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[For High School Students] A roundup of gag/novelty gifts to give for birthdays
Hey you, struggling to pick a gift for a friend? Be sure to check out this roundup of fun, novelty-style presents recommended for high schoolers.
It’s a collection of ideas to spice up that once-a-year big event—birthdays! Give them, use them, laugh together, and get in a happy mood! We’ve also included some surprisingly practical items.
Plus, we’ve mainly chosen budget-friendly goodies, so even if your allowance is a bit tight this month, you’re covered!
[For High Schoolers] A roundup of gag gifts you’ll want to give for birthdays (1–10)
Useless Box
Since you’re giving a gift, you might as well choose something useful, right? But if you’re looking for a gag gift, it could be fun to deliberately give something useless! How about a toy that, when you press the switch, seems like the box will open—only for a mechanism to immediately turn the switch off by itself, so the box never actually opens? In fact, ideas like this have been drawing attention in the art world since around the 1930s as “useless machines.” It works both as a funny gag and as a conversation piece for sharing trivia—talk about killing two birds with one stone!
Shooting Alarm Clock
A busy high school life—studying late into the night and working on assignments—might be making it hard for some people to get up in the morning lately.
Many of you have probably experienced not being able to wake up even after setting multiple alarms on your smartphone.
For a friend who’s struggling to get out of bed like that, the perfect gift is a shooting alarm clock.
When the set time arrives, a target pops up on the clock, and the alarm won’t stop until you hit it with the included pistol.
With this, you’ll get unexpectedly excited and your sleepiness will probably vanish!
Surprised Chicken
If you’ve watched videos on YouTube and the like, you’ve probably seen this before: the squeeze-and-scream toy, the “screaming chicken.” It’s a simple toy that makes a chicken-like squawk as air goes in and out, but its sound and absurd look are strangely addictive.
As with the one we’re featuring here, there are tons of funny videos that make use of screaming chickens.
It’s practically useless—one could say entirely so.
A quintessential “gag gift” idea.
lie detector
As a gag toy, lie detectors are a classic.
You can find all kinds—from simple ones kids can enjoy to more serious models that even high schoolers will find fun.
Among them, the cute, disc-shaped models that give you a little shock when you lie are especially recommended for high schoolers.
The versions with a striking look that really liven up club parties or get-togethers could be a surprisingly practical gift choice for a sociable friend!
Web-shooter
Here’s the perfect gift for Marvel fans.
That iconic pose where Spider-Man shoots webs from his hands! Plenty of people have tried to imitate it.
Now, what if you struck that pose and actual webs came out? This web shooter makes that dream come true.
Pull the lever and a spring mechanism fires a line tipped with a magnetic dart! When it hits a fridge or front door, it sticks right on.
You can’t hang from it or swing around with centrifugal force, of course, but you’ll definitely feel like Spider-Man!
Food Jigsaw Puzzle
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckx3umgPu5F/Make these unique and stylish goodies your next gift! They’re food-themed jigsaw puzzles featuring motifs like broccoli, hot dogs, and ramen.
Unlike ordinary jigsaw puzzles, the finished piece isn’t a square—it follows the shape of the food.
It’s such a simple twist, yet it somehow looks striking.
If you don’t want to look like you tried too hard with a present, but still want to come off as having great taste, this is the perfect choice.
Fish pencil case
If they’re a high school student, they probably use a pencil case at school or at home.
So here’s a gift idea: a pencil case that looks remarkably like a real fish.
If they’ve never seen one before, they might be surprised by how lifelike it is.
It almost seems like you can smell the fish… well, not really, of course.
If you want to give something that’s both gag-worthy and practical, this is a great pick.
It’s affordable, and—as you’ll see if you look it up—there are tons of varieties, which is a big plus.
fish sandals
Fish sandals with a strikingly realistic look that packs a punch.
They may not be the most practical, but they’re a top pick as a gift designed purely to get laughs! In addition to classic black and gray, you can find colorful options like green and blue, so it might be best to choose according to the recipient’s taste.
Take them along as beach sandals on a summer trip and upload the photos to social media—you might rack up a ton of likes!
Pote-ki
Everyone loves potato chips! There are probably plenty of people who like them so much they “eat them every day.” Now, the quirky gift we’re introducing is called the Pote-Tree.
At first glance, you might not know what it’s for.
The Pote-Tree is a freestanding wooden objet with slits here and there; by inserting potato chips one by one into the slits, you create a “tree that bears potato chips!” It’s a fun idea that adds a touch of flair to any snack party.
magnet ball
Many of you probably played with magnets as children.
By the time you’re in high school, though, they might not seem all that captivating anymore.
That’s where magnet balls come in.
As the name suggests, they’re small magnetic spheres, and they become a lot of fun simply by having enough of them.
You can link them like a chain or shape them into a cube.
They’re a gadget like a 3D puzzle that you can mold into any shape you like.
They’re great as a fidget toy and also work well as decor on a shelf.
How about trying some magnet balls?