Murder Mystery Party: Resources & Notes
📄 Murder Mystery Party (mystery/)
by Trevor Hopkins
For our son Sebastian’s 11th birthday party, Tracey and I decided to organise a Murder Mystery party. This was rather more work than we had anticipated to get the story and characters sorted out. Even so, it turned out to be a considerable success; the kids absolutely loved it! So, I have included below the plot and all the source materials I used, so that you can re-use or re-write it for your own games and parties. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
Normally, these Murder Mystery parties are for adults, and so rely on the guests reacting spontaneously (and in character) as the events unfold. This party was for 10-to-12 year olds, so I thought it best to script the entire event. We found this party is suitable for children who are old enough to read aloud reasonably well, but young enough to enjoy a certain amount of shouting and running around. I also took care to make the plot comprehensible (mostly!) to all, and to avoid certain adult themes which might confuse the kids or upset their parents. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
Since Sebastian’s birthday (which is now more than twelve years ago!) I have had a considerable number of people (now more than 10,000!) contact me by email at thopk46@hotmail.com to express an interest in using this material for their own parties. So, I have made this Murder Mystery Party free to use for anyone who wishes to do so — just drop me a note to get the easily updateable versions. There’s no need for any payment, although I have suggested to correspondents who asked that they might care to make a modest contribution to an appropriate charity of their choice. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
📌 Use of this Material
I have had many reports of highly successful parties based on content from this website. See the citations page to find out what other parents thought, and to see more pictures of mystery parties around the world. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
I also see that many people have used these materials as the basis for adult parties, or with mixed groups of adults and children. Of course, I would be delighted to hear of other (hopefully) successful events based on this material. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
Variants available (contact via email to get these versions):
- Shorter, simplified version for 9 younger children (courtesy of Kent) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
- 10 all-female characters version (Beth) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
- 1930’s train theme for 18 female characters (Sarah & Danielle) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
- Version for 11 girls with mystery book theme (Angela) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
- Version for 21 girls in English ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
- Other international language versions (Dutch, Spanish, Afrikaans, French) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
📨 Invitations
The process starts with the party invitations. Each invitation has to be separately devised and printed, since it introduces the character that each child is supposed to adopt for the party — one of the reasons why the event was so much work! The invitations need to be sent out in good time, to give both parents and children a chance to think about the character, as well as what clothes to wear. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
Some additional suggestions for parents and children to help can be found here — I included a copy of this with each invitation.
It’s quite important to know exactly who is, and who is not, able to attend the party, since I found it necessary to adjust the plot and character list to accommodate missing guests. Apparently, the invitations themselves caused quite a stir at school. Some of the kids started referring to each other by their party character names! ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
🎭 Running the Party
It is important to ensure that all guests have arrived before the formal proceedings start. When each guest arrives they are given:
- A personalised instruction sheet folded into three (use stiff paper or thin card) and sealed with wax.
- A name sticker for their character.
While guests are arriving, they are served drinks (non-alcoholic for kids). Once everyone has arrived, they are instructed to sit quietly and open/ read their instruction sheets. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
The Master of Ceremonies was Freddie Farr, Barrister-at-Law (played by Trevor). Tracey played Pinky Beasts, local music teacher and mother to Ian Beasts (Sebastian — the name is an anagram!). Detective Inspector Herring (bumbling local policeman) was played by Sebastian’s Grandad. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
Each guest is introduced, reads their character instructions, and a short character-specific music clip is played. After all introductions, the guests play a scripted “investigation” game — asking and answering questions to gather clues. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
After tea, everyone re-assembles and Freddie reads through the plot (a spreadsheet) with parts marked “All” for communal interaction. Eventually, Pinky Beasts is revealed as the murderer and is arrested, and Ian Beasts is declared heir to the Baroness’s estate, ensuring there are party bags for all guests. ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
📥 Source Materials
Below are links included in the original page (PDFs and spreadsheets):
You will need the master plot spreadsheet and character list. The whole spreadsheet can be downloaded as PDF.
| Material | Link |
|---|---|
| Master plot spreadsheet | (link labeled “download as PDF”) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1]) |
| Character list | (link labeled “list of characters”) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1]) |
| Lawyer sign (Freddie Farr) | (link) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1]) |
| Birth certificate | (link) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1]) |
| Instructions for grown-ups | (link) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1]) |
Below are each character’s:
- Party Invitation link
- Guest Instructions link
Characters & Files
| Character | Role | Invitation | Guest Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rt. Hon. Alexander Snootipants | Society photographer | link | link |
| Arfur Dailly | Dodgy dealer | link | link |
| Mr. Basil Bossy | Postmaster-General | link | link |
| Bruce Danunder | Australian Private Investigator | link | link |
| Clarissa Bradshaw | New York socialite | link | link |
| Classy Galore | International hairdresser | link | link |
| Dollar Moss | US Racing Driver | link | link |
| Dr. Sue Diggett | Famous Egyptologist | link | link |
| Gabrielle Le Fee | Famous Ballet Dancer | link | link |
| George Timepiece | Eccentric Clock & Watchmaker | link | link |
| Georgy Porgy | Public School Headmaster | link | link |
| Rt. Hon. Phoebe “Hammy” Hamilton | Sporty Party-goer | link | link |
| Ian Beasts | Adventurer & Explorer | link | link |
| Miss Ivory Tinkle | Famous concert pianist | link | link |
| Jeff Setter | Male model | link | link |
| Jerry Moneybags | Financial dealer & stockbroker | link | link |
| Jules Bond | International man of mystery | link | link |
| T.J. “Lucky” Spurs | Gambler & card sharp | link | link |
| Lucrecia Diva | Glamorous catwalk model | link | link |
| Lydia Lite | Nightclub singer | link | link |
| Madame Foo Foo | French Fashion Designer | link | link |
| Mata Hairie | Retired Exotic Dancer | link | link |
| Mulch the Gardener | Old Gardener | link | link |
| Professor J.J. “Nutty” McNut | Eccentric Inventor | link | link |
| Princess Stella of Moldovia | Continental Royal Princess | link | link |
| Samantha Snoop | Newspaper reporter | link | link |
| Trinny Haddock | TV Chef & personality | link | link |
| Vincenzo Vincente | Italian Playboy & yachtsman | link | link |
(All links above appear on the page but cannot be automatically downloaded here. You can click/ download the PDFs and include them manually if needed.) ([trevor-hopkins.com][1])
⛓️ Other Relevant Pages
These are related pages linked from the site (not automatically included but useful references):
- Citations page – feedback from people who used the materials ([trevor-hopkins.org.uk][2])
- Citations page 2 – more feedback & stories ([trevor-hopkins.org.uk][3])
- Older character/ plot pages may exist on mirrors like
trevor-hopkins.org.uk/mystery