We had some fun with this one.  For most of us, it was our first time dressing up for a TV show.

I received these photos today and was impressed at the wide variety of themed props that were thrown together. Most impressively was the depiction of Kate, shown here by Andee. She’s not only in costume, but almost a look-alike. Lucky man Joe!

SPOILER ALERT! LOST is a very addictive television series.  As a result, a cult following has emerged over the course of the past 5 seasons.  If you have been recently bitten by the LOST bug, but you’re not yet through Season 3, it is likely that the information here will be more than you’re ready to know.  This is your fair warning.

Prior to the season 4 premier of LOST on ABC, Carson and I began planning a themed LOST party that would include a prop contest.  As usual, our creative group of friends pulled out all the stops.  Since it was such a huge success, and we had such a great time researching, creating, and hosting the party, Carson decided to publish a “how to” guide by sharing our experience with the world.

Feel free to adapt any of these ideas for LOST or any other television series or themed party that you may throw.

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How to Throw a LOST TV Show Theme Party

The first thing any self-respecting LOST party needs is an array of “DHARMA” product labels, most notably for the beer.  We located the labels {[download id="1"]}, and replaced the manufacturer’s labels, giving us an authentic DHARMA brew.

Next, if you’re really serious about surprising your guests, your food for the evening should be LOST or ISLAND themed.  Ours was “Taco Night” with mango salsa & chips for the appetizer.  Dessert was a combination of tropical flavored sorbet from Costco, and hand crafted DHARMA fish biscuit cookies.

The décor for the evening was creative on a budget.  Had we more time and money, we would have been able to implement some serious Hollywood style decorations.  Unfortunately, we didn’t come up with the idea until it was too close to the premier, however, what we did do was good enough.

Around the television was an assortment of suitcases with clothing hanging out.  Coconuts, Mangoes, and Papayas were strewn throughout the house as well as various boxes with DHARMA logos, including a supply drop.  The inside of the guest bathroom door and the exit doors had QUARANTEEN signs attached them.  Using a digital photo frame, Carson uploaded various images from the Brainwashing scene.

For an obsessed group of LOST fans, open up the party to the idea of costumes or props from the show.  We held a prop contest and voted on the winner.  A few people showed up in costume as well.  The winner of the prop contest won a Beanie Baby Polar Bear.

Some of you may think we’re a bit obsessive and that we need to get lives.  Get over it.  We only live once.  Enjoy it.  When all was said and done, everyone had a really good time being total TV nerds for one night.

Below are some prop and decoration ideas that you can use for your next LOST Theme party.

Props and Decorations

Handcuffs (Spencer’s)
Toy Plane (Hobby Lobby, KB Toys)
Sand & Shells
Power Cable (Home Depot)
Luggage with Clothing
Backpacks with Dynamite (spray paint, papier mache candles)
Tropical Fruits (coconut, papaya, mango)
S.O.S Message In A bottle
DHARMA – Ranch Composite, Beer, Supply Boxes, Cans, Boxes, etc.
Other Hidden Dharma Logos (toilet paper, remote control, etc)
Stuffed Polar Bear
‘Driveshaft’ album
Guitar w ‘Driveshaft’ Stickers
Pearl Station Pneumatic Tube & Notation Booklet (create using a large water bottle)
Stuffed White Rabbit painted with 15 or 8
Diorama scene (sand & shells for beach)
Digital Photo Slideshow (screenshots & pics using your computer or digital picture frame)
Quarantine Signs on Exits (use a textured spray-paint for cool effects)
Boardgames: Backgammon & Connect 4
Hurley’s Comic Book (purchase online or re-create)
Download Hatch Computer Clock (recommend Yahoo widget version here)
Fish Biscuit Cookies
Apollo Chocolate Bars (print and wrap around Hershey bars)
Virgin Mary Statue w Heroin bags (obviously fake)
Hurley’s Golf Flag (long branch with red surf shorts)
Caged Sawyer & Kate cut-outs (dog kennels work well)
Strap a homing beacon to your dog
Eko’s stick (good luck)

Food and Beverages

Fresh tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, papaya)
Themed drinks (daiquiri, pina colada, mai tai, mini liquor bottles, MacCutcheon Scotch, served in halved coconuts)
Taco Night
Mango Salsa
Mr. Cluck’s Fried Chicken (slap logos on KFC or Church’s)
Dharma products
Apollo Chocolate Bars
Tropical sorbets
Sushi (sea urchin? …eww)
Airplane food trays (could use frozen dinners)

COSTUME IDEAS
Dharma workers (jump suits, syringes, beer)
Charlie (F.A.T.E. on fingers, ‘Not Penny’s Boat’ on hand, hoodie, checker vans, guitar)
Kate (plane in envelope, handcuffs, orange juice w white powder, wedding dress)
Jack (shaved head, scratches on face, mini liquor bottles, black suit)
Locke (khaki pants, bald head, large knife, bowl of orange paste, wheelchair)
Sawyer (long hair, suitcase full of monopoly money, hoard of medicine, hand-written note)
Sayid (long curly black hair, tank-top, transmitter, pictures of Nadia)
Rousseau (rifle, tank-top, music box, notes)
Ethan (crazy hair cut, Wisconsin hoodie, syringe)