COLUMBUS (AP) — The guest of honor won’t have cake to eat, presents to unwrap or guests

COLUMBUS (AP) — The guest of honor won’t have cake to eat, presents to unwrap or guests to shout “surprise.”

At a virtual party, people post pictures of cupcakes (calorie free!), offer silly imaginary presents (a troop of gnomes!) and include music videos (Antonio Banderas plays guitar!).

Online parties are popping up as a way to let far-flung loved ones or people who don’t care for big get-togethers to celebrate.

Thad Gifford-Smith, 46, of Putnam Valley, N.Y., set up an online party for his wife, Mary’s, 41st birthday in November after he failed to plan a surprise when she turned 40. He invited friends to join a group on Facebook that he labeled “Mary’s Super Secret Virtual Surprise Birthday Party.”

“I thought it was going to be this small little joke,” he said.

Then the party grew.

He was thrilled when a friend provided a college photo of his wife with a dated haircut and sweater. About 80 people signed up for the party page. Throughout her birthday, Mary got text messages, e-mails, phone calls and videos on Facebook. “She just got barraged that day,” Gifford-Smith said.

The parties are hard to track, but several hundred birthday-related domains are registered each month at GoDaddy.com, which sells Web site domains for $1.99 and up. The new site usurprise.com kicked off a year ago with daily requests from people wanting to post parties, said creator Steve Rogers, of Delray Beach, Fla.

Online party hosts are quick to say their electronic celebrations are not a sad substitute for a regular party — they simply allow distant loved ones to participate. Some turn to an online party because the person being feted doesn’t like surprises or big get-togethers.

Others see the parties as a quick, inexpensive gift. Rogers hopes people use his free site to post greetings for occasions beyond birthdays and anniversaries, such as graduations, a welcome for a new neighbor and other “random acts of kindness.”

“Think of it more as a giant card,” he said.

Dogs and cats are getting online parties too, complete with gifts of bones or kitty treats sent as photos by e-mail.

“It’s a lot easier to get a bunch of dogs together virtually,” said Deb Boyken, who organized a party for her spaniel last summer on her blog “Chappy’s Mom.”

Boyken, 42, of Denville, N.J., asked guests to post funny stories about cats and dogs. The responses, usually worded as if written by the pet, included stories about a cat falling while chasing its tail and a dog eating crayons.

“It was fun. The cleanup was really easy. No fur balls floating around the house, no muddy paw prints,” she said.

For her dog Bailey’s birthday after a bout of cancer, Bev Van Zant posted photos of the Bichon Frise wearing a party hat, video of Bailey celebrating with a real cake, and a picture of Bailey sleeping off all the birthday excitement.

“Understand, my dog means everything to me,” said Van Zant, of Dayton.

Some of the most entertaining features of online party Web sites would be difficult to replicate at a traditional party. At an online baby shower, the public was invited to suggest names, and another party page included a game to allow people to draw mustaches on a photo of the birthday girl.

Some people add videos of their children singing “Happy Birthday,” background dance music, fun facts about the honored person and detailed family histories for couples celebrating anniversaries.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi, 47, of Toronto, has thrown about a dozen online parties, including the ones with the gifts of gnomes and the Antonio Banderas video.