November 29, 2004

10:41 AM

It's time again for my family to engage in the dreaded tradition of the 20 Questions gift (you can find my post about it last year here). Last year my mother guessed her gift in about 5 turns, so this year I'm DETERMINED to destroy her. Anyone have any good suggestions?
posted by emptybowl to (33 comments total)

Try an uncommon gift, something not found in a local department store holiday display. I've found plasma to be rather short-lived but NEVER expected.
posted by omidius at 10:49 AM on November 29, 2004

emptybowl, if we post our suggestions in this thread, what's to stop your kinfolk from reading the replies? That's what your mother may have done last year. To make matters worse, it's probably too late to resubmit a reworded query anonymously.

The best alternative might be to get together with some of her friends and associates, and find something along the lines of their suggestions, but with a decidedly offbeat (yet tasteful) twist.

But to be a good sport, I'm emailling you a suggestion.
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:57 AM on November 29, 2004

emptybowl: what did you get her last year?
posted by caddis at 11:01 AM on November 29, 2004

An oddly-shaped menorah.

A haggis.
posted by bonaldi at 11:02 AM on November 29, 2004

A bunch of paperclips in a plastic bag.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 11:07 AM on November 29, 2004

Mom knows nothing of Metafilter, and she's the only person I'm buying one for, so feel safe to post away here.
posted by emptybowl at 11:10 AM on November 29, 2004

Not that the following specific examples will help with your problem, but the technique may. I find the best twenty-questions topics are the ones that play some sort of pun on common questions. One of my all-time favorites (which is absolutely inappropriate for a gift for your mother) is semen, since I find that the questions "is it man-made?", "does it move?", and "is it alive?" are quite common.

Think of the questions she usually asks. Think of an answer to one of those questions that would be a "trick" answer. Omidius' example of plasma is a good one because it exploits the solid/liquid/gas questions.
posted by Plutor at 11:12 AM on November 29, 2004

...feel safe to post away here.

Okay. (For those of you who were wondering, my message to emptybowl was to consider licorice coal, as well as some chocolate million dollar bills.)
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:17 AM on November 29, 2004

A glossy photograph of Sebastian Cabot.
"Just Farr Fun," the autobiograhy of Jamie Farr.
posted by argybarg at 11:25 AM on November 29, 2004

Turn the tables.

(or, in other clicking around ThinkGeek, the Utili-Key may do the trick.)
posted by Vidiot at 11:27 AM on November 29, 2004

I would never guess that this is a candle holder.
posted by caddis at 11:27 AM on November 29, 2004

a big stick and a box of eggs, which is what my mother asks for every year (and I may just get her, one day).

Failing that , if she's unaware of metafilter, that could mean she's unaware of the many subcultures that decorate our landscape like christmas lights on a moebius strip - so get her something from one of those, like Furry art or something.
posted by Sparx at 11:35 AM on November 29, 2004

Wind-up hopping lederhosen? The Pig Catapult? Smittens? A flamingo hat? Some really big underpants?
posted by Vidiot at 11:36 AM on November 29, 2004

Here's the rules for the 20 Questions gift that I posted last year:

"The 20 Questions Gift is a small gift wrapped in tissue paper, usually worth no more that $5-10. The object is to guess what the gift is based only on touch and the answers to Yes or No questions."

So, gifts that work well are oddly unique in both function and shape/feel. Vidiot's two suggestions are great. Too bad the "Turn the tables" one is sold out, or I'd totally get it.
posted by emptybowl at 11:38 AM on November 29, 2004

No specific recommendations, but you may want to keep an eye on Who Would Buy That?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:15 PM on November 29, 2004

The most expensive obscure canned vegetable/soup you can find at the supermarket.
posted by smackfu at 12:42 PM on November 29, 2004

There are wonderfully odd items for sale in agricultural supply catalogs. Try Nasco especially the artificial insemination category, or the gifts, toys and collectibles section.
posted by argybarg at 12:48 PM on November 29, 2004

Octodog?
posted by rafter at 1:03 PM on November 29, 2004

Octodog?

Considered it last year, but a little too expensive for something she'll never ever use.
posted by emptybowl at 1:09 PM on November 29, 2004

Simply put, rafter: that is awesome.
posted by graventy at 1:32 PM on November 29, 2004

Easy.

1. Figure out your price range.
2. Open a book at random, pick out the first word you see.
3. Search eBay for that word.
4. Align the matches with your price range.
posted by Alt F4 at 1:50 PM on November 29, 2004

A baseball card.
posted by kenko at 1:58 PM on November 29, 2004

How about those Russian doll-within-a-dolls (matryoshka).
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:54 PM on November 29, 2004

The LeeValley Catalog has provided some winners for my mom. I would be surprised if she could guess a victorian cloche, a rooter pot, or a flower aquarium.
posted by roboto at 2:55 PM on November 29, 2004

Ebola
posted by coriolisdave at 3:28 PM on November 29, 2004

Oh oh oh I got one!

20q - Pocket Mind Reader

It's over $10 ($19.99 to be exact), but I bet she won't guess Twenty Questions itself!
posted by christin at 4:12 PM on November 29, 2004

Oh, check in American Science and Surplus too.
posted by kenko at 4:19 PM on November 29, 2004

You could get a mystery box; then not even you would know what you got her.
posted by kenko at 4:19 PM on November 29, 2004

A metafilter account.
posted by Wet Spot at 7:52 PM on November 29, 2004

Aerogel.
posted by keep the aspidistra flying at 8:44 PM on November 29, 2004

crap in a box.
posted by jackofsaxons at 10:52 PM on November 29, 2004

A charity goat. From heifer.org.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:30 PM on November 29, 2004

Some Australian 'bush spices'.
posted by misteraitch at 1:30 AM on November 30, 2004