Will skulls and crossbones frighten small children?

[legalalien]

DS wants a pirate party for his third birthday (seems to be a bit of a pirate phase going on). I want to get some pirate paper plates etc, but the ones designed for toddlers with smiley pirates look too cheesy. Do you think that slightly more grown up pirate ones - like this www.partydelights.co.uk/themes/pirate-skull.asp run the risk of frightening small children? They won't faze DS, but he doesn't have a particularly nervous disposition......

[and yes, this is a fairly frivolous topic]

why would they frighten them? i don't understand. its not like its a real skull with entrails, and even then it would be disgusting rather than frightening

No. It's just a pirate symbol to them.

ok then, I am over-thinking it then. I just thought the black and white skull thing looked a bit scary. Mind you, halloween ought to have toughened them all up.....

I wouldn't have thought so. Have a few plain plates available just in case someone is particularly sensitive.

No, we had them for ds party. He was 4 but they are fine for 3 imo.

How lovely that you are thinking about how other children will react, but have never heard of children being upset by skulls and crossbones. If they know it's a pirate party, they'll expect it. BTW made a very easy, effective treasure chest cake for my DS's party one year if you're interested....

bring it on, re the treasure chest cake - DS's only stipulation re cake this year is that he wants to have lots of "smarties" on it (they will work quite well as treasure, methinks)

OK, so make/buy a loaf shaped cake. Slice the top off, this will be the treasure chest lid. Cover in chocolate butter icing. Use liquorice strips (unwound liquorice wheels are ideal) to make strapping effect. Put chocolate coins and coloured wrapped sweets e.g. quality street (and of course smarties!) on top of the bottom part of the cake, replace lid.
Wet a cake board, sprinkle over demerara sugar to make sand effect. Sit cake on top, replace lid. Surround cake with coins/sweets on cake board. Unfortunately our scanner isn't working and I made this before we had a digital camera, so can't send you a picture. Ah, quick internet search: here's something similar, actually using smarties rather than the licorice
here which might go down better wtih your DS. Easy Peasy!!

thanks - seems like something that even I could do. err - maybe.

Sooo easy. Even if you smudge the icing when putting it back together, you can add some more. It doesn't need to be smooth, infact it shouldn't be smooth. Another tip is to freeze the cake before icing, you don't get as many crumbs in the icing that way. You can do it, looking forward to seeing the photos!!