Tragedy headlines: Kentucky boy uses mother’s phone to order 70,000 dum-dum suckers to share with his friends

 Tragedy headlines: Kentucky boy uses mother’s phone to order 70,000 dum-dum suckers to share with his friends 

A Kentucky family is reeling from an unexpected candy calamity after a young boy accidentally ordered $70,000 Dum-Dum lollipops using his mother’s smartphone. What was meant to be a small gesture of kindness quickly turned into a financial and logistical nightmare.

The unnamed boy, reportedly around 7 years old, was simply trying to “order some candy to share with his friends at school.” While scrolling through an online store his mother had previously used, he unknowingly placed a wholesale bulk order of the classic lollipops, typically intended for large events or commercial vendors.

The total? An eye-watering $3,200, charged directly to the family’s account.

The boy’s mother, Emily Johnson, said she didn’t realize what had happened until she received a massive shipping confirmation email. “At first I thought it was a scam,” she said. “Then I checked the receipt and saw the number of units—it said $70,000. I thought, ‘Oh no, this is real.’”

Just three days later, pallets of Dum-Dums began arriving at their suburban Louisville home. Photos shared on social media show stacks of boxes lining the porch and driveway, leaving neighbors in shock and delivery drivers amused.

“This has got to be some kind of record,” one delivery worker was overheard saying.

Despite the humorous nature of the incident, the situation has brought unexpected stress to the family. With boxes crowding their home and a \$3,000 charge looming, they’ve spent the past few days working with the candy supplier and shipping company to try to return the unopened boxes.

Fortunately, the company has expressed willingness to work with the family and may waive the return shipping fees.

Still, the event has prompted important lessons for parents everywhere. Johnson now urges other parents to enable screen time restrictions and lock online shopping apps when not in use.

“Kids are curious and quick,” she said. “We think we’re just leaving a phone out for five minutes, but that’s all it takes.”

As for the young candy lover, he’s been grounded—but has also earned a bit of local fame. “He just wanted to make his friends happy,” his mom said. “Next time, we’ll make sure it’s with one bag of candy, not a truckload.”

The family plans to donate any opened or non-returnable candy to local schools and shelters.