Ocean, beach and mermaid parties

Under the Sea Cake Toppers

Under the sea covers a lot of parties — ocean, beach, seaside and mermaid — and what they share is shells, starfish and waves rather than any one character. That is what the design here is made of: a coral scallop shell, starfish and seaweed, with wave lines along the bottom.

Personalise this template How the maker works

Shells and waves, no charactersSuits a mermaid partyTwo colours, printed cleanly

Under the Sea Cake Topper sizes

The wave lines are fine strokes and the first thing to disappear below 2 inches. For mini cupcakes or cake pops, a fondant shell pressed from a mould reads better than a shrunken print.

Recommended topper sizes for under the sea cakes
What it is for	Finished size	Why
Topper for a 6" cake	3.5–4 inches	Leaves room for a mermaid tail or shells.
Topper for an 8" cake	5–5.5 inches	The usual party cake size.
Edible image covering an 8" cake	7.5 inches	Fits one A4 or US Letter sheet.
Cupcake discs	2 inches	15 on an A4 sheet, 12 on Letter.

Covering the whole top with an edible image instead? The edible image size chart has exact print sizes for 6, 8 and 10 inch cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more.

For a mermaid party, pair it with a chocolate or fondant mermaid tail on the cake. The printed topper carries the name and the colours; the tail does the storytelling.

Under the sea palettes

Seafoam and coral is a two-colour scheme that reproduces predictably on a home inkjet or an edible printer; the full rainbow most ocean artwork uses does not.
For a mermaid party, add lilac or teal in the lettering rather than more colour in the artwork.
Bright turquoise sits at the edge of what edible inks can print and usually comes out duller than on screen. Test one disc before committing a sheet.
Pale blue buttercream plus this topper reads as sea; white buttercream with a crushed-biscuit “sand” edge reads as beach.

Set the lettering in the deep teal of the design. Coral lettering looks lovely on screen and goes pale on cream once printed.

What to write on an under the sea topper

Making wavesSplash!Nell is 4Mermaid vibesOh, buoy!Shell-ebrateO-fish-ally 5Under the sea

“O-fish-ally 5” and “Shell-ebrate” are the puns people reach for. Keep lettering above the waves — two short words hold their shape there better than one long line.

What to print it on

Edible icing sheets for cupcakes and flat toppers — the seafoam and coral print cleanly on icing.
Wafer paper for a softer, sea-glass look, applied shortly before serving.
Cardstock at 250gsm for favour tags and table cards from the same design.

Start from a template

The “Under the sea” starter has a coral scallop shell, starfish, seaweed and wave lines in seafoam and coral, with the centre clear for a name.

See the under the sea design

More party themes

Each one has its own original design, with sizes, colours and wording for that theme.

Dinosaur Unicorn Football Space Jungle & safari

Frequently Asked Questions

What size should an under the sea cake topper be?

About 3.5–4 inches on a 6 inch cake and 5–5.5 inches on an 8 inch. An edible image covering the whole top of an 8 inch cake prints at 7.5 inches, which fits one A4 or US Letter sheet.

What size are under the sea cupcake toppers?

Two inches for a standard cupcake case, which leaves a ring of buttercream showing. 15 fit on one A4 sheet and 12 on US Letter. Mini cupcakes take 1.25 inch discs, 35 to a sheet.

Does this work for a mermaid party?

Yes — shells, starfish and waves are what mermaid party decorations are built from. The design has no mermaid in it on purpose: add a chocolate or fondant tail to the cake and let the topper carry the name.

Can I use a mermaid from a film?

Not on a cake you sell. Film mermaids are copyrighted characters, and printing them on paid-for bakes needs a licence. This design is original CakeyTops artwork with no characters in it.

How do I cut a printed topper out neatly?

For circles, a set of nesting circle cutters gives a far cleaner edge than scissors — press straight down on a hard surface rather than rocking. For shaped toppers, a craft knife against a metal ruler beats scissors on straight edges. Cut just inside the printed border so no white shows at the edge.