Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Boy Accidentally Orders Nearly $3K of SpongeBob Popsicles on Mom’s Amazon Account

Noah Bryant is a big fan of the cartoon sponge, and recently surprised his family by spending $2,618.85 on 918 popsicles from the online superstore!


Oh, barnacles!

It's all too easy to shop until you drop on Amazon, and a young boy from Brooklyn, New York went wild by ordering nearly $3,000 worth of SpongeBob SquarePants popsicles on his mom's account.

Noah Bryant, 4, is a big fan of the cartoon sponge, and recently surprised his family by spending $2,618.85 on 918 popsicles from the online superstore, sent to his aunt's house. Though the youngster was all smiles in a photo with one of the frozen SpongeBob pops, the splurge was no laughing matter for his mom Jennifer Bryant.

In retrospect, there were signs something was about to happen.

"He kept saying the number '51.' " Jennifer told CNN. "All day he was walking around saying '51, 51.'"
But Jennifer didn't think much of it because sometimes he repeats things: "I really wasn't surprised because he was diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder)."

The sweets treats are unfortunately nonrefundable, inspiring a family friend to launch a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of the unsupervised shopping spree.


On the fundraising page, friend and organizer Katie Schloss explained that Bryant, a mom of three, is studying social work at New York University and couldn't afford the SpongeBob spread.

The GoFundMe pitch went live on Monday, and $5,780 in donations have poured in as of Thursday morning, smashing the original goal of $2,619.

"Thank you SO much for your mind-blowing generosity and support," Bryant wrote in a follow-up note on GoFundMe. "As a child living with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), all future donations will go towards Noah's education and additional supports."

"We cannot thank you enough. Truly," she added.

Viewers on Instagram and GoFundMe found Noah and his ice cream obsession to be adorable. "This story made me so happy. Enjoy the popsicles!" one donator wrote. "He's so precious!!!! Who wouldn't love a summer supply of SpongeBob popsicles??" an Instagram follower added.

Some empathized with Jennifer's predicament, citing instances of their own children making extravagant purchases.

"When my son was 5 he ordered Call of Duty and a few other games which added up to about $600," one parent wrote on Instagram. "I'm so thankful that PlayStation reimbursed me these children are highly intelligent!! Damn Noah."

Update (5/11) - Amazon says they are in contact with Bryant family and will donate proceeds to a local charity, reports WABC-TV in New York!

Update (5/12) from CNN:

A phone call from an exasperated sister

.Noah's aunt was not expecting to receive three 70-pound boxes of SpongeBob SquarePants Popsicles.

Then she got the call.

"She was fussing and cussing, and she said to me, 'You know, you really need to stop ordering all this stuff.'"

Three huge boxes, each weighing 70 pounds and requiring immediate freezing, had arrived at her sister's house.

"I said 'I don't know what you're talking about.'"

That's when Jennifer discovered she was the proud owner of 51 cases of SpongeBob Popsicles, costing just under $2,619.

Suddenly, Noah's repeated mantra of "51, 51..." started to make sense.

A frozen headache

Amazon wouldn't take the ice pops back because they came from a third-party vendor. Her credit card is investigating but so far hasn't issued a refund. For a terrifying moment, Bryant, a mother of three with some big school bills of her own, had no idea how she was going to pay her tuition this semester.

A friend and fellow student at NYU's Silver School of Social Work started a GoFundMe for her, hoping to help pay off at least some of the Popsicles.

And that brings us to our sweet ending. (And, no, it's not that Noah got to eat all 918 Popsicles in some sort of preschool Bacchanalia; they melted in two days.)

The GoFundMe paid off the ice pops within 24 hours, and the donations kept coming in, climbing way beyond the original target.

Jennifer says she'll use the extra money to pay for Noah's schooling and the extra educational support he needs. She's hoping she'll be able to send him to a special school for children on the autism spectrum. Noah would like that, too, but his real dream is just to meet SpongeBob in person.

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Originally published: Friday, May 07, 2021.

Original source: People; Additional sources: MovieWebNewsweek, KSAT.

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