The parents who threw a party for their kid but no one came say they never meant for their sad photo to go viral ... and we're inclined to believe 'em.
Sil Mazzini, the mom of 6-year-old Teddy, whose pizza party went bust over the weekend, tells us they would never stage such a deflating event for their son ... ever.
Mazzini gives a play-by-play breakdown for those who think the soiree was staged ... explaining why pieces of the pies were missing and how the photo got out in the first place.
Check out the clip and judge for yourself ... but this mama bear's got us convinced this was no scam.
One group that definitely believes her ... the Phoenix Suns! They caught wind of the story -- as did DJ Khaled and other big-time celebs -- and they treated Teddy to a VIP experience at one of their games this week.
As for future birthday parties ... Mazzini tells us they're out of the question for a while. Aww.