Mom Saves Cake Toppers from Daughter's Childhood Birthdays, Uses Them All for Sweetly Nostalgic 18th Cake (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Ashley Deputy and her daughter on her birthday.Photo:Ashley Deputy

Ashley Deputy

When Ashley Deputy gave birth to her daughter Gabrielle Muse, she knew she would go above and beyond to celebrate her birthday each year.

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Gabrielle Muse on her 1st birthday.Ashley Deputy

As Gabrielle’s 18th birthday approached, Deputy wanted to commemorate the occasion in a special way. A few weeks before the big day, she decided to use all of the saved cake toppers to decorate a cake — a simple white whipped icing cake with a marble inside — showcasing Gabrielle’s interests and favorites over the years.

“She knew my idea (I had to get her approval, teenagers, am I right?)” Deputy says. “Before the birthday dinner, I brought out all the toppers, and we picked one or two from each year — except the years where there were only candles — and decorated the cake. She enjoyed seeing all the cake toppers and reminiscing about those moments.”

Gabrielle Muse on her birthday.Ashley Deputy

Shortly after the birthday, Deputy decided to share her experience onTikTok. She thought it was a cool idea and hoped it would inspire other parents. To her surprise, the video went viral, garnering 1.2 million views.

“I was shocked! I’m not used to having a ‘good idea,’ and I’ve never had a video go ‘viral,’ so I definitely bragged to my kids about the views, hoping to earn some cool points,” she says.

“It’s sad when you get more support from strangers on the Internet than from most of your family,” Deputy says. “But that’s the world we live in, right?”

source: people.com