Do you remember your birthday parties as a kid? If you’re over 25, they probably involved a few friends, hotdogs and lemonade, paper plates piled with cake and ice cream, and maybe a piñata or pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. The old-fashioned child’s birthday party is passé.  They’re now high-priced extravaganzas that can cost upwards of $50,000.

According to ABC News, today’s parents aren’t just spending the big bucks for major milestones, like sweet 16 parties, bar mitzvahs, debutante balls, and weddings. The birthday party scene has become a “keep up with the baby Joneses competition.” With parents coughing up cash for big-time events to make sure that Junior’s birthday party is the talk of the town – even if the kid’s too young to remember it.

We’re not just talking games, prizes, and cake here. We’re talking renting out mega toy stores like FAO Schwartz in New York City for $25-grand.  Booking sleepovers at zoos and museums. Reenacting entire Broadway shows with professional actors or spending $50-grand for an elegant extravaganza in a hotel ballroom.

One recent party for a four-year-old included an elegant all-you-can eat buffet for the parents, kid-food buffets and goody bags for all the pint-sized guests. Also, a mini-amusement park complete with rides, magicians, face painting, arcade games, balloon animals, a live band, and an inflated bouncy castle.