Mario Trunk or Treat Ideas

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Mario trunk or treat ideas with a DIY piranha plant, a question mark candy box, and a Hot Wheels Mario Kart race game kids line up to play

Trunk or treat is one of my favorite fall traditions because it takes all the fun of Halloween and packs it into one parking lot. The kids get candy, the parents get to chat, and nobody has to walk three miles in the cold. So when a neighbor and I signed up to host a trunk at our kids’ school, we wanted a Mario trunk or treat that looked like a lot of effort without actually being a lot of effort.

The secret was splitting the work and using what we already had. My neighbor brought a backdrop left over from a birthday party, I brought a couple of DIY pieces and a race track that was already living in our bonus room, and together it turned into one of the busiest trunks in the lot.

Keep reading for the full setup: the backdrop, a DIY piranha plant and question mark box, the paper plate coins, and the Hot Wheels race that the kids could not get enough of. If you’re not a DIYer, I’ve also rounded up easy store-bought swaps for every piece. (And if you have a gamer at home, my Minecraft trunk or treat is another low-effort option.)

The Mario Trunk Backdrop

This whole trunk started with a backdrop my neighbor had used for a birthday party. It was bigger than the trunk opening, so we simply folded it to fit. You can still see the creases, and truly, not one kid noticed. They saw Mario and Luigi and made a beeline.

If you’re buying a backdrop just for trunk or treat, measure your trunk opening first. A standard party backdrop is usually wider than a hatchback, so plan to fold, tuck, or clip it. The Mario-themed Halloween trunk decoration is sized for a car, which saves you the folding step.

Paper Plate Coins and a Power Star

Above Mario and Luigi, I hung a row of gold coins and a star made from yellow paper plates and printouts. I printed a pixel coin image, cut it out, and glued it onto each plate. The plates give the coins a little rim and some structure, so they don’t flop over in the wind.

I think this is the coin image I used. For the star, just Google “Mario star PNG” and you’ll find plenty of options for personal use. Print, cut, glue, done. This is the easiest part of the whole trunk.

How to Make a DIY Piranha Plant

This is the piece I’m proudest of. I cut all of the pieces on my Silhouette Cameo using a template I downloaded from Frog Prince Paperie, then layered and assembled them: the red head with white spots, the white lips, the little yellow teeth, and a green stem with two leaves. If you have a Cricut, it’ll do the exact same job.

To give it a 3D effect, I made a few little mushrooms to sit at its base. Each one is a red plastic bowl flipped upside down and dotted with white paint, and attached to a small cup.

Grab some green tissue paper, stuff it into a box or bin, and nestle the plant and mushrooms inside so it looks like they’re growing out of the grass. I tucked another mushroom into the trunk too, which helped tie the ground display to the backdrop.

Not a crafter? These piranha plant table decorations on Amazon could be lined up on the ground, or check the Super Mario floor mat option below to dress up the ground in front of your trunk instead.

The DIY Question Mark Candy Box

Every Mario trunk needs a question mark block, and ours held the candy. I wrapped a box in yellow construction paper, then printed a big white question mark and four little corner circles and glued them on.

My box was larger than a full sheet of paper, so I printed the question mark separately from the circles. That’s the trick if your box is on the big side. This template is also available from Frog Prince Paperie.

If you’d rather skip the gluing, this set of bricks and question blocks is a great ready-made option.

The Mario Kart Race Game (a Trunk or Treat Game Win)

Okay, this was the hit of the night. We set up the Hot Wheels Super 6-Lane Raceway right in front of the trunk, lined up tiny Hot Wheels Mario Kart cars at the starting gate, and let kids race.

Yoshi, Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, and friends all got a turn, and the kids loved picking their racer. We already owned the track, so this wasn’t an extra purchase for us, but it’s worth it if you don’t. It gets used long after Halloween.

Why it works: a game gives kids something to do and makes your trunk memorable. It also runs itself. Kids load the cars, release the gate, cheer, and grab their candy from the question block on the way out.

Not a DIYer? Easy Store-Bought Swaps

This setup is for the parent who likes a few handmade touches, but you can absolutely buy every piece and still have an amazing trunk. Here’s how I’d do it:

• Backdrop + balloons in one: This Super Mario party kit with balloons and a backdrop covers the whole trunk in one box.
• A trunk-sized backdrop: Try this Halloween archway backdrop or this trunk or treat car decoration.
• The ground in front of the trunk: Lay down a Super Mario themed floor mat to extend the scene.
• The question block: Swap the DIY for a ready-made question block centerpiece.

For more game-themed party inspiration, my race car birthday party and gamer birthday party ideas are full of ideas that translate well to trunk or treat.

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