Funny White Elephant Gifts: 24 Gags That Still Get Used
The best funny white elephant gifts are jokes you can also use: a highland cow mug, a cow-shaped butter dish, salt and pepper shakers shaped like toilets, a desk gnome, a prank box with a real gift inside. Below are 24 gags in four groups, plus the rules that keep the joke on the object and off the people in the room.
A funny gift has to work twice: when someone picks it out of the pile, and a month later when they are deciding whether to keep it. The list below is built around that second test.
Run the draw in a minute: one link, everyone joins from their phone.
Draw White Elephant orderIn this guide
Quick answer: pick by room
| Group | Safe funny | Skip |
|---|---|---|
| Office | Desk gnome, cow mug, desk bowling, a gag with a real gift inside | Anything about bodies, age, dating or someone's job |
| Friends | Cocktail gag glasses, giant novelty objects, face socks | Jokes that need a backstory only two people get |
| Family (kids around) | Silly kitchen gadgets, plush gags, oversized candy | Anything adult, anything that looks like a drink to a child |
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Agree the tone in the invite before you buy anything, then draw the pick order online: set the cap and the "keep it PG" line in the same message.
What makes a gift funny at white elephant
Three tests decide whether a joke gift will work in this game specifically. Pass all three and it will be fought over.
- The joke is on the object. Never on a person in the room. If it could be read as aimed at someone's body, age, dating life or job security, it is out
- It is funny from across the table. The gift is picked by looks, so the joke has to read in a second without a label
- It survives January. A pure prank is funny for thirty seconds. A gag that is also a mug, a dish or a pen holder keeps its place on a shelf, and that is what gets stolen
Funny and actually useful
This is the winning group: the joke gets the laugh at the table and the object gets used at home. If you only buy one funny gift, buy from this list.
- Highland cow coffee mug — a shaggy cow face you drink from; the picture goes in the group chat
- Cow-shaped butter dish — absurd on the breakfast table and perfectly functional
- Balloon dog desk mug or plant pot — looks like a joke, works as a pen holder
- Wine glass that holds a whole bottle — mostly a threat, a little bit a gift
- A silicone ice mold that makes skulls, cubes or pickleball balls — a silly drink upgrade
- A cheeky door mat — keep the text friendly and it stays by the door all year
Pure gag: the one-joke wonders
Buy these as a second gift or as the one you bring when the group is loud and wants to laugh. They get stolen in the first rounds and forgotten by February, which is fine: that is what they are for.
- A screaming goat or a rubber chicken desk toy — the sound alone steals the room
- Toilet golf or desk bowling — the office gag that survives the office
- An emotional-support plush in a bowl — tiny and absurd; some people really do adopt them
- A prank gift box — wrapping that keeps unfolding; the box does the comedy
- A giant novelty version of a normal object — a jumbo pencil, a supersized gummy; scale alone makes people want it
Funny kitchen and bar gifts
The kitchen is where white elephant humor lives longest: cheap, small and used every week. Keep it to grown-up groups unless the cap and the audience say otherwise.
- Toilet-shaped salt and pepper shakers — the classic: crude in shape, harmless in practice
- Toilet-shaped shot glasses — a drinks gag that ends up at every barbecue
- A pickle jar or a taco-shaped serving tray — the table is funnier with it on
- A hot sauce challenge set — fun to open and sure to start an argument
- Novelty bottle stoppers — small, cheap and surprisingly stolen
Office-safe funny
An office game has an audience that did not choose each other, and somebody's manager is standing nearby. The humor has to be wholesome enough to survive HR and strong enough to still be funny. For more office-friendly ideas by budget, see gifts for coworkers.
- A work-from-home desk gnome — an office mascot nobody asked for and everybody wants
- A pun mug about meetings — keep it gentle; a pun beats a dig
- A stress ball shaped like something absurd — squeezable, silly, desk-sized
- Sticky notes with a joke — cheap and useful in the same breath
Bigger cap: funny gifts worth $25 and up
If your cap is $30 or $50, the gag can be bigger and the steals will be fiercer. These work well when the group already knows each other.
- A wearable blanket hoodie — funny to open, immediately in use
- A giant plush pickle or avocado pillow — made to be dragged across the room
- Custom face socks of someone in the group — only if the person is in on the joke; ask first
- A mini karaoke microphone — the gift that turns the rest of the party into a game
Make the wrapping part of the joke
White elephant is a visual game, and the wrapping is a free joke. A funny gift in plain paper loses to a boring gift in a clever box.
- Box within a box within a box, with a tiny note in each one
- An oversized box with a tiny gift in it (and a packing-peanut avalanche)
- A cryptic tag ("keep upright, may purr") that sends people guessing
- A real gift inside a gag shell: wrap the useful one in a prank box, so it looks like a joke and gets stolen like a prize
Run the game
Gifts picked, the only thing left is the order. The White Elephant generator draws random numbers for everyone, remote players included. The house rules (steal limits, the final swap) are in our White Elephant rules guide, and the broader gift list with a budget for every cap is in white elephant gift ideas.
Funny on a budget? See white elephant gifts under $25. Buying for one person instead of a pile? A secret.gift wish list takes a minute and ends the guessing.
Frequently asked questions
What are good funny white elephant gifts?
Funny gifts you can also use: a highland cow mug, a cow-shaped butter dish, toilet-shaped salt and pepper shakers, a desk gnome, a prank box with a real gift inside. Funny-and-useful beats pure prank because it gets stolen and kept.
What are the best gag gifts for a gift exchange?
The ones where the joke is on the object: a screaming goat, a giant novelty item, desk bowling, an emotional-support plush. Buy these as a second gift, and bring one useful gift as well.
What is a good funny white elephant gift for work?
A work-from-home desk gnome, a pun mug, a stress ball or desk bowling. Keep it wholesome: nothing about bodies, age, dating or someone's job.
Should a white elephant gift be funny or useful?
Both is best. Funny wins the laugh when it is picked, useful wins the steals afterward. If you must choose, bring something useful in a funny wrapper.
How do I make a gift look funny from across the room?
Use the wrapping and the tag. A giant box, a cryptic note or a box within a box makes people choose it before they know what it is.
What should I avoid in funny white elephant gifts?
Anything aimed at a person, anything that needs batteries you did not include, and anything the whole group would not be comfortable seeing on a table. If you are unsure, go a notch tamer.
How much should a funny white elephant gift cost?
Most of the gags above sit in the $10 to $25 range, which is the most common cap. Check your group's limit before you buy, and spend the whole cap.
Gary Tinselworth. 347 years in gift logistics. Has seen every gifting fail imaginable and files them into rants so you don't repeat them. Allergic to scented candles, emotionally.
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Gifts picked? Draw the pick order online: random numbers for everyone, remote players included.
Draw White Elephant order