Fun and Funny White Elephant Gifts Everyone Will Want to Steal (Most Under $20)

White elephant parties might not be as prevalent when the holidays coincide with a pandemic, but if you're lucky enough to be invited to one, you're going to want to be prepared. In addition to taking safety precautions, that means showing up with a gift that people will covet (translation: steal) for its usefulness, quirkiness, or unrivaled hilarity. Here are ideas that fall into all three categories. 

Prices and availability are subject to change.

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$20 from Uncommon Goods
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A swimsuit calendar, yes, but not the one you're thinking of. Instead, this version offers up a year's worth of adorable animal illustrations — from owls to possums — suited up in their cutest bathing gear.

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$20 from Tee Public

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This T-shirt is funny no matter if you know the character on it or not (for the record, it's The Swedish Chef from "The Muppet Show"). It's available in five styles, more than two dozen colors, and sizes up to 5XL. 

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$15 from TeePublic
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Masks are likely to be a fun gift this season, and with this clever design, you can win the white elephant party.

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$20 from Amazon
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The folks who make Chia Pets have introduced a few new products this year that capitalize on pop culture, including this adorable version. We honestly can't decide if this one or the Chewbacca version will be fought over more, so we'll let you make that call.

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$10 and up from Amazon
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Let someone's inner animal out with these socks, printed with images of animal paws. Make your choice based on the animal they remind you of the most, including dogs, polar bears, and more.

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$20 from Amazon
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This makes a great gift for someone who is sick of everyone asking them what they're having for lunch. The insulated tote is made to look like they're transporting human organs, something anyone with an offbeat sense of humor will love.

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$14 from Amazon
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Few authors are as clever and witty as they are informative, but Bill Bryson is near the top of the list in that category. This bestselling book is equal parts human anatomy and humor.

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$15 from Always Fits
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This hilarious book pays tribute to decades of bad bridal fashion that will have female white elephant guests in fits of laughter (that is, when the book isn't being stolen from them).

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$35 from Amazon
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Because, yes, there apparently is a slow cooker with every imaginable theme these days.

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$12 from Amazon
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Sample review: "This is both ridiculous and spectacular. It just might be my best Amazon impulse-buy ever." Translation: a white elephant party hit in the making.

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$12 from Natural Annie Essentials
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Looking for a timely and topical gift? While there's no telling what this candle smells like, reviewers say it's got a "phenomenal" scent, which we're guessing means it doesn't evoke a dumpster fire.

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GIVE THE GIFT OF ADVENTURE

Make the season truly memorable with a scratch-off activity guide to suit everyone on your list.

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The activities contained in every Adventure Challenge edition are designed to add a little mystery and a whole lot of fun to bonding time with family, friends, or that special spouse or partner. Just scratch the entry to reveal a new "surprise" adventure; each challenge comes with an estimated time commitment and cost, usually $20 or less. There's also a version for solo adventures and bundles that include an instant camera.

Adventures Over Things!

–"The best gift ever!"

_(SPONSORED)

$20 from Pinch Provisions
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This 18-piece kit contains lots of steal-worthy stuff: a snack clip, comfy socks, face- and hand-cleansing towelettes, sporks, a sofa yoga guide, and a two-sided coin to help decide: "one more" or "go to bed."

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$20 from Always Fits
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This candle will resonate with many of your party participants on so many levels, we'll bet anyone who doesn't end up with it will be asking you where you found it.

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$13 from Amazon
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Literally everyone could use a serotonin boost these days. Give it to your party goers via unbearably endearing creatures.

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$12 from Amazon
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Sometimes the most popular gifts are the ones that are actually useful, and this coffee warmer will keep any work-from-homer fueled throughout the day.

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$7 from Amazon

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Directly contradicting the concept that swearing is a sign of "a stunted vocabulary or a limited intellect," author Emma Byrne takes a scientific look in this book at how profanity can actually have "surprising benefits." 

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$5 from Amazon
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This notepad is great for that loved one who would rather just leave a grouchy message than argue. The WTF notepad offers plenty of prickly options such as "WTF were you thinking?" and "WTF is wrong with you?" and the notes can be applied to any situation they find annoying.

$35 and up from Amazon
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In these trying times, it's almost a guarantee that this stylish set of cocktail tumblers is gonna be a hot ticket white elephant item. You might even want to steal 'em back yourself.

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$14 from Amazon
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This is just one of those things that most people don't realize they want until they know it exists.

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$20 and up from Uncommon Goods
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Because cute but impractical gifts are just the type of gifts you should be toting along to the white elephant party. Each taco-dino holds two hard-shell tacos and makes meals a roaring good time for all.

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$15 from Amazon
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People cannot resist cute and miniature things, and we're guessing the participants at your white elephant get-together won't be any different.

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$38 from Amazon
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It's pretty much a guarantee that anything that was once advertised on late-night TV and seeped into the collective snark of the national consciousness will make for a perfect white elephant gift.

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$13 and up from Amazon
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Okay, yes, this is actually a sweatshirt, but with nearly 30 styles to choose from, you can find an option that someone at your white elephant party will decide they can't live without.

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$31 from Amazon
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Anyone can buy a tortilla blanket and think it's cute, but the truly imaginative know that bacon is going to trump tortilla at just about any white elephant gathering.

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$48 from Amazon
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A white elephant gift doesn't have to be funny or naughty to be stealable. Take, for instance, this set of 24 fortune-cookie-shaped bath bombs that are colorful, conceal a fortune inside, and contain "100% pure, natural ingredients and essential oils."

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$30 and up from Amazon
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It might not be the cleverest of gifts at the white elephant party, but it's warm and fuzzy when we could all use a little more warm and fuzzy in our lives. It comes in six different colors and patterns.

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$10 from Amazon
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Dog shaming is popular on social media and it won't be any less so at your white elephant gathering. This book offers 192 pages dedicated to the naughtiest (but clearly repentant, in some cases) pups.

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$14 from Amazon
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You cannot bring something as lame as a coaster set to a white elephant party and not expect it to get swapped. Unless, of course, the coasters you bring are so cool, clever, and fun that they will be a coveted item.

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$10 from Amazon
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There are few people out there who don't love dogs, and who can resist a collage of dogs making the goofiest faces possible while trying to catch a treat?

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$11 from Amazon
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It's funny looking, colorful, and provides pleasure — in other words, totally stealable.

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$25 from Amazon
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It's been a helluva year and we could all use something to reverse any negative energy. There's bound to be one hippie at the party, right?

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$18 and up from Amazon

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What could be more off-beat and beachy than a pair of novelty pool shoes in the shape of a lobster? Available in four colors.