Employee secretly gifts tiny stuffed animals to the whole office, coworker complains their privacy was invaded: 'Awesome pivot from the crabby coworker too!'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Dec 17, 2025 10:00 AM EST

Every office needs a little wholesomeness. You work so hard, you deserve a little treat every now and again. But there are no treats unless there are treat-givers, and we have to remind ourselves of that. Be the change you wish to see in the world. If you want to spice things up where you work, then it might be on you to do so. Maybe you hope it would be the job of someone else, but nobody might step up to the plate, so it's all you. 

That's what one employee decided to do when she saw a Black Friday sale for the perfect thing. She decided she would brighten her coworkers' days by handing out little stuffed animals one by one. Who doesn't love a little buddy to help you get through the day? Life is hard enough as it is. But she didn't want anyone finding out it was her, so she took pains to cover her tracks. But when one of her coworkers decided to be a negative nelly, she had a careful pivot. 

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  • A labubu toy sits on a shelf with books.
    via David Kristianto

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • So she took to the internet with her story, which it ate up with a spoon. Read on for all the details of this wholesome office story and let it inspire you to spread a little cheer in your office. You never know who might need it that day. Read on and see what you think. 

  • I'm the one secretly gifting coworkers...

    While I was browsing deals online shopping for black Friday, I happened to stumble onto bulk supplies of these adorable little stuffed animals. The advertisement showed them as great gift-bag stuffers for children. Super cute creatures, a wide variety of options from bear to frog to whale to lamb etc etc, they are small enough to hold in palm of your hand. I bought three packs, just over 100 creatures total.
    via u/HempBlonde
  • I spent the next few days secretly attaching an animal to random coworkers bags or jackets. When they would leave their desk, I'd casually stroll over and hang one from a button or zipper, go back to my own desk and add a checkmark to their name on an Excel sheet I put together, and giddely await their reaction when they discovered their gift.
    via u/HempBlonde
  • Worth every penny. Many of my coworkers, the women especially, would have especially delighted reactions, laughing and shouting. Word started getting around and I was barely working because I was so busy eavesdropping on their reactions as they run from coworker to coworker trying to figure out whom could be doing this. The running theory is that it is several people. It's not, just me :)
    via u/HempBlonde
  • As with every office, we have a Grinch, and our Grinch complained to management that she felt violated that someone touched her stuff (literally I just hang this off a zipper or button on their things) So our supervisor did a call-out saying they love the gifts but perhaps to be more weary about how to present them.
    via u/HempBlonde
  • So, over the next few days. I waited in office until everyone left, and I left the animals around the office with a note that says, "I'm lost! Please help me find my person (so and so)". I've put the animals in the Christmas tree, hanging from plants, in the coffee cup cupboard, off door handles, everywhere. Like an easter-egg hunt. I get delighted everytime I see someone walking around
    via u/HempBlonde
  • trying to find their stuffie and talk to whomever they come across sharing their theories with each other on figuring out who is doing this. Even the clerical department which usually tends to be more introverts are running around and joining the chat.
    via u/HempBlonde
  • Two people caught me in the act, but they have both promised to keep my secret. Otherwise, one of my managers has pointed at me a few times going "I know it's you!" But I deny it and I don't think she's 100% sure. I intend to keep this secret. This has been far too fun and I intend to do another similar thing at some point in future
    via u/HempBlonde
  • A piglet toy sits on folders in an office.
    via Teo Min

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Commenters applauded this sweet gesture.

    Riotgrl66 Very sweet of you! Be sure to gift yourself one to throw them off from thinking it's you.
    via u/Riotgrl66
  • Llamallover2018 I love this idea! So fun and cute, and adds a little magic to the office! This is right up my alley, so I'd love to do it for next year. Please share your tips! And where you got your animals!
    via u/Llamallover2018
  • SD18491 Well done, awesome pivot from the crabby coworker too!
    via u/SD18491
  • Warm-Day8313 I did the miniature duck thing..... got a 100 left them everywhere. On the sidewalk by the school, on the shelf in the grocery store, in business even a loaner car. It was so much fun. And every so often I would hear a towns person talking about there duck.
    via u/Warm-Day8313
  • CleverNickName-69 I used to work in an office of about 300 people. In the main hall next to the cafeteria was a vending machine for office supplies. You didn't put money in, you just entered your employee number so it could charge your business unit. Smaller items dropped
    via u/CleverNickName-69
  • down to a push window like a normal vending machine, but larger items were in another section with larger boxes and locking doors that opened and you could take what you needed and then log how many of those items you had taken.
    via u/CleverNickName-69
  • I realized that while you had the door open you could also put things IN the vending machine. I also realized that employee numbers were right there in the employee directory. I made plans and preparations.
    via u/CleverNickName-69
  • Early on the morning of April Fool's Day, I waited until the hall was empty then approached the vending machine and punched in credentials. Then opened one of the boxes and put 3 dozen 1-inch rubber duckies into it, logged out and walked away.
    via u/CleverNickName-69
  • They were quite popular and all of them had been taken from the machine before lunchtime. I spotted them in cubicles all around the office for years. If anyone was to do an investigation, it would most likely have been a task for the facilities manager, and she would have found that the culprit used her Employee number.
    via u/CleverNickName-69
  • I fully intended to do it again, but the next year 4/1 was on the weekend, and before the one after that, I had left.
    via u/CleverNickName-69
  • Ursweetvalentine That's super awesome! Happy you found a way to still play secret Santa in spite of the Grinch
    via u/Ursweetvalentine
  • guiltandgrief This is so sweet! I think I might do something similar to this, sorry OP, stealing your idea. About 6 years ago I was gifted a bag of 500 bouncy balls. I hid them all over the plant I work in and people are still finding them lol.
    via u/guiltandgrief
  • StrategyAncient6770 Aww, I love this.
    via u/StrategyAncient6770
  • 3X_Cat Give yourself one and make a big deal about it to throw people off your scent.
    via u/3X_Cat
  • Melodic-Yak7196 When I worked in an office, each year I'd buy a box of Valentine cards that kids give out at school. I would come in really early and put one on each coworker's desk. I gave myself a card as well to keep suspicions away from me. It was fun.
    via u/Melodic-Yak7196
  • Thoughtful-Pig I've been sick in bed feeling miserable for a whole week. Thanks for this lovely story and you did good evading the Grinch. You are a lovely human.
    via u/Thoughtful-Pig
  • CC-5-6 I work in such a small office and we have such a co- &$!#% worker that she literally snatched a previous holidays decorations down BEOFRE the holiday even ended (and she didn't pay for them!)
    via u/CC-5-6
  • dbmiller63 I would definitely be swamping the Karen with other things now, no stuffies for her anymore.
    via u/dbmiller63
  • celticcurl I go to a small music festival every year. There's a lot of people who are crafters who attend. Many of them spend months making small items usually attached to pegs (yes I know what the other pegging is!) and then wander around the festival randomly
    via u/celticcurl
  • attaching them to people's clothes, hats, and bags. Even the dogs are gifted them. There's always so much joy from recipients and post festival lots of Facebook post with photos of the items. A simple but lovely gesture.
    via u/celticcurl
  • I agree with others that you should definitely make sure you get gifted one to throw off the scent. Get the help of the 2 people who know it's you to spread speculation that it's the office grinch.
    via u/celticcurl

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wholesome office holiday employee work coworkers gift holidays
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