For all intents and purposes, I am an adult. I have a job that while not at the top of the food chain comes with real responsibilities – I’ve managed million dollar projects, worked with the media and our legal counsel and am a supervisor to numerous people. I’d like to think that I do good work and get things done. My office, however, definitely reflects my out-of-the-workplace personality and is littered with all sorts of pop culture items. I figure if I’m going to spend as much time in my office as I currently do, it might as well be a place that I moderately enjoy being in. I have no control over the paint or a lot of the furniture, but I can at least add some things that make me smile when I’m stuck editing a 350 page report. Plus some of these items – particularly the Bobblehead Army – have been real conversation starters with co-workers and others visiting the office (especially kids). So all my pop culture tchotchkes actually do serve some purpose. Here’s a quick tour of the current collection:
New York Sock Monkey:
I have a weird affinity for sock monkeys; I can’t explain it and I don’t know where it originated from. But I just think that they are super cute. I liked his little New York hoodie, given how much I love my trips to the city.
The Minions:
These are all from McDonald’s Happy Meals, which means that as a person in my thirties I made the decision to order one of these simply for the toy. I am completely comfortable with this. All three of them are capable of making noise, but sadly none of them are the Minion that sounds like he is swearing. That one would have come in handy.
Breaking Bad/football:
Honestly, no desk is complete without its own Los Pollos Hermanos fry batter tub (complete with “blue meth” candy that I refuse to eat since I ordered this online). Both the Bills helmet and the Cowboys mini-shot glass were gifts that were retrieved from those little vending machines in grocery stores. While I am a Bills fan, I also have a certain fondness for the current Cowboys QB, so both get displayed on my desk.
Littlefinger:
It’s no secret that my favorite character on Game of Thrones is Petyr Baelish aka Littlefinger. I respect his ability to manipulate people to his advantage and use his cunning mind to make up for his lack of strength or well-bred background. Some days the office feels like an episode of GoT, so his presence on my desk feels very appropriate.
LEGO mini-figs:
You can’t really go wrong with the trio of Ron Burgundy (Anchorman), Omar (The Wire) and Walter White (Breaking Bad). My only issue with them is that they are easy to knock over, so I spend a fair amount of time setting them back in their proper position.
Groot:
As soon as I saw Guardians of the Galaxy, I immediately ordered this Funko Pop figure of dancing baby Groot. I was right to do so, as these babies sold out almost immediately and were impossible to find. I could have resold mine for a nice chunk of change on eBay, but I decided I liked it so much that it was worth keeping it.
Animal and Peeps Yankee:
The Animal figure is pretty self-explanatory – I love the Muppets and Animal is my favorite of the major characters. I spent a lot of time looking for this guy – I wanted an Animal figure that wasn’t super expensive, which was a surprisingly hard combination to come by. I wound up finding him in the Disney Store in Times Square; he came in a set with Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo, so I have options if I’d like to rotate Muppet characters. The Peeps Yankee was a giveaway at Yankee Stadium. It’s a weird combination – a plastic replica of a marshmallow peep inexplicably in a Yankee uniform – but I found it oddly hysterical. I didn’t even go to the game where this was a giveaway, but rather bought it online. This is probably exhibit A of why I shouldn’t be allowed on eBay.
Cosmo Kramer:
This is the newest addition to the collections; I received it this year from my brother for my birthday. When I suggested it, I had no idea that this thing would be quite as big as it turned out to be, so it kind of towers over the rest of the items. Funko unveiled a Seinfeld collection earlier this year, but Kramer was the only member of the main cast that was made into a figure. I did consider asking for George Costanza (including a Festivus pole) or Puddy, but ultimately decided Kramer was the way to go.
The Bobblehead Army:
https://instagram.com/p/5HrF6syjB_/
I’ve slowed down in my collection of bobbleheads, mostly because I’ve run out of room to display them. I’ve told my boss that we either need to move me to a bigger office or buy me a display cabinet specifically for my collection, but so far all he does is laugh at me (he seems to do that a lot). Still, this is what catches most people’s attention when they visit my office, though I’m always annoyed when people (usually men) ask if that is my collection. Ummm…..it’s my office. Who else would it belong to?
So there you have it……a little bit of pop culture fun to liven up the monotony of office life. I don’t have a ton of space left to expand, though I do have my eye on a couple of other LEGO minifigs that wouldn’t add too much more clutter. Do you have any fun pop culture items in your office/cubicle? Share with us in the comments below.
As Heather's World Turns 