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This holiday season, surprise your loved ones (or treat yourself) to a series of small, innovative, and eccentric gifts that are sure to surprise and delight without blowing your budget. From a glow-in-the-dark enamel pin to succulent-shaped tea candles, here are the quirkiest stocking stuffers Amazon has to offer.
1. Marie Curie and Radium Enamel Pin Set; $16
Wear your favorite scientist on your sleeve, shirt, jacket, or backpack with this two-piece Marie Curie pin set. The iconic researcher coined the term radioactive and discovered radium, hence the glow-in-the-dark nature of the trinket.
Buy it: Amazon
2. Bob Ross Bobblehead; $32
Spread some positivity with this smiling Bob Ross bobblehead, which is sure to delight any Joy of Painting enthusiast. Display it on your nightstand, desk, counter, or anywhere you (or your loved one) desire.
Buy it: Amazon
3. Burt's Bees Kissable Color Holiday Gift Set; $23
Kiss chapped lips goodbye once and for all by giving the gift of beeswax-based skin hydration. Not only do these Burt’s Bees chapsticks provide the perfect punch of color to your pout, but they’re also infused with nourishing ingredients like sunflower oil, Vitamin E, peppermint oil, and antioxidants. Each gift set includes three shades: peony, fig and rhubarb.
Buy it: Amazon
4. Animal Tea Strainers, Pack of 5; $17
Tea time has never been more fun. These adorable, animal-shaped tea infusers are the perfect stocking stuffer: They're eco-friendly, ultra-functional, and microwave-safe. Plus, they’re incredibly easy to use: All your loved one has to do is pop off the bottom, fill with loose-leaf tea, and place in hot water.
Buy it: Amazon
5. The Original Tamagotchi; $20
If your gift recipient is the kind of person who wants a pet without having to pay vet bills or clean up actual poop, get them a Tamagotchi instead. This retro, egg-shaped toy-slash-digital pet is just as fun today as it was in the '90s.
Buy it: Amazon
6. Shakespeare Insult Playing Cards; $14
William Shakespeare certainly had a way with words—especially when it came to killer comebacks. This set of playing cards features some of the literary genius’s wittiest jabs combined with colorful illustrations.
Buy it: Amazon
7. Lightsaber Chopsticks; $10
Dine like a Jedi with these light-up lightsaber chopsticks—the ideal weapon of choice for mealtime. Choose from five bright hues, and may the force be with you at the dinner table.
Buy it: Amazon
8. World’s Smallest View-Master; $9
Celebrate all things smol this holiday season by giving the gift of the World’s Smallest Fisher-Price View-Master. This tiny toy measures just 2 by 1.25 by 1.5 inches and comes with a seven-image reel—and it actually works!
Need gifts for more than one stocking? Consider picking up the World's Smallest Etch-A-Sketch and the World's Smallest Lite Brite, too.
Buy it: Amazon
9. Bob Ross By The Numbers; $7
We can’t all be as gifted as Bob Ross, but this miniature art set makes it incredibly easy to create your own masterpiece. The pre-printed canvases (which feature two landscape scenes and one of Ross’s smiling face) are labeled with numbers to make painting a breeze.
Buy it: Amazon
10. Ramen Notes Sticky Note Pad; $16
Help the biggest noodle fan you know take their affinity for instant ramen to the next level with this sticky note pad that looks just like an appetizing block of noodles. The bag is resealable, and there are even some “cooking instructions” on the back.
Buy it: Amazon
11. Cat-Shaped Silicone Ice Cube Molds; $11
There are people who love cats, and then there are people who love cats so much that they’d be delighted to add cat-shaped ice cubes to their drinks. These two molds are for the latter group (if they don’t already have them). They can also be used to make cat-shaped chocolate, cat-shaped gummies, and more.
Buy it: Amazon
12. Business Walrus: A Party Game by ClickHole; $16
In this card game from ClickHole, players compete to develop product ideas (e.g. “a game-changing toilet invention”) that must include certain features (e.g. “haunted by the ghost of a Victorian child”), which they pitch to a potential investor: the Business Walrus. That task may get even more complicated—in other words, funnier—if someone draws a ‘Walrus Surprise’ card and has to, say, come up with a jingle for their product on the spot. It’s not for kids—or for anyone who thinks sales pitches are a sacred art form that shouldn’t be spoofed. (Though it might be especially entertaining to play with those people.)
Buy it: Amazon
13. True Zoo Bordeaux Collie Corkscrew; $16
This dog can’t drink beer any better than its real-life counterparts can, but it can crack open a cold one (or uncork a bottle of wine) for you. While the device itself is stainless steel, the shell is plastic—so it’s both durable and comfortable to handle. This one is perfect for your pooch-obsessed friend who has a habit of removing corks in chunks.
Buy it: Amazon
14. Jelly Belly Bean Boozled Bag; $6
Each delicious jelly bean variety in this bag essentially has an evil twin: a bean that looks exactly like it but tastes repulsive. Pairs include birthday cake and dirty dishwater; strawberry banana smoothie and dead fish; and toasted marshmallow and stink bug, among others. Intrepid snackers will surely enjoy the drama of popping one in their mouths without knowing whether their taste buds will be delighted or distraught afterward.
Buy it: Amazon
15. ColorCoral Universal Gel Dust Cleaner; $6
Help your dearest cleaning enthusiast dust various hard-to-get corners and crevices with this inexpensive solid gel. It’s lemon-scented, reusable, and oh-so-satisfying to fill up with all the dust lurking in keyboards, car air vents, and more.
Buy it: Amazon
16. AvoSeedo Avocado Tree–Growing Kit; $10
You can’t fit an avocado tree in a stocking—but you can fit this clever gadget that’ll help facilitate the growth of one. Basically, it’s a little avocado-shaped boat with a hole in the bottom; all the grower has to do is drop an avocado pit in the middle, place the boat in a pot of water, and let nature do the rest. Within six weeks or so, the pit will crack open and begin to sprout roots through the hole.
Buy it: Amazon
17. Succulent Tea Light Candles; $10
For the less botanically sure-footed on your gift list, here’s a pack of six charming tea lights shaped like succulents. The handcrafted wax candles can add character to any room even when they’re unlit.
Buy it: Amazon
A version of this story originally ran in 2020; it has been updated for 2022.
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as 17 Unusual Stocking Stuffers to Make Gift-Giving Extra Fun.
