Got celebrating with someone special to do? Whether it’s a birthday, new job, housewarming, anniversary, wedding or another landmark moment, a present is often part of the equation.
While practical gifts are well received, finding something with a little novelty value can inject fun into the proceedings: a punny little something with an in-joke that only the two of you get.
There’s a whole world of novelty gifts out there, but shop wisely to strike the right balance between fun and function. The last thing you want is for the joke to live and die solely in the present-opening moment before gathering dust on a forgotten shelf.
From cult TV show-themed products to gaming-inspired kitchenware and personalised swimmers, we’ve found the best products that will make them smile and actually get used.
See our favourite novelty and unusual gifts below.
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Prezzybox plant life support
Best for: fledgling plant parents
According to the Office for National Statistics, 35 per cent of Britons bought a houseplant in 2021, spending £7.6bn on garden, plants and flowers - that’s a whole lot of greenery to keep alive. If you know someone with a foliage fixation, help them keep their plant babies thriving with this plant watering gadget from Prezzybox.
Designed to resemble an IV drip, the automatic system is the perfect gift for regular travellers, social butterflies or just forgetful types who haven’t quite cemented the chore of watering in their daily routines.
Buy now £13.00, Prezzybox
Nick Offerman Daisy Beard Throw Pillow
Best for: Offerman stans
Nick Offerman is the Hollywood actor who can do no wrong. Whether he had you in hysterics as Park & Rec’s resident grumpus Ron Swanson or reduced you to a blubbering mess with his turn as survivalist Bill in The Last of Us, everything the Illinois-born man touches is pure gold. Pay homage to the modern-day Midas with this cushion bearing his image, complete with a daisy-studded beard. Measures 40 x 40cm.
Buy now £21.39, Redbubble
IWOOT Cat Kong Scratching Post
Best for: making your kitten a movie legend
Turn your domesticated moggy into one of the most fearsome creatures in fiction. This cat-scratching post is designed to look like NYC’s Empire State building, in turn giving your furball the starring role as King Kong. As well as looking much better than other posts of its ilk, this novelty version is topped with a feathery toy, giving your pet something to stretch and reach for. Let small-scale chaos ensue.
Buy now £16.99, IWOOT
Prezzybox Personalised Photo Upload Men’s Swimming Trunks
Best for: stag parties
Going somewhere beachy for a pre-wedding party? While most stag gifts can be lacking - the market largely consists of NSFW phallic-themes and boorish group t-shirts - Prezzybox has served up a personalised winner: a pair of trunks covered in a face print of your choice. Simply upload an image or two of their beloved and the company will create an OTT pattern, printed directly on the trunks.
Alternatively, get a pair for each stag bearing the groom’s face for hilarious group shots that will guarantee laughs come the wedding toast. Available in sizes XS - 2XL, and the collection spans one-piece swimsuits (£35) and flip-flops (£25) too.
Buy now £25.00, Prezzybox
Oliver Bonas Under Water LED Disco Light
Best for: club in a tub
Not one for relaxing baths? Make your bath the hottest place in town with an exclusive lightshow for one. Oliver Bonas has this water-reacting LED light that will project psychedelic multi-coloured light patterns in red, green and blue hues. All you need to do is line up Spotify and you’re ready to rock. This is also a fun gift for anyone lucky enough to have a hot tub. And it will shock no one to learn that the battery-operated gadget is 100 per cent waterproof.
Buy now £10.00, Oliver Bonas
Prezzybox Ship In A Glass Novelty Spirit Glass
Best for: getting ship-faced
Ice cubes, straight ahead! Sink your drink and save the ship with this novelty drinking glass that promises to add naval-inspired quirk to your at-home happy hour. Made from hard wearing borosilicate glass, the cup is hand-wash only.
Buy now £15.00, Prezzybox
Moira Rose Pope Epic Prayer Candle
Best for: eternal lols
Schitt’s Creek fans know that in times of crisis you can always glean a little wisdom from the incomparable Moira Rose. Whether you’re having trouble ‘folding in’ cheese, your wig is playing up, or your entire fortune has gone up in smoke, light this prayer candle and let her unique brand of enlightenment shine through.
Buy now £12.47, Etsy
Coddies Fish Flops
Best for: baiting conversation
There’s no sitting on the fence here: you’ll either love these fish-themed flip-flops or you’ll tightly smile when you’re given them as a gift. We’re lovers here at ES Best, so we’ll go with the former, and hope you are too.
As spotted on Love Island, this... statement pair of casual shoes are guaranteed to turn heads and be more of a talking point than a pair of pool sliders. Perfect for festivals, fancy dress or simply looking the part on your next fishing trip, they’re light, flexible and surprisingly, pretty comfortable to wear.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
Vintage Billiard Game Throw Blanket
Best for: spots and stripes decor
Because pool sharks need good-quality nap-time too. This cotton polyester blend blanket is a versatile thing to keep on hand for fans of the game: use it as a picnic blanket, bed spread or throw for the sofa when you’re watching the next tournament.
Buy now £51.91, Etsy
Firebox World’s Smallest Planetarium
Best for: bringing the galaxy home
Seeing the stars in London is a hopeless prospect with so much light pollution around. If you haven’t the time or the wheels to get out to the countryside, enjoy star-gazing at home with this mini projector, which offers a small sky show indoors. Simply switch off the lights and gaze at detailed projections of the sky’s finest constellations, checking out the illustrated guide so you know precisely what it is you’re looking at. One for budding astronomers.
Buy now £9.99, Firebox
Pokémon Pokeball Single Cheese Toastie Maker
Best for: gamers, students and big kids
Keep the gaming fun going in between sessions with this toastie maker which has the Pokémon logo on the non-stick plates to sear the icon into your next hot sandwich. One for gamers and pop culture freaks, the officially licenced kitchen appliance grills single sarnies at a time making the perfect snack when energy levels start to flag.
Buy now £25.99, Amazon
Firebox Spreadable Whisky
Best for: naughty breakfasts-in-bed
Looking for a way to legitimise whisky consumption at breakfast time? This novelty jar of marmalade has been spiked with a glug of real whisky, adding a boozy twist to brunch. It’s also good on a cracker with slices of mature cheese. An indulgent treat for the whisky aficionado who has everything else.
Buy now £9.99, Firebox
Firebox Take Cooler Selfies Lens Kit
Best for: Andy Warholing your selfies
Thanks to the evolution of smartphones, we can all be photographers these days. But for true showoffs who want to take their snaps to the next level, this pocket kit of coloured lenses (including a cool kaleidoscopic one) will trigger a tsunami of likes. Designed to sit over your front-facing selfie cam, the clip-on lenses give your snaps a colourful or trippy tint. Comes with a carry case and cleaning cloth.
Buy now £10.99, Firebox
Turkey Friends Detangling Brush
Best for: birds of a feather
One of the props in the greatest Friends episode, now an invaluable part of your personal grooming kit. The Thanksgiving turkey detangling hair brush comes, rather suitably, from MAD Beauty and keeps the hilarious moment Monica puts the seasonal poultry on her head to cheer up Chandler close. It may have first aired in 1998, but the scene is still a stone-cold classic.
Buy now £10.99, HMV
IWOOT Mobile Phone Jail
Best for: sentencing screen time
We spend around five hours a day staring at screens according to a 2022 survey by Uswitch. Give your eyeballs the freedom they so richly deserve by sticking your devices in the slammer for as long as you deem necessary in this plastic jail, which is delivered flat packed. Closed with a metal padlock and key, it could be the push you need to start a tech detox. Use it when you want to concentrate on the latest box set properly or to stop distracted scrolling at mealtimes.
Buy now £7.99, IWOOT
