Girl's Family Promised Her A Nanalan Cake For Her Birthday — Then Recorded Her Being Upset When Given A Plain One
"Who's that wonderful girl?" Definitely not this girl's sister!
Ruth Black / Shutterstock; @nanalanofficial / Instagram For her birthday, one girl was promised a very special cake from her sister. When the big day arrived, the girl could hardly contain her excitement as her sister unveiled the cake; however, it was not even close to the dessert she had been promised.
When the girl asked what happened to the cake she was hoping for, she did not receive the expected response, making viewers very angry on her behalf.
The girl was promised a ‘Nanalan’ cake for her birthday but was instead given a plain vanilla cake by her sister.
For those of you who are not familiar with “Nanalan,” it is a children’s television series that premiered in 2000. The whimsical and wholesome show featured a trio of puppets: 3-year-old Mona, her nurturing Nana, and their dog Russell.
The show has recently gained newfound popularity on TikTok after clips of Mona and her Nana were used in various memes across the social media platform. (If you’re an avid TikTok user, you may be familiar with the sound, “Who’s that wonderful girl? Could she be any cuter?”)
Being a fan of "Nanalan," one girl’s sister promised that she would bake her a themed cake for her birthday, decorated with edible versions of her favorite characters. The moment was captured on film and shared on TikTok, where it has since been viewed over 33 million times.
However, when her sister revealed the cake that was initially concealed underneath a pot, the girl was stunned to find that, instead of the "Nalalan"-themed dessert she was hoping for, it was just a plain vanilla cake with a couple of strawberries on top.
“Where’s 'Nanalan?'” the girl asked her sister.
“I didn’t do a 'Nanalan' cake," her sister replied, claiming that it was “too hard” for her to make.
The girl tried her best to mask her disappointment but was clearly upset that she did not get the cake she was promised.
“I told everyone at work that I was getting a 'Nanalan' cake!” she said. “There’s literally no 'Nanalan!'”
The woman’s sister repeated that she did not make the themed cake since it was “beyond her scope.” Still, the girl held out hope that her sister was fooling her and that there was a "Nanalan" theme hiding inside of the cake (spoiler: there was not).
She fairly pointed out that her sister could have easily portrayed Mona on the cake by using green frosting and edible eyes. Still, her sister claimed she "barely survived making this cake."
Her family added that even though it was not the cake she was anticipating, it still “looked good,” and some of them even patted her head in an attempt to calm her down.
The viral video received mixed reactions from viewers online.
Some people believed that the girl was acting ungrateful, and should have been pleased that her sister at least made her a cake, even if it was not the one she was expecting. However, the majority of people were disgusted by the girl’s sister’s actions, accusing her of gaslighting the poor birthday girl.
Other TikTok users posted their own videos in response to the girl’s, and they were not happy with the way she was treated.
“I’m having a hard time deciding what the worst part of this video is,” TikTok user Tonya Calilung said. “The fact that the family set her up to be disappointed and then gaslighted her into thinking that she shouldn’t be disappointed, she should be appreciative, or the patronizing touches to her head when she was just expressing disappointment.”
Calilung added that the girl’s feelings were valid, and she was entitled to feel hurt over her sister’s broken promise.
Others were horrified that the girl’s reaction was intentionally caught on camera, especially since her family knew that she would be receiving the cake that she didn’t ask for.
“If you tell someone that you’re gonna do something for them and you don’t do it, don’t take a video of their reaction finding out that you didn’t do it,” TikTok user and psychologist Dr. Pria urged. “If my sister did this to me I would cry.”
Others argued that it was about the principle, and not the cake.
“That woman is not disappointed that she didn’t get a 'Nanalan' cake," TikTok user Phoebe said in a video. "She is disappointed because her sister promised … that she would get a 'Nanalan' cake, and there was a whole big reveal surrounded by family and friends, just to find out that she didn’t get the thing her sister said she would get her.”
“This woman was set up for disappointment surrounded by people she cares about,” she added.
Promises, especially those made by people we care about, mean more than many may realize.
Keeping promises is not only a reflection of personal character but also a fundamental aspect of maintaining healthy and productive relationships. By keeping any promises made, you demonstrate respect, acknowledge the importance of their desires and expectations, show that their needs and feelings matter, and prove that you are trustworthy.
Breaking a promise can cause trust to crumble, and can negatively affect your relationship with the person you made the promise to.
If the girl’s sister was unable to make her "Nanalan" cake, even after promising it, she should have apologized and told her beforehand instead of waiting until her birthday and gaslighting her into being happy (on camera) that she at least got a cake.
For future reference, if the girl’s sister ever wants to make it up to her by baking her a "Nanalan" cake, this is how it is done:
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.