Boy whose lonely birthday went viral won't get party next year, his mother says
Teddy Mazzini's mother says he will go on a trip for his birthday in 2019 because another party would be "so much planning".
Thursday 25 October 2018 18:36, UK
A boy whose lonely birthday went viral after none of his classmates turned up will not be having a party next year, his mother says.
Sil Mazzini told the New York Post she will take six-year-old Teddy on a trip instead because another party would be "so much planning".
The youngster was flooded with messages of support after his mother posted a picture of him on Facebook at a pizza restaurant in Arizona, where he was sat beside an empty table.
He was surrounded by unused paper plates with a forlorn look on his face, along with serviettes that displayed the words "party on!".
Ms Mazzini said she regretted sharing the image after it attracted so much attention.
But she said she had done so because no one had turned up and she still had to pay the $130 dollar bill.
"I was kind of shocked and then at the end when I had to pay for it - I was upset," she told the New York Post.
"That's why I wrote a message. But I never expected any of this - for this to go so viral."
About "20-something" guests had been expected to arrive and about 15 RSVPs had been received, Ms Mazzini said.
But when the attendance turned out to be zero, she said she was in "disbelief".
"Honestly, I would love to go back in time and not have sent that message," she said.
"We don't want all the attention. We didn't do this for attention or for gifts or anything. I did it in the moment but I wasn't smart. I was upset. That's it."
Asked if Teddy would be having a birthday party next year, Ms Mazzini replied: "Not anymore. I don't think so because it's so much planning for me. I will just take him on a trip."
The photo of Teddy caught the attention of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, who offered the birthday boy free tickets to celebrate with them.
Music producer DJ Khaled also wished Teddy a happy birthday and said he wanted to send him a gift.
Teddy has since been to a basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers, where he met some of the players.
"Did we mention it's Teddy's first NBA game!?!," the Phoenix Suns tweeted.