How to Play – Pete the Cat: The Missing Cupcakes Game

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Pete the Cat: The Missing Cupcakes Game by Briarpatch for 2 to 4 players! 

Zoey loves Pete the Cat and loves cupcakes so this game is a perfect fit for her! It’s also enjoyable to play a cooperative game that we all work together to complete rather than always be competitive. Competition is great, but teamwork is a valuable skill too!

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • 4 game pieces 
  • 14 colorful cupcakes
  • 20 birthday present cards
  • A Game board
  • A Game spinner
  • A Grumpy Toad & cupcake tray
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Each player chooses a character pawn and places it on one of the four corners of the game board (it is ok for 2 players to share a space).
  2. Place all the cupcakes onto Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray.
  3. Shuffle the present cards and place them all, face down, next to Pete the Cat.
  4. The youngest player goes first by spinning the spinner and moving clockwise around the board.
  5. Players move around the board performing one of the following activities, based on the space landed on:
    • Present spots-The player picks up one present card and performs one activity (playing like charades, but sounds are okay). If someone guesses successfully, then the player who performed the activity takes two cupcakes from Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray and places them on two of the open slots (shaded circles) on Pete the Cat’s birthday party table on the game board.
    • Activity spots-(animal, food, letters, music) If a player successfully completes one of the four activities, the player takes a cupcake from Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray and places it on one of the open spots on Pete the Cat’s birthday party table:
      • Dog – Name an animal and say its sound (i.e. cow…moo!).
      • Apple – Name a yummy food.
      • ABC’s – Think of a letter and name something that starts with that letter (i.e. T…table).
      • Musical note – Sing a verse from a song (i.e. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) or make up a new song!
      • (Once something has been named by a player, other players cannot name the same thing. They must remember what others said and say something new.)
    • Grumpy Toad spots – Grumpy Toad decides he’s still hungry and, if there is a cupcake on Pete the Cat’s birthday party table, takes one (any) cupcake off the table and back to his cupcake tray.
    • Home spots – Relax, you’re home, not activity is performed.
  6. After the player performs one of the above activities, his or her turn is over and play passes to the left.
  7. When all the cupcakes have been taken from Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray, the game ends and ALL the players celebrate the team victory by singing Happy Birthday to Pete the Cat!

ENJOY!

Randall’s Be My Pal Cupcake Recipe (Monster’s University)

Be My Pal Cupcake Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Monster's University

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be baking the cupcakes Randall bakes in the hope of making new friends at Monster’s University in Disney and Pixar’s Monster’s University.Be My Pal Cupcake Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Monster's University

These “Be My Pal” cupcakes are featured right before Randall leaves for a campus party. He’s baked them to impress members of the fraternity he’s trying to join and asks Mike to join him, but Mike declines to study instead.

Be My Pal Cupcake Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Monster's University Be My Pal Cupcake Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Monster's University

In all honesty, I feel a little guilty for not making the cupcake portion of this recipe from scratch. I am rationalizing it by an idea that a college student probably wouldn’t want to take the time to bake everything from scratch, but on the flip-side this is Randall we’re talking about; it could go either way! I look forward to revisiting this recipe in the future and re-creating it completely from scratch, but in the meantime, enjoy and substitute butter for a more homemade flavor!

Be My Pal Cupcake Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Monster's University Be My Pal Cupcake Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Monster's University

CUPCAKES
  • 1 box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
  • 1/3 cup butter (or vegetable oil)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup water
  • Cooking spray
INSTRUCTIONS (CUPCAKES)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set it aside to cool.
  3. Line a muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners and spray them lightly with cooking spray.
  4. Place the dry cake mix in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, eggs and water.
  5. Slowly add the combined wet ingredients to the dry cake mix a little at a time, mixing until smooth.
  6. Distribute the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each liner about about 2/3 full (you can use an ice cream scoop or I used a small measuring cup).
  7. Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 21 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the center of each cupcake comes out clean.
  8. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING
  • 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (cold)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS (FROSTING)
  1. Refrigerate or freeze your mixing bowl and whisk attachment(s) for 10-15 minutes before using, then whip the heavy whipping cream on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s thick, fluffy and spreadable.
  2. In a second mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar slowly until well incorporated, then add the vanilla extract.
  3. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
  4. Separate out about a third of the frosting out into a small bowl and add red food coloring until it reaches the desired hue for the “Be My Pal” letters.
  5. Spread the white frosting on each cupcake using a butter knife.
  6. Place the red frosting into a piping bag and spell out “Be My Pal” onto 7 (or more) of the cupcakes.
  7. Enjoy!