14-year-old boy bakes and sells 3,500 cupcakes, makes $5K to take whole family to Disney World

MADISON, Minn. - A 14-year-old Minnesota boy baked his way to Disney World through selling cupcakes and made enough money to take his whole family with him. 

Over the course of a year, Isaiah Tuckett, of Madison, baked around 3,500 cupcakes to raise about $5,000 to take his mother, father, brother, sister, sister-in-law, nephew and uncle to Disney World. 

“It was really exciting,” Tuckett said. “I was glad that it was everyone, and I felt like everyone was happy that they got to go.”

Tuckett, who has been baking since he was 7 years old, said the trip was also to celebrate his 14th birthday on Nov. 28, 2018.

Previously, he had asked his parents to go, but “most of the time, they just said 'no,' or 'ask a different time.'”

But armed with baking essentials, Tuckett took matters into his own hands. It all happened after he made cupcakes for his grandma's 85th birthday. 

“When I was growing up, I always liked being in the kitchen, and I made them for my grandma's 85th birthday,” he said. “And then people really liked them, and they just asked if they could order them.” 

Tuckett has made cupcakes for birthday parties, baby showers, graduations, weddings, funerals and high school prom.

Last year, for three graduations, he baked 750 cupcakes. 

“It was something I always enjoyed and I thought would be a good way to raise money for the trip to Disney,” he said. 

Cheri Tuckett said her son has always been really interested in baking and helping out in the kitchen. 

“After he made them for my mom's 85th birthday, it just kind of took off from there. And he's always wanted to go to Disney, and once the orders started coming in, we had this conversation,” she said. “And I said, 'you know what, if that's something that you want to do, we would be willing to buy all the ingredients and so that everything that you earn...your profits, could be put into a savings account to earn that trip.'”

Then, she said her son “went to town.” 

Isaiah said he was really proud of himself for accomplishing a life goal, and makes him look forward to other goals that he hopes to accomplish. Up next, he wants to buy a blue pickup truck to move his cupcake business forward and deliver even more of his baked goods. 

Cheri hopes to continue to be involved in her son's cupcake endeavors. 

“So amazing. I just feel like it says a lot about his character, and his determination,” she said. “I'm just really proud of him and who he is.” 

This story was reported in Los Angeles.