Looking for a gift for a first-time desk jockey? Worried that the transition to a desk job is going to leave them with too much energy? Worried about keeping fit?
If someone you know is moving from a manual labor job into a desk job, they might be a little concerned about these things. Let them know you’re thinking of them with a little desk toy to keep them going.
Check out these funny miniatures for anyone who is starting a new desk job, and needs a little fun.
A great gift for anyone who needs to show their coworkers how strong they are! Perfect for the athlete or manual laborer-turned-desk-jockey. Sure to get a laugh out of anyone who’s worried about their strength declining–or not being put on proper display.
This mini strongman model is constructed of high-quality materials and comes with stellar reviews.
An increasingly sedentary lifestyle, combined with everyday stress, are two of the biggest factors affecting the health of adults today! This miniature weightlifting kit may not actually fix the first issue, but it will definitely help to relieve stress!
This funny little kit is made of high quality metal and rubber pieces, and comes complete with a workout guide, and a finger-sized sweatband. A great gift for the fitness-minded.
Another great kit from our pals at RP Minis, this desktop boxing set comes with a paid of fingertip boxing gloves, and a miniature “heavy” bag to work out your aggressions on. It also comes with a miniature rule book, so nothing gets too out of hand. This is a great one for anyone who might need to blow off a little steam every now and then.
Stretch and relax with this miniature yoga kit for your fingers. Enjoy the benefits of a soothing yoga session without leaving your desk.
Strap the finger yoga pants on, explore the miniature booklet of hand poses, and utilize the yoga mat and blocks to really get your namaste on. A great gift for anyone who would rather be at the yoga studio than at work…
Everyone needs a break from work every now and then. Whether you work from home, or in an office setting, spicing up your desk with a little bit of fun-and-games is a great way to build relationships, ease anxiety or tension, and get the creative juices flowing.
We’ve compiled our favorite desktop games and sports, perfect for a professional desk, but also great for service counters, waiting rooms, or as kids’ toys or travel games!
Perfect for…
Stocking stuffers
Office Secret Santa
A pick-me-up for a coworker or friend
These are some of our recent favorites — all high-quality products, worth the price! We’ll update with more options as we uncover them.
This miniature fingertip weightlifting set is the perfect gag gift for anyone moving from a physical job to a more sedentary desk job. The kit even comes with a little workout manual to keep them on their game.
This set from RP Minis is surprisingly high quality, with real metal (and rubber) pieces.
This is another great gift for someone who craves the outdoors but is often shackled to a desk or other indoor job. This kit comes complete with a soft “grass” mat that makes you feel like a tiny bit of you is outside.
This is another great kit from RP Minis, which means it’s high quality (durable resin balls, with authentic bocce ball etching), and comes with a great little book on the subject. This kit comes with everything you need to play a real game, with two or four players.
For the folks in your life (or at work) who could benefit from some active relaxation techniques…
This little kit includes hilarious mini yoga pants for your fingers, a desktop yoga mat, and two high-density foam workout blocks. Also included is the miniature booklet, A Guide to Finger Yoga, from the fine folks at RP Minis.
Another great kit from RP Minis to help you unwind at your desk. This finger breakdancing kit is a great way to blow off some steam at your desk, and get a laugh from coworkers in the process.
Strap on the finger all-white sneakers and switch on the mini boombox (it really plays music) and you’ll be ready to pop, lock, and break across your cardboard base platform. Kit comes with a miniature book on the fundamentals of finger breakdancing as well.
This double-sided tabletop game is a high-quality piece that is guaranteed to bring on hours of fun. This game takes up a bit more desktop space, so may be better suited as a waiting room focal point, or in a break room environment.
This is perfect for two or four player games, and is great for team-building and adding a bit of fun competition to the workplace. The game pieces are made of high-quality materials, and slide smoothly across the finished surface.
A perfectly mini cornhole set that you can store in any drawer, and bust out to blow off some steam around the office. Works just like a real cornhole board set, but each board is only about the size of a credit card.
This is a great set for anyone craving backyard fun, but is stuck inside working. Who doesn’t love a good (mini) bag toss game?
For the office worker who would rather be out on the links, this gorgeous desktop golf set is a no-brainer. The set comes with a slick carry/storage case, that doubles as a putting green, and each club doubles as a differently colored ballpoint pen.
With solid metal construction, three different club styles with different pen colors hidden inside the grips, and everything else you need to drive, chip, and putt around your desk, this set really provides great value. It even comes with realistic miniature golf balls and a pin/flag for the hole!
Another great game for those craving outdoor fun, this heavy-duty miniature tetherball game takes you right back to backyard or beach day fun. This kit contains a solidly-constructed metal tetherball pole, with a replica tetherball for table-top, finger-tip play.
This set is great because it is super easy to set up, well-made, fun to use, and only takes up a tiny little spot on your desk. Perfect for those with limited space who need to let off a little steam.
Always a crowd-pleaser, ping pong has been a staple of “tabletop” gaming for decades in the USA. This miniature kit makes it easy to set up a mini ping pong net anywhere, using two dowels, suction cups, and (of course) the net itself.
This kit also comes with two miniature paddles, a ping pong ball, and a miniature book to match, on the subject of ping pong. This is great for busting out to settle workplace disputes, or to kill some time and let off steam between meetings and calls.
For the arcade game lover, a high-quality miniature Skee-Ball game. This is the best mini Skee-Ball game we’ve found complete with light up scoreboard, and sound effects. The set itself is sturdy and utilizes little metal balls (like ball bearings) for consistent and accurate play.
This mini set is perfect to leave out on your desk or shelf, because it has that great retro arcade look and color scheme. Whether in play or just sitting, this game is sure to bring a smile to many faces.
Another great game for all ages, this fun mini bowling game would work on a desk, in a waiting room, or as a little travel game. The simple but solid construction means that this game will last, and put up with being knocked around quite a bit.
Complete with pins, balls, gutters, and a backstop, this set has everything you need to have a contained game of bowling right on your desk or table, without the fear of pieces going everywhere.
For a different bowling vibe, check out this funky Glow ‘n’ Bowl setup from RP Minis. This kit comes complete with glow-bowling ball, light up bowling lane, sound effects, and a miniature book detailing the rules and some fun trivia about “glow bowling.”
This mini bowling kit is perfectly playable, tiny enough to fit nearly any desk, and has a funky, retro style that is colorfully appealing. Disco ball? More like disco bowl!
This desktop strongman hammer game is a lot of fun, and well-made. The hammer and the platform are solid, able to withstand whack after whack. This makes for a great gag gift–especially for someone who is “too strong” or athletic for their desk job!
This fun kit comes with a full strongman hammer and bell game to test your strength, and a miniature book that points out the rules and some trivia around the strongman hammer test.
Our favorite miniature (desktop size) basketball hoop on the market today. For a great price you get a solidly constructed hoop and backboard, the full key with lines and scoring marks, and a metal ball launcher that performs consistently.
It also features a cool, modern style, and folds up to fit neatly into a small drawer or bag. This is one of the best mini basketball hoop sets you can find.
For those who crave some quiet relaxation in the outdoors, a beach-themed, sandbox-style Zen garden could be just the thing.
This fun kit comes with a stylish wooden “sandbox” container with rounded corners, a supply of sand, a Zen garden rake, and a number of fun beach items to place and rake around. Perfect for channeling your inner beach day, and finding your moment of Zen.
For when you really need to work out some aggression, this mini desktop punching bag and boxing mitts are the perfect desktop game. Strap on your mini boxing gloves and start working that heavy bag!
This fun set is perfect for anyone who needs to blow off some steam, or work out some aggression behind their desk. The set also comes with a miniature rule book to keep things in check. Work that jab!
Miniature Versions of Things make for great last-minute stocking-stuffer ideas! Check out the seven holiday-themed miniatures below for great stocking-stuffer ideas for all ages.
An iconic scene, for one of the most classic family Christmas movies out there. Bring back the nostalgia for A Christmas Story with this great model kit.
The classic holiday sitcom episode, immortalized as a miniature Festivus pole, complete with the ability to play Frank Costanza’s best Festivus quotes. “A Festivus… for the rest of us!”
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” is truly a timeless classic. Nothing better symbolizes or sums up the spirit of the story than the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Now you can enjoy the nostalgia and holiday cheer that come with this little tree that could!
A perfectly eccentric way to celebrate the holidays. A miniature, ceramic, glowing Christmas cactus! Perfect for celebrating in warmer climes, or for reminding yourself that warm weather really does exist… Depending where you are.
A throwback to the days of aluminum tinsel trees, this tiny little reflective tree, with accompanying multi-colored spotlight will sure to bring you back! A perfect way to spice up a small space with retro holiday cheer.
Spread the warmth of holiday cheer with this miniature fireplace that glows and crackles–just like the real thing–without, you know, the obvious fire hazards.
Humans love miniature things. We love things that are cute, intricate, delicate, detailed, and small. A lot of this relates to our underlying psychology, and explains why we think certain things are so cute.
This love of all things miniature has driven a surge in the creation of miniature products, of all kinds. This is nothing new, mind you. Dollhouses and other types of miniature replicas of people, animals, household items and more have been in use as toys or baubles for centuries. The biggest difference we see between then and now, is the selection of miniatures at our disposal.
Different Types of Miniatures
There are a number of different types of miniatures, that can be largely segmented by their function, or type of function. Some miniatures are meant to be working versions of the full-sized product, nearly fully-functioning. Others are merely miniature replicas made to resemble or commemorate the real object. Still others serve a different purpose entirely from the full-sized object they represent.
Some are meant as decor, others as miniature stand-ins for a full-sized product that just wouldn’t fit, and some are just meant as fun toys. These groups can cross over and intermingle, and it’s not uncommon to see a model city, trainset, or dollhouse utilize a combination of functioning and non-functioning miniatures in the same scene.
Fully- or Nearly Fully-Functioning Miniatures
Fully or nearly fully-functioning miniatures are a product class that has exploded in recent years. With the ability to shrink older technology to miniscule sizes, with relative ease, the ability to create functioning miniature products at a reasonable cost was created.
These functioning miniatures generally serve a similar purpose to the full-sized version, often with some modifications. This type of miniature spans all sizes, product types, and functions. From miniature smartphones to “pocket” motorcycles, enthusiasts and brands have learned to shrink the essential components of these products to make a useable (if slightly less powerful) version of a product.
Non-Functional Replicas
On the other end of the spectrum, are the non-functioning miniature replicas. It is, in fact, a spectrum, and some objects tend to fall in between. Things like toys and model cars that “work” if powered by someone’s hand are only partially functional. Other miniatures, like dollhouse decor, or ceramic figurines, don’t function as their full-sized counterparts do at all.
Non-functional replicas are often prized for their intricacy and attention to detail. The craftsmanship that goes into creating perfect replicas, on a miniscule scale, can be very impressive and come at a high cost. Humans are drawn to detail-rich areas, and complex miniature representations of normal objects scratch that psychological itch perfectly.
Separate Purpose Miniatures
In some cases, a miniature replica of an object can serve a purpose completely separate from the purpose the full-sized version would serve. These “separate purpose miniatures” are interesting for a number of reasons. Sometimes the true purpose of the item is concealed behind the guise of the miniature figurine or object–like a miniature golf club that conceals a ballpoint pen. Other times, the purpose of the item is built right into the appearance of the mini; like a makeup compact that looks like a tiny laptop.
Dual-Purpose Miniatures
A subset of these separate purpose miniatures, are the dual-purpose miniatures that serve the purpose they depict, as well as a secondary purpose. The golf club/ballpoint pen combo mentioned above actually fits this category. We’ve also seen small, functional objects–like manual pencil sharpeners–hidden within miniature replicas, like this slot machine.
Miniature Versions of Things
There are so many different “Miniature Versions of Things” out there these days, we may end up uncovering new categories of miniatures to feature here. As technology continues to shrink, the number of “retro” products that we can condense to keychain size is going to become staggering!
It’s a well-known phenomenon that people tend to think that itty-bitty, tiny, mini versions of things tend to be cuter than larger versions. People are undoubtedly drawn to things that are small. It permeates fashion, design, food, even pets. It creeps into our culture as slang–we all know that smol doggos are puppers–and as marketing fodder (from the Taco Bell dog to the Geico Gecko).
While countless studies are conducted every year to better understand the human mind, there is surprisingly little direct research on the science of “cute.” What we do know, is that humans think little things are cute, and are drawn to them in a number of ways (some more obvious than others).
Why We Think Mini Things are Cute
There are a few different reasons why we are drawn to small, cute things. They tend to fall into the following categories.
Humans are nurturers by nature
When humans come across small things, especially animals and other humans, our instinct to nurture and protect them immediately fires up. When we see a miniature creature, or an adorable figurine, we have similar responses in our brains. We want to bring that thing in close to us, and make sure that no harm befalls it. Our instinct and nature is to protect, nurture, and help things that are smaller and weaker than ourselves.
This instinct makes perfect sense–it’s what drives us to protect our own young, thus helping to propagate the species (a main evolutionary imperative). This instinct has been shown to “spill over” when other things or creatures display similar characteristics to our own young–rounded head, small size, relatively large eyes, for example. This explains why things like puppies and certain types of dolls tend to bring out a parental instinct in people. We are instinctively drawn to these features, with a need to care for them and treat them positively.
We are drawn to things that we know won’t hurt us
Another reason that humans tend to enjoy small versions of things, is that we know that they can’t hurt us. This can be traced back the evolutionary ladder, as a very sensible survival instinct.
Humans are, by nature, insatiably curious creatures. We seek out experience and information, and use it to better our lives. Being drawn to the smallest versions of things allows us to engage and discover, without the danger that could be inherent in approaching a full-sized version of that thing.
This could apply to nearly anything–climbing to the top of a full-sized tree to learn more about it is a dangerous undertaking but observing the growth of a sapling from the ground is a different story. Same with animals–or in the modern day, vehicles!
Humans enjoy the sense of control that small things give us
Humans crave control. We love to be able to manipulate and impact our environment. It’s one of the reasons why rearranging your furniture feels so liberating. It puts you in control and gives your a psychological boost.
Miniature versions of things make this feeling much more easily achievable. Doll house and model train enthusiasts certainly understand the thrill of creating, maintaining, and ultimately changing and updating a miniature environment. But you don’t need to go all in with a giant model city or home to get that same feeling. Mini kits to help us build models, bake cakes, or store our goodies, all allow us to feel control on a small scale, without the expense or time commitment that some other hobbies require.
We have a fascination and love for toys throughout our lives
Toy versions of things are often our first experience with an object. We play with toy trucks and kitchen appliances long before we come into contact with the real versions. We also tend to associate these toys with positive memories and experiences. After all, toys are meant to be fun.
As we get older, we are still drawn to “toy-like” things, and to the toys of our past. Many of these toys also play on our other instincts–utilizing all of the “cute” features that our nurturing selves are drawn to. Finally, we associate children’s toys with the children who use them, which fires up our instinct to nurture as well.
Miniatures pack information and stimulation into a small area
It’s the nature of human beings to seek out information and stimulation. We are consistently drawn to the most information-dense areas of artwork, webpages, etc. This principle is used to great effect in print and online design, but it far predates those fields.
Miniatures pack a lot of visual stimuli and information into a small area, which makes them inherently interesting. We want to hold them close and inspect them. We’ve seen this throughout history–indeed, we’ve seen this in artwork that predates written history!
This is not a trend
Although certain small items may in fact be “trendy” at any given time, the fascination with things in miniature is not a trend that will die out anytime soon.
From the enduring prevalence of dollhouses and model trains, to the timeless use of miniatures as children’s toys, to prehistoric sculptures of humans and creatures–this love for miniature versions of things has endured centuries, and with the ever-more impressive ways that technology is influencing us all, we’re sure to see more miniature versions of things that we never even considered possible!
Everybody loves miniature versions of things–you just need to find the right things!
Miniature Versions of Things 