Zonk prize ideas: funny booby prizes for games, raffles, and parties
Felix Vemmer
Gift guide editor at Gift Ideas AI
Updated · Reviewed
Zonk prizes for game nights, office parties, church fundraisers, and raffles: classic joke prizes, $0 DIY zonks, funny prizes people still keep, last-place trophies, and how to run zonks so everyone laughs.
Short answer
- Best fit
- Mix a few classic zonks in with the real prizes: a screaming rubber chicken, a jumbo pencil, a potato with a bow, a last-place medal, or a big box with something tiny inside. Add one or two 'good zonks' people secretly want, like the BS button or a Bob Ross Chia Pet.
- Think twice
- Skip zonks that embarrass the winner, adult humor at work, church, or family events, food some guests cannot eat, and anything that turns into real trash the moment it is opened.
- Budget
- Most zonks cost $0-$10. DIY zonks from around the house are free. A 'good zonk' that still gets used runs $9-$23.
- Why it works
- A zonk is about the moment of the reveal, not the object. The best ones get a big laugh, and the very best ones still go home with someone.
What is a zonk?
The word comes from the TV game show Let's Make a Deal, where contestants trade a sure prize for a mystery behind a door or in a box. Sometimes the mystery is a car; sometimes it is a "zonk": a goat, a giant rubber duck, or a pile of junk. At parties, raffles, and office games, a zonk is the joke prize mixed in with the real ones, so every reveal is a gamble.
Zonks work in prize-pick games, game show nights, raffles and door prizes, white elephant swaps, school and church fundraisers, and family reunion games.
Classic joke zonk
A rubber chicken, a jumbo pencil, or joke toilet paper. Cheap, loud, instantly funny.
Free DIY zonk
A potato with a bow, a single sock, a brick, or a box of "air". Costs nothing.
Good zonk
Funny, but people want it: a BS button, a Bob Ross Chia Pet, a novelty desk gadget.
Last-place award
A loser medal or a tiny trophy for the worst score of the night.
Decoy box
A huge box with a tiny prize inside, or a box inside a box inside a box.
Zonk with a twist
A zonk that hides a small real prize, like a gift card taped inside a potato bag.
Quick picks
- Best for
- The classic zonk: loud, silly, and instantly recognized.
- Budget
- About $8
- Watch out for
- Very loud; maybe not for a quiet office.
- Best for
- School fundraisers, teacher events, and office games.
- Budget
- About $7
- Watch out for
- A prop; it does not write well.
- Best for
- The worst score of the game night or tournament.
- Budget
- About $7
- Watch out for
- Give it to someone who can laugh at themselves.
- Best for
- A "cash prize" zonk at a raffle or money game.
- Budget
- About $10
- Watch out for
- Bathroom humor; check the crowd first.
- Best for
- A good zonk for office parties and friend groups.
- Budget
- About $9
- Watch out for
- The button says the word out loud; not for kids or church events.
- Best for
- A zonk people fight over at the end of the night.
- Budget
- About $23
- Watch out for
- Pricier than most zonks; save it for the grand zonk.
- Best for
- Office games and white elephant style zonks.
- Budget
- About $12
- Watch out for
- Cheeky humor; skip it for school or church events.
- Best for
- The free classic: wrap it like a real prize.
- Budget
- $0-$1
- Watch out for
- Use a real bow and nice paper; the contrast is the joke.
| Gift | Best for | Budget | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screaming rubber chicken | The classic zonk: loud, silly, and instantly recognized. | About $8 | Very loud; maybe not for a quiet office. |
| Jumbo novelty pencil | School fundraisers, teacher events, and office games. | About $7 | A prop; it does not write well. |
| Last-place toilet seat medal | The worst score of the game night or tournament. | About $7 | Give it to someone who can laugh at themselves. |
| $100 bill joke toilet paper | A "cash prize" zonk at a raffle or money game. | About $10 | Bathroom humor; check the crowd first. |
| The Official BS Button | A good zonk for office parties and friend groups. | About $9 | The button says the word out loud; not for kids or church events. |
| Chia Pet Bob Ross | A zonk people fight over at the end of the night. | About $23 | Pricier than most zonks; save it for the grand zonk. |
| Butt tape dispenser | Office games and white elephant style zonks. | About $12 | Cheeky humor; skip it for school or church events. |
| A potato with a bow | The free classic: wrap it like a real prize. | $0-$1 | Use a real bow and nice paper; the contrast is the joke. |
Shoppable picks to use first
The best zonks get a laugh when they are opened and still go home with someone. These are funny enough to count as zonks and useful or charming enough that people trade for them. Prices change often, so check the live listing before you order.
The Official BS Button
Bullshit Button – The Official Hilarious BS Button with Sound Effects & Flashing Light – Perfect Gag Gift for Friends, Family, and Co-workers - Batteries Included
Press it and it calls out the nonsense with a flashing light. It is cheap, instantly funny when opened, and lives on a desk afterward.
- Best for
- Office parties, friend game nights, and anyone who sits in a lot of meetings.
- Personalization
- Tape a note to it with the name of the meeting it is meant for.
- Avoid if
- Kids are playing, it is a church or school event, or the crowd does not enjoy mild swearing.
Chia Pet Bob Ross
Chia Pet Bob Ross with Seed Pack, Decorative Pottery Planter, Easy to Do and Fun to Grow, Novelty Gift, Perfect for Any Occasion
It looks like a pure joke, but it actually grows, and people end up competing to take it home.
- Best for
- The grand zonk of the night, or a raffle where the joke prize should still be wanted.
- Personalization
- Add a note with a Bob Ross quote about happy little accidents.
- Avoid if
- Your zonks are meant to be $5 throwaways; it costs more than most.
The Butt Office Supply Station
The Butt Tape Dispenser – Funny Gifts for Men – Weird Stuff, Desk Accessories for Men - Novelty, Fun Office Supplies Gag Gifts for Men - Teacher Gifts Boss Gifts for Men - Going Away Gift for Coworker
It is a real, working tape dispenser shaped like a cartoon backside, so it gets a laugh and then gets used.
- Best for
- Office prize games and coworkers with a sense of humor.
- Personalization
- Wrap it in an oversized box so the reveal takes a while.
- Avoid if
- The event includes kids, a conservative crowd, or a manager who will not find it funny.
How to run zonks so everyone laughs
- Keep the ratio low. About one zonk for every three or four real prizes. Enough to keep people guessing, not so many that the game feels rigged.
- Wrap everything the same. Same paper, same bows, similar sizes. The surprise is the point.
- Use decoy sizes. Put a small real prize in a huge box and a zonk in a nice small box.
- Offer a way out. A swap round at the end, where zonk winners can trade or roll a die for a second chance, keeps it friendly.
- Hide a small real prize in one zonk. A $5 gift card taped inside a bag of rocks gets the biggest laugh of the night.
Free DIY zonk ideas
You do not need to buy zonks. These cost nothing and work just as well, as long as they are wrapped nicely:
- A single potato, onion, or lemon with a big bow.
- One sock, a single shoe insole, or a lone glove.
- An empty box labeled "air", or a box inside a box inside a box.
- A brick or a bag of rocks (tell people to lift with their knees).
- A coupon for "one free hug" or "one hour of me doing nothing".
- A used book of crossword puzzles with every puzzle already solved.
What to skip
Before you wrap it
Worth it when
- It is funny without making the winner the joke.
- It suits the crowd: office, church, school, family, or friends.
- It costs little, or it is a good zonk someone will happily keep.
Skip it when
- It mocks age, weight, looks, religion, or anyone in the room.
- It is adult humor at an event with kids, coworkers, or a church group.
- It is open food, a live animal, or something messy that people have to throw away on the spot.
Zonks are meant to be shared jokes. If you would not want to open it yourself in front of the whole room, do not wrap it. At work and at school or church fundraisers, keep it to classic silly prizes like rubber chickens and jumbo pencils.
Common questions
More gift guides
- Raffle prize ideas
- White elephant and Yankee swap gift ideas
- Secret Santa gift ideas
- Coworker gift ideas
Need real prizes to mix in with the zonks? The AI gift generator for gifts under $25 suggests ideas for a crowd.
Need real prizes for the game too?
Tell the gift finder who is playing and your budget, and get prize ideas that go with the zonks.
