Twilight Bark” scene.

The film’s setting changes when the puppies are held captive and are held at “Hell Hall,” a deteriorating manor owned by Cruella De Vil located in Suffolk, England.

Tablescape

So much fun planning went into our 101 Dalmatians tablescape. Naturally, we used a black & white color scheme but added pops of color with red bows.

The table was dressed in a white tablecloth with black felt circles scattered to create a Dalmatian touch.

We chose white daisies perfectly tied up with a plump red satin bow as our centerpiece. It was simple and fit the light and whimsical theming beautifully.

Our puppy inspired place settings were simple and very cute. We used a DIY bone shaped placemat made of black felt, round white dinnerware, and a red bow napkin.

Our bow napkins were featured on our Mary Poppins dinner and Minnie Mouse’s Valentine’s Day brunch. You can link to our bow folding tutorial here.

The Menu

Afternoon tea fit the movie’s setting perfectly. We served tea with a fun twist: LOTS of dots and fun puppy theming. Get our recipes and shopping resources below.

Trio of Tea Sandwiches Served with Fruit

These puppy themed finger sandwiches served with fresh fruit were so fun to create. We used these Wilton cookie cutters to create the themed sandwiches. The sandwich flavors were classics: egg salad on white; turkey, raspberry preserves & cream cheese on wheat; cucumber & dilled cream cheese on pumpernickel rye. Get our sandwich recipes here.

Lemon Scones with Lemon Curd

No tea party is complete without scones! Our family loves homemade lemon curd and enjoy this easy and delicious recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. This lemon scone recipe recipe from Baker Bettie was a perfect companion.

Dalmatian Cupcakes

These cupcakes were my favorite sweet treat from the menu. They are adorable and so delicious! We used my great grandma’s fabulous chocolate fudge cake recipe for the cupcakes and topped them with a sweet vanilla buttercream. The cupcakes were decorated with black fondant dots and topped with a maraschino cherry. Get our recipe here.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

I have fond memories of eating cherry cheesecake as a little girl. These mini cheesecakes were a beautiful and delicious addition to our menu of sweet treats. Cheesecake is easy to make and always a favorite in our house. Get a recipe for mini cherry cheesecakes from Shugary Sweets here.

Dalmatian Dipped Strawberries

Our polka dotted Dalmatian dipped strawberries are adorable and super simple to make. All you need is 3 ingredients and 15 minutes to create a platter of these little beauties. Get our tutorial here.

Fun Activities

Our family is in the process of traveling around the world through Disney movies. 101 Dalmatians is our thirteenth stop! To see our other destinations click here.

Our family journeyed to London with Mary Poppins so for 101 Dalmatians we decided to delve into England and its monarchy. If you’d like to see our London activities you can view our Mary Poppins post here.

Our family enjoys learning about the culture and geography of each destination in our Around the World with Disney Movies series and this was no exception. We are experiential learners and love immersing ourselves through listening, reading, and hands-on activities! Below are some resources that we recommend.