Desk Trinket Friday: Adorable & Dangerous

I’ve decided to turn this week’s entry of Desk Trinket Friday on myself. All these weeks, I allowed other trinkets to take the spotlight while my favorite trinket sat idly by.

Meet Charles. Charles is a plastic pig that I bought during a recent trip to the Poconos, but don’t be fooled by his cheery disposition. Charles is also a killing machine.

iPhone photo of toy pig.

Height: 5″
Weight: 3oz
Skin Color: Pink
Eyes: Dots
Skilled At: Shooting squishy green balls out of his face.

iPhone photo of toy pig.

You might think it’s inappropriate to keep such a lethal weapon in a workplace, but trust me, it’s needed. Here at Bigstock, we work in a world where nearly everyone possesses a Nerf gun, or has at least been shot by one. Some call it “team building” fun. I call it a game of survival.

iPhone photo of toy pig.

I think we can all agree that pigs are wonderful, safety in the workplace is vital, and that Charles is the best desk trinket ever. Thank you for your time.

Desk Trinket Friday: Trinkets Take Alaska

Our Desk Trinket Friday phenomenon has officially become bi-coastal, as one of Bigstock’s own ventures into an Alaskan town.

Yes, our Marketing & Partnership Manager, Jon is traveling this week throughout the fine state of Alaska, and it would seem that everywhere he turns, he comes face-to-trinket with an oddity that demands attention.

A stranger. In a strange land. With strange trinkets staring at him from nearly every direction. What’s a guy to do?

This is where I come in. AHEM! As Community Manager, I must sort out the curious from the collectible. The magical from the mundane. The trinkets from the toys. I promptly ask Jon to send me photos of these trinkets for my expert analysis. Upon inspection of these photos, I can confirm that portions of Alaska are a trinket goldmine, some even with real gold. I must decide … which trinket should Jon choose?

The little bottle of 24 Carat Gold?

Photo of trinket small jar of gold.

The Moosehead stand for a mobile device?

Photo of trinket moosehead for mobile device

The … um … Forget-Me-Not Flowering Moose Nuggets?

Photo of Trinket Moose Flower Forget-Me-Not

Nay, my vote is for this little lady. She’s a pin! She’s an action figure! She’s a good luck charm! And, clearly, she’s a fashionista. How can you go wrong with this trinket?

Photo of Desk Trinket Alaskan Eskimo Pin

Thank you, Jon, for taking time from your trip to share your good fortune of Trinket discovery. If anyone out there has any trinkets worth sharing – let’s see ‘em!

And, follow us on Twitter and Facebook too so you never miss a minute of Bigstockian fun. Thanks!

The Most Surprising Desk Trinket Friday Yet!

Friends, thank you for joining me on another exciting installment of Desk Trinket Friday, the only weekly blogpost that asks the burning question, “What is that piece of junk doing on your desk?”

This week’s trinket is a trinket in a disguise. A trinket within a trinket, if you will. Erin, our beloved UX Designer, keeps this yellow egg handy. But why? What secrets does this egg hold? What is Erin hiding from us?

Because I’m awesome, I decided to investigate the mystery. Using all of my Journalistic know-how (I watch a lot of TMZ), I began my series of intense questioning to get to the bottom, or rather, to the inside of this egg.

iPhone photo of yellow Kinder Surprise egg

Me: Erin, what’s that?

Erin: It’s an egg.

Me: And, what’s inside the egg, Erin? (Getting louder.) What sort of SECRET are you hiding from ALL of us?

Erin: Brian, seriously, I’m busy.

Me: No, Erin. My readers expect me to get to the bottom of things. I shan’t let them down!

Erin: Shan’t? Fine. There’s a truck inside the egg.

Me: I see. A truck. Okaaaaaaaaay.

Erin: It was a gift from my boyfriend, that he got for free inside a piece of chocolate candy.

Me: (rolls eyes)

Erin: Did you just roll your eyes?

Me: No.

Erin: Look, I like the truck, okay? I like to run it in my hand during meetings. It’s sort of an alternative stressball.

iPhone photo of Kinder Surprise Toy Egg

I then inspect the egg and the truck. (A Community Manager’s work is never done.) I can report that the truck does have a soothing effect. I thank Erin for her cooperation in my investigation, and compile my report. The report you’ve now read, basically.

Happy Desk Trinket Friday, everyone!
Let’s see YOUR trinkets! Please post them below!

Desk Trinket Friday, Part 5: The Secret of the Ladybug

You didn’t think we forgot about Desk Trinket Friday, did you?

As Community Manager of a company as creative as Bigstock, you may think it’s easy to find worthy Desk Trinkets to blog about every Friday. On the contrary, it’s quite challenging. Now that Desk Trinket Friday is a tradition (thank you), it has only upped the stakes in finding those trinkets of only the highest utmost quality.

Many an hour I have roamed our office … rummaging through people’s desks … searching for that certain something that only few trinkets truly possess. Searching for a trinket that captures your eye and imagination. Searching for a trinket that makes other trinkets look like paltry collectibles. Searching for a trinket thaaa….

“My ladybug,” proclaimed Kiran, our PHP Engineer, from two cubicles yonder.

“Yes?” I responded. (I’ve been called similar nicknames in the past, but that’s a different blog entry.)

“Use my ladybug as the Desk Trinket,” Kiran clarified, as he held up a red and black object in both hands.

Photo of Ladybug Desk Trinket

The ladybug, admittedly, appears to have seen better days. It’s not quite a Beanie Baby, not quite a stuffed animal. And it could probably use some quality time with a lint roller. But still, I thought, this must be of some value to Kiran, so let’s proceed.

The more I looked at this ladybug thing, I was reminded of all the good that real ladybugs do. Farmers love ladybugs, for instance, as the beautiful ladybug consumes plant-eating insects, such as aphids, and in doing so, ladybugs help to protect crops. They are pretty and purposeful, I considered, and yes, this faux-ladybug is certainly worthy of the coveted title “the Desk Trinket entry for Friday, June 22nd.”

Photo of Ladybug Desk Trinket

I then asked Kiran to tell me the sentimental story that surely must accompany this magnificent specimen.

“No story,” he said. “I just found it in my desk when I started working here.”

Awesome.

Like I said, it ain’t easy finding these desk trinkets. Please, I beg of you, send us some pics of yours!

Pack Up the Truck, It's Desk Trinket Friday!

When is a Desk Trinket more than a Desk Trinket? When the Desk Trinket is a peace offering gift.

Our beloved Bigstock Account Executive, Erick Casanova -his real name- has this tiny ceramic truck placed proudly on his desk. The truck was a gift, following the initial differences that occurred when two coworkers from different South American countries stopped being polite … and started getting real. (Okay fine, it wasn’t that dramatic, I’m just a fan of The Real World.)

photo of desk trinket truck

Desk Trinket Friday Truck photo ©MazelTov

“This little truck was a gift from a coworker,” Erick explains. “We had some disagreements when we first started working together that maybe stemmed from where we’re from. I’m from Peru and my coworker was from Colombia, so there was some cultural pride on both sides that may have clashed. After we patched things up, he gave me this truck, which was a very sweet gesture and I’ve kept it displayed ever since.”

And what did Erick give his coworker in return? “Ummm,” Erick said, taking a moment. “My friendship?”

Anyway, the small but hefty truck is an explosion of color and culture (note the detailed vegetables on the roof, along with a ‘live’ chicken). It’s also a personal symbol of friendship and a most-worthy entry for Desk Trinket Friday.

Have a Desk Trinket you’d like to share a photo of? Does it have special meaning to you? Please share it below and, in the mean time, ¡Buenos días!