Baby chicks won't work either.

March 31, 2010 9:30 PM

What wonderful things for grownups can be hidden inside standard plastic Easter eggs?

A friend is working an overnight shift on Saturday before Easter. I have sparkly multicolored plastic eggs and she has a henhouse she visits every morning. I think there will need to be surprises waiting in her nest boxes Sunday morning. But I just gave her some chocolates for her birthday so what other fun stuff can I put in the eggs? Jelly beans are meh. Peeps are ick. Gimme some of that askme magic.

posted by Lou Stuells to grab bag (24 answers total)

Oh and they need to be reasonably accessible from local retail, I can't be doing thinkgeek orders or something between now and then.
posted by Lou Stuells at 9:34 PM on March 31, 2010

A few good ideas [though for another holiday] in this advent calendar thread and this one before it.
posted by jessamyn at 9:34 PM on March 31, 2010

Trail mix? Nuts--roasted or salted or seasoned or mixed or plain? Ranch oyster crackers? Gummy things (bears, worms, coke bottles, etc)?
posted by sallybrown at 9:38 PM on March 31, 2010

panties.
posted by mmascolino at 9:41 PM on March 31, 2010 [3 favorites]

Awesome wind-up toys still make me happy. Or silly putty. Or a tiny strong flashlight. Or a mini Leatherman. Or bath salts. Or fuzzy stickers to put on letters I send. I am, as it turns out, easily amused. There's an old-fashioned toy store hear me that has bins and bins of tiny things like that- maybe there's one near you, too?

Regardless, you should fill one of those things with some Cadbury Mini-Eggs even if you already gave her chocolate earlier- those things are, hands-down, the best widely-available Easter candy.
posted by charmedimsure at 9:42 PM on March 31, 2010 [1 favorite]

Depending on the size of your eggs, mini bottles of booze. Money. Recreational drugs. Lottery tickets (scratch offs, perhaps). USB drives full of pornography music and movies.
posted by Netzapper at 9:45 PM on March 31, 2010 [2 favorites]

I like the lottery tickets idea. There may even be some Spring/bunny/chick themed scratch-off.
posted by amro at 9:52 PM on March 31, 2010

Rolled up movie tickets, amazon gift certificate, homemade coupons for ways you'd be willing to help out in life, notes about things that are awesome about her...and...condoms?
posted by whimsicalnymph at 9:52 PM on March 31, 2010

Origami or the old standby vouchers for favors from you.
posted by oddman at 9:52 PM on March 31, 2010

Hmm, would depend on the friend's tastes, but maybe some speciality teas/teabags? You can get fancy/tasteful ones too - I think they're called pyramid tea.

That or maybe coffee? Could wrap them or leave them loose, and simply write the brand on the side of the egg. Enough for a cup maybe... that way she could open one of your eggs every morning, when she's making the real eggs for breakfast.
posted by Arandia at 10:00 PM on March 31, 2010

Depending on the size of the eggs, you could use puzzle pieces, teeny bottles of bubbles, fridge magnets, tea lights, cool office/craft supplies, travel size toiletries, lip balm, earrings, packets of flower seeds, hair clips, or nail polish. Take an egg with you to the store to make sure things will fit.

One thing--my experience taking care of chickens has taught me that the creatures will shit ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE, including in their nests, so for the edible stuff, you may want to make sure it's wrapped up really well. Really, really well. Though I understand that many people are less squeamish than I.

Fantastic idea, btw.
posted by corey flood at 10:05 PM on March 31, 2010

Macadamia nuts; hell, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.

Wasabi peas.

Dried cuttlefish.
posted by motown missile at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2010

Wonka makes an easter version of these.

OH MY GOD.

They are far from meh, as your initial judgement of jelly beans was.

Seek them out. Thank me later.
posted by R a c h e l at 11:02 PM on March 31, 2010

batteries
posted by rebent at 11:25 PM on March 31, 2010 [1 favorite]

a list of tiny things

cute little Easter socks

fun bracelets or scarves

lip balm

gum

cat toys

if you have candy molds, you could melt soap and pour it into cute candy mold shapes

lovely little handkerchief

tickets to something

poems. I think haiku would be especially appropriate

marbles

bath salts, especially if you can fit one of those fizzy bath bombs inside

unpopped popcorn (probably safest in a little bag inside the egg)

encouraging words

a spare key to something (your house? As a gesture of friendship and trust?)

wildflower seeds. If there's an area she can seed for a butterfly garden, dill or fennel seeds can be had very cheaply at the grocery store.

tea leaves or bags

shoe decorations

keychain

check REI or similar store for cool & tiny camping supplies

seashell or other pretty polished rock (check a nice toy store for these)

tiny wind-up toy - check the toy store again

eraser

pencil sharpener (for eye pencil or normal pencil)

fortune, as from a fortune cookie

a single tarot card, folded up

a tiny photo
posted by amtho at 11:40 PM on March 31, 2010 [3 favorites]

usb flash drive with some awesome songs on it.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:22 AM on April 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Check the dollar spot at Target - they had mini slinkies earlier tonight. Don't know if you could fit one in an egg but SLINKIES ARE AWESOME. There should also be some other small stuff in that area (usually located by one of the front doors.)

Also, maybe some plastic army guys and a yo-yo.


Joann's crafts also has a cheapy section by the cash registers...sometimes there is fun stuff there.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:28 AM on April 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

I second the comment that chickens crap everywhere.

I would recommend that you put anything and everything you put into the eggs in plastic beforehand. I also wouldn't suggest food -- unless you put a little basket with food items *outside* the chicken house and the plastic eggs with non-food things inside. Ideally your plastic eggs won't be laying around the chicken house long enough for the chickens to decide to crap upon them in large volumes.

How about coffee and croissant in a basket outside -- and stuff you can buy from the grocery store coin machines inside the eggs? There is a machine at my grocery store that vends $0.50 facial hair. Silly, yes -- but a lot of fun to give as a gift -- the gift of cheap fake moustaches and sideburns.

Also stick in a couple of hand wipes in the food basket. Your friend will appreciate the thoughtfulness if there are food items AND a way to wash/wipe off chicken scum if she can't wash her hands near the egg gathering area. Farms often don't have sinks in helpful places -- particularly in winter.
posted by countrymod at 6:11 AM on April 1, 2010

Oh also -- you're going to need to move fast or go while it's dark out or those chickens will be out the door basking in the daylight with no hopes of herding them back in. Chickens move fast.
posted by countrymod at 6:17 AM on April 1, 2010

condoms, travel size hand sanitizer, gum, money, booze, powdered energy drink mix from the vitamin aisle at rite-aid, booze, bubble bath, teabags, eye drops, generic buttons that can be used to fix clothing that buttons fall off of, a weekly transit pass, tickets to a show, lip balm, tampons, nail polish, vitamins, claratin, a keychain, pain relievers, candied nuts, non-pareils, a picture, pushpins, safety pins, bobby pins, hair ties, eye shaddow, a letter
posted by WeekendJen at 8:41 AM on April 1, 2010

You are all wonderful :) The advent calendar threads - *slaps forehead* of course!! Brilliant!

I will creep in the dead of night. I'll bring the girls some cabbage anyway, they love that. Noting well the poop caveat - these eggs snap together pretty tight but anything edible would be wrapped. And crap now I need to find those nerds jelly beans....!
posted by Lou Stuells at 9:01 AM on April 1, 2010

JEWELRY!
posted by Lynsey at 9:34 AM on April 1, 2010

Jello Shots?
posted by mincus at 12:55 PM on April 1, 2010

Put a fox in her henhouse.
posted by acorncup at 9:09 PM on April 2, 2010