Once we scheduled Wildlife on Wheels, I started thinking invitation. There are tons of animal/zoo invitations on the market. Of course, I wanted to do something myself so this is what I came up with:
I would like to point out the wording. The best way to set the tone for the theme is the wording on the invitation. And, don't worry about being corny. That is what makes them cute and fun.
On the day of the party, which was held at our house, we decorated different areas of the house as different areas where animals would live. The kitchen was the jungle.
The vines, snakes and tropical birds handing from the ceiling were all purchased at Dollar Tree. We went with concession type foods to play off the zoo theme. Popcorn, nachos and hotdogs were the main food items. Small tree frogs and snakes, also from Dollar Tree, decorate the food and drink areas. 
Animal cups came from Big Lots and flamingo straws came from Dollar Tree.After the jungle you move into the Serengeti of the dining room.
The dry grass is grass skirts from Dollar Tree. The lamp shades are hard to see but they are cheetah print. Four of them came from The MIFA Store for $.25 ea. The other one was a cream one I found at Home Decor Outlet (used to be Vintage Veranda outlet) and cheetahed up myself with black, brown and tan markers. The small animals came from Wal-Mart, as did the Planet Earth posters on the wall (clearance). 
Small bowls from Dollar Tree are decorated with animal stickers from Dollar Tree and hold goldfish, gummy worms and animal crackers (even food/snacks should fit the theme!). The cake came from Gene Stimpson's Big Star. 
I also like Cakes by Mom and Me, but they are always on vacation during Elliot's birthday, so we had to find a new supplier. I have to say that Big Star was much cheaper and made an awesome cake. Around the house (in the entryway, bathroom, den, living room)
we decorated with animal print balloons from Oriental Trading. Here's a tip: buy an at home helium tank instead of having them blown up at a florist or store. It probably works out to be the same cost (maybe a little cheaper), but the biggest difference is that you don't have to run out and pick up balloons when you are in the middle of decorating, cooking, keeping a child away, etc. We always get this one from Balloon Time from Wal-Mart or Target (don't even look at party stores because they are much more expensive). The tank comes with ribbon and colored balloons. In this case I used my own balloons and kept the enclosed balloons for another project.The last thing to add to the ambiance of the party is music. Paul is always in charge of music. This time he was able to find Exotic Jungle from Ultimate Natural Sounds, Vol. 2 on iTunes. We wanted to play Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'N Roses, but we didn't think everyone would enjoy that the way we would! The jungle sounds ended up sounding a little risque at times but only the adults noticed that, so it was ok!
Now that everything is set up, it's time for the fun! The great thing about WOW is that the party activity comes to you so you don't have to entertain children. Plus, the adults find it interesting, too (at least I did!). They brought out 5 different animals (that you can choose, to some extent, and a lion's head):
In the photos notice the safari hats on the kids. That was the party favor (found at Oriental Trading)along with treat bags filled with animal themed stuff including goldfish, gummy bears, animal print balloons, animal-shaped Easter eggs filled with candy and maybe some other stuff that I've forgotten. The animal print treat bags came from Target's Dollar Spot.
That's our safari party. I hope you enjoy!
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