Decorating with Stuffed Animals

If you want to decorate your baby's first birthday "dol" table less traditionally, consider using cute stuffed animals! These adorable and creative dol table displays were created by a party planner in Korea. Too cute!

Having a Dol? Try making these...

All Korean dols have these candy towers on the table...it usually has some Korean words on it. I came across this photo and thought this looked pretty easy to make. You can make it more custom by inserting the baby's name, or decorate it with his/her favorite character...Just glue beans and candy (i.e., mentos, skittles, gumdrops...anything round with color).

Dol Photo Table

The big trend in dols are photo tables, a montage of pictures of the baby during his/her first year. Some are elaborate where they have pictures of the baby hanging on branches (see first pic), or picture cut-out stands like these:



























They also have professional posters of the baby made like these:


























And yes, almost all of them use a professional photographer. You go to any Korean photo studio, and it's either weddings or baby's first birthday pictures displayed throughout the store. It's a big deal. It's probably just as big as a wedding...crazy, I know.

First Birthday "Dol" with Paul Frank Theme

I thought I'd share some photos of a dol party I attended this past Sunday for more dol ideas!



Birthday cake



Picture of head table and Paul Frank Backdrop



















Table Centerpiece

Korean Dol Party Favors

Can you believe these are all towels?? Towels are very popular party favors in Korea...so cute! Other popular items include cups, clocks, chopsticks, mugs, and plates.

Dol party planning is a big business in Korea. There are many stores that sell just dol products!

Thought we'd give you some ideas for your baby's dol!

*Little Seouls now offers towel cakes at our store. Click here for more info.

Korean Dol Today (U.S. Version)

Dol's among our Korean-American friends are quite fancy. It's just as fancy as a wedding reception! And yes, probably spend just as much! They usually have them at restaurants, hotels, reception halls, etc. These pictures are from Cara's dol.

As you can see there lots of decorations. The balloons are quite popular at dols. In Koreatown, there are several balloon stores that do this....and it's not cheap!













Guests also get party favors. For adults, they will all get Dduk (ricecake) to take home and kids will usually get some little gift.

They will also hire some sort of entertainer for the kids like a magician, puppeteer, clown, etc.

Not everyone goes all out like this. Some keep it simple like a bar-b-q at the park or in their backyard.

Here she is in her hanbok! A little Korean Princess! By the way, those things in front of her is the dduk (ricecakes).

Dol - First Birthday in Korea

Birthday Table
The parents prepare a special Tol table to celebrate the child's birthday. The main food includes ddeok (rice cakes) and fruits. Over 12 different kinds of ddeok are prepared, including paekseolgi (white steamed rice cakes), susu-kyongdan (rice cakes coated with rough red bean powder), chapsal-ddeok or chal-ddeok, mujigae-ddeok (rainbow colored steamed rice cake), songp'yeon (half moon shaped rice cakes), injulmi (coated glutinous rice cakes), and gyep'i-ddeok (puffed air rice cakes). Among these, paekseolgi and susu-kyongdan are always included. Fruits can vary according to the season of the birthday. Different colors of seasonal fruits can be prepared and displayed in a row. Also, a bowl of rice, sea mustard soup, and many other various foods can be displayed.

Along with food, other items are needed for holding the Toljabee event. Items such as large bundle of thread, a brush, a Korean calligraphy set, pencil, book, money (10,000 won bills), bow and arrow (needle, scissors, and ruler for girls) are arranged on the table to predict the child's future.

Table Setting The birthday child will be placed at the table so that the other guests can face him or her. Parents often sit the child on the bolou (Korean traditional mattress) and several bangsuk (Korean cushions). Since the child is small, this allows for getting better pictures. For the background, a Korean traditional screen is used at the hotel or other banquet hall.

Toljabee Event
In this event, the birthday child goes around the table and picks up items that attract him or her. The child's future is predicted according to the what he or she grabs. After placing the child in front of the table, the child's father becomes the guide for the child to go around the table and grab whatever he or she wants. The first and second items the child grabs are considered the most important. Usually Korean parents place the items that they want the child to choose near to the edge of the table. The child's future is predicted according to the items:

-bow and arrow: the child will become a warrior
-needle and thread: the child will live long
-jujube: the child will have many descendants
-book, pencil, or related items: the child will become a successful scholar
-rice or rice cake: the child will become rich (some resources say choosing a rice cake means the child is not smart)
-ruler, needle, scissors: the child will be talented with his/her hands
-knife: the child will be a good cook

Taken from lifeinkorea.com