Teddy’s mother, Sil Mazzini, gave him the option of going to Disney World or Legoland for his sixth birthday, or Sil could organize a party for his pals.
He chose a party without hesitation, and Mazzini immediately began arranging. She reserved 40 seats at Peter Piper Pizza in Tuscon, sent out invitations in school, made goody bags, and then waited for the big day, Oct. 21.
However, none of the guests arrived at the pizza parlor. Only Mazzini, Teddy, and the boy’s father arrived from out of town.
Mazzini received one contact from a parent who informed her that they would have to cancel. She did, however, anticipate around 32 guests. Nobody showed up.
Teddy didn’t seem to notice, according to Mazzini over the phone. He was overly preoccupied with arcade games with his father. He won a lot of tickets and used them to get a gift. He consumed pizza. It was a happy birthday. He was in a good mood when he arrived at school on Monday.
“He didn’t understand it,” Mazzini admitted. “It would be difficult if that happened to an 11- or 12-year-old. But he’s so young, he’ll be fine.”
Mazzini, on the other hand, was irritated. She squandered all of her time and money on invitations, decorations, and pizza. She purchased enough cake for 40 people.
“I have a teeny-tiny fridge,” she explained.
To express her rage, a buddy advised her to take a photo and publish it on Facebook. The post then went viral.
Teddy’s birthday was covered by two local television news stations. Another party was planned for him by a local radio station.
“No, thanks,” she replied. “We’ve all had our fill of pizza. “There will be no more pizzas.”
The Phoenix Suns then noticed the story and gave their own birthday wish on Twitter. “How about we celebrate with thousands of people at our place!” the team suggested on Twitter. “Tickets to Wednesday’s #SunsVSLakers game are all yours.”
“Who knows what really happened, but at the end of the day, we get to give a 6-year-old an extra special birthday experience and something he never forgets,” said Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley over the phone. “As long as they don’t show up wearing Lakers jerseys.”
Teddy was given four tickets to Friday’s game at Talking Stick Resort Arena by the team. Teddy will have the opportunity to interact with players during the pregame shootaround, as well as meet and greet with the Suns’ Gorilla mascot, who shares Teddy’s favorite food: pizza.
(“Bet you thought we were going to say bananas, right? Actually, he likes them on his pizza,” reads the Gorilla’s official team bio, “but a lot of pizza restaurants don’t have that particular topping.”)
Teddy is a big sports fan, his mother said. This will be his first trip to a major sporting event.
“When you’ve got a professional sports team in your market, these are the kinds of things you want to be able to do,” Rowley said. “Who can really argue with a 6-year-old coming up to see a Suns-Lakers game?”