08/01/2026
A mother named Sil Mazzini planned a birthday party for her six year old son, Teddy Bollinger, at a pizza restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. She invited all 32 kids from his kindergarten class and their parents. Only two people said they could not come. Everyone else did not show up.
Teddy’s birthday was on October 3, and all he wanted was a pizza party with his friends. His mom asked if he wanted to go to places like Disneyland or Legoland, but Teddy only wanted to celebrate with his classmates. This was supposed to be his first big birthday party.
Sil Mazzini said she gave the invitations to Teddy’s teacher two weeks before the party. The teacher gave them to the students. Some parents even told her they would come, and a few sent text messages to confirm.
But on the day of the party, no one came.
Teddy’s father lives in Alaska, and the party date was planned so he could be there since they have no family nearby. Teddy’s mom was heartbroken. She took a photo of Teddy sitting alone at the table and shared it on social media. A local reporter also shared the photo.
Soon, the picture spread online. Many people, companies, and sports teams sent Teddy birthday wishes.
The Phoenix Suns basketball team invited Teddy and his family to a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Other local teams, like Phoenix Rising soccer team and the Arizona Coyotes hockey team, also invited Teddy to their games and planned special birthday surprises for him.
The Arizona Coyotes even planned a pizza party during one of their games and set up a place for fans to drop off gifts.
The day after his missed party, a radio company called iHeartRadio threw Teddy a real birthday party at his favorite pizza place. Many staff members and reporters came to celebrate with him. Teddy and his mom were very thankful for all the love and support. Teddy’s mom said they never asked for anything and were surprised by all the kindness. She said Teddy was very happy because it would be his first time going to a big sports game.
In a video shared online, Teddy thanked everyone and said, “Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Big kiss.”
