Shit. I’m gonna bookmark this thread so that the next time someone tells me I think too much of myself, I can give them a reference point.
I don’t have a desk at work-but I do have several of the afore-mentioned dolls on my desk at home-two from Titanic, one of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, one of Princess Leia, and as I described earlier, Obi-Wan and Boga the lizard mount.
My boss has a copy of “Why Do Men Have Nipples” on his desk. He also has an eyebrow piercing.
And yes, Jodi has always rocked.
I’m confused over how and why dinosaurs and gorillas are more acceptable than bears. Stuffed dinosaurs and gorillas are just as cute as stuffed bears (often cuter), and real bears are just as dangerous as real dinosaurs (if they still existed) and gorillas.
As for stuffed animals, I have at my desk at work a bear and a chicken, both of which were handed out company-wide for some incentive program or other, as was the plastic jumpy-frog. The personal toys I keep at work are a purple and black beetle and The Magic 8 Ball, upon which I base all work-related decisions. 
The stuffed bear is pretty damn ugly, by the way. But the chicken and the beetle are cute.
FWIW…
*takes a moment to watch the topic sink into the sunset-lit ocean"
The decoration in the lobby/reception area of my office (1) consists of a “Holiday Tree”(2) and a stuffed Shrek.(3)
One employee is also known to have this fuzzy thing that makes noise(4) when you squeeze its foot. Since she’s the quiet type that will one day go all postal on us we don’t talk about her much. She talks to a lot of children so we cut her some slack, but some day we’re going to cut the goddamn leg off that goddamn fuzzy thing.
Personally, my desk decoration leans towards Impressionism. Impressionist artists don’t make noise. I like them.
(1) I work in a touchy-feel-good-social-work-type field
(2) As of today it’s a combination of that stupid hearts shit and Championship League team shields. Tomorrow the hearts shite goes down to be replaced by beer and shamrocks.
(3) We get kids, ok? Get off my back. We also divide our desk candy into hard (chokes kids) and regular (doesn’t choke kids). The temptation to switch IS VERY HIGH.
(4) MAHNAMAHNA
My Alternators Autobots preserve and protect my desk. All four of them. They also serve as valued distractions away from the computer equipment during Take Your Child To Work Day.
Trust me. It’s saved the company millions.
noongog, I once got hired for a newly-created position. It was a double position: weekend-shift lab tech. Two shifts, therefore two new lab people.
My coworker thought I was unprofessional and stereotype-perpetuating for answering “darling” to the 50-yo male coworker who called me “honey”. She was terribly offended when one day we went to the Maintenance Workshop with the maintenance manager and one of the mechanics said “thank, boss, in 30 years it’s the first time you bring anything pretty in here!” She though I was dumb for doing tasks that were Not In The Contract but which strictly speaking would have behooved the boss, or at least a Senior Lab Tech.
After 3 months, we got fired. And our boss, an extremely lazy and self-centered Peter Pan, grabbed his bollocks, stuffed them into place and assaulted the factory manager’s boss until I got rehired. Because, in his words, “if I give you a task, I know it’ll be done by Monday.”
A year later, I got to the factory and started getting congratulations. “Uh, thanks I guess, but why?” The boss had gotten a lateral promotion and the rest of the peons assumed his job now had my name. The assumption was based on my doing good work; the smiles and congratulations, on the fact that they liked me.
Professionality isn’t defined by whether you call people honey or have a stuffed toy. It’s defined by whether your work is done in time and on target. And getting people to like you needs some spinal flexibility… have you considered belly dancing? It’s very good for loosening up!
I had a bf that my mother doesn’t like (even though they never met). She stopped badgering me about him when I reminded her that if I hadn’t dated him, I wouldn’t have that giggling Pillsbury Doughboy she loves to make go “weeweeeee!”
I work in the marketing department of a financial services company. Just about everyone in our office has a stuffed animal model of our company mascot. It was distributed in an internal promotion. Most associates also have stuffed mini bull and bear toys that a major vendor sent us last holiday season. I have a Mr Potato Head and several of those metal “try and get them separated” puzzles in my office (also sent by a vendor).
My admin has rather twee decorations/toys/adornments in her cube. It’s not my taste, but–so long as there’s nothing HR would deem inappropriate–I don’t consider it “unprofessional.” She’s also saved my but on numerous occassions and is a force to be reckoned with. Any newbie who dismisses her because of her cube environment does so at their own risk.
When you find out at 3:30 pm that you’ve got to create a PowerPoint presentation for a 9:00 am meeting the next day that includes upper managementand it’s probably going to be 30+ slides, needs analysis and research you haven’t started yet, and you’ll need 50 color copies, you best have her on your side! Likewise, when you’re stuck in Western Nowhere because your flight is canceled, the travel offices are closed, and you need to find the one hotel that still has rooms available or you’ll be sleeping on an airport seat, you want someone like her!
Before this thread sinks, I want to mention the monster factory. Friends got me Troy for Christmas. He lives on my couch. Monster factory makes awesome, not too cutesy toys.
I have a ton of personal stuff in my office…I practically live here! I have customers in here to finalize transactions, and I have found that the items I have in here facillitate conversation which help relax my customers in an otherwise stressful situation. (I’m a finance manager at an auto dealership.)
Just looking around now…there are 6 autographed hockey sticks on the walls, several hockey posters and banners, a Tiffany style lamp on my desk, Mickey Mouse goodie jar filled with chocolates, Patrick Star guarding the printer, Stanley the hockey monkey in his Canes uniform, an autographed hockey helmet, Slice of the Ice from game 7 finals last year, a zamboni, Canes bobblehead collection, Butters from South Park in a goalie mask, a stuffed weiner dog, mini Stanley Cup, lots of magnets, Happy Bunny calender (Happy Bunny is so wise).
It kind of freaks me out to walk into someone’s office that has nothing in the way of personality in it. When my customers come in, they instantly know something about me and it makes conversation easier. :::shrug::: To each their own, I guess.
I gave one of those to my friend, stuffed into one of these.
My cubicle used to have dozens of Star Wars action figures in with various playsets, what’s the diff?
Atop my computer tower I proudly display my complete set of Redneck figures. They are little plastic people about 2 inches high. I get them out of a vending machine at the grocery store. The crowning glory of my collection is Lazy Roy. He has a recliner, a remote control and a can of beer. I also have 2 Homies that I got while “up nawth” and would expand on that if I could find them in the Carolinas.
Why do I have them in my office? I wouldn’t want that crap in my house!
While foosball tables are pretty common in geek-land, I doubt they are as prevalent in banks. Toys are expected in the geek culture in a way that they are not in other cultures. My cube-neighbors have Rubik’s cubes, X-Men action figures, an X-Box 360, Mr. Potato Heads, remote controlled beetles, and Hot-Wheels cars.
The neighboring bank has none of that stuff hanging around. They seem to have a lot of potted plants, which would be weird here.
I think the thing is when people come in here and see a bunch of geeks, they seem to expect the ‘weirdness’ of geeks and the toys that go with it.
I find it mildly amusing that my boss goes out of the way to recognize my presence during department meetings, like when he says ‘We have good guys, and by that I mean men and women, in this department.’
There’s only one woman in my department. I take it as a given that I’m included in ‘guys’, after all they outnumber me 16 to 1.
I know the guy respects me. He gives me choicy projects to do and, amazingly, gave me a job in the middle of a hiring freeze. It’s just so cute that he says ‘You guys… and by that, I mean men and women,’ every time. He also gives everyone nicknames and contributes to the whole ‘work is a party’ atmosphere.
Total turn around from last job.
It’s pretty common that things that are stereotypically male, like dinosaurs and action figures, are seen differently than their female counterparts. A woman who has a Barbie on her desk is seen differently than a man who has a Superman, or a woman who has a Superman for that matter. I am sure a man who had a Barbie would be judged most of all, because while it is ok for women to adopt male traits, it is not ok for men to adopt feminine traits. Feminine traits are seen as lesser and weak. I also think in general, men can get away with being more juvenile, it is seen as cute and boyish and endearing, whereas a woman who seems juvenile is not admired that way.
I am not saying this is right or ok, I am just making a statement about how men and women are viewed differently and stereotypical male traits are still held up as the ideal. A woman who is described as acting like a man is probably considered a strong independent woman. A man who is described as acting like a woman is probably considered weak or emotional. The book “Female Chauvinist Pigs” talks about things like this and how women judge other women who are seen as too feminine or girly-girls. A very interesting book if you get a chance to read it.
nongoog, I really hope you read Jodi’s post because, as usual, it’s spot on. I work as a clerk in a law office. Most of the secretaries have ridiculously overdecorated desks. I’m regularly blinded by the pink frilliness as I walk past. However, without those wonderful, knowledgable, kind secretaries, I would be utterly screwed. Just yesterday I had to put out an emergency writ of mandate with a request for a stay and had no clue what the proper pleadings were. Without the help of the secretaries, It would’ve never gotten done.
Technically, my position is higher than theirs. I’m a step below an attorney (and will be an attorney by November fingers crossed) and am the person the attorneys come to to bounce legal strategies off of. However, you will never catch me dismissing or looking down on the secretaries, or any other administrative person for that matter. In fact, I’m regularly kissing their asses as every attorney has told me to do. Now, there are other clerks who do look down on administrative staff and you know what? When they’re in a bind, they are totally on their own.
Watch yourself.
You just gave me the best idea for homemade dog toys and potential weird pillows. Those things are awesome.
I could totally get into those as desk tchotchkes.
Today, I feel like I could follow Jodi and olivesmarch4th around the board going “Yeah, what she said!”
On my desk, I have a fuzzy yellow bird that’s an ink pen, three Pink Elephant [TM] keyrings, assorted ladybug trinkets, a Pink Panther (stuffed), and a lion/mouse pair that sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and nod when you push a button. I seem to be doing just fine in my career, thanks. ::knocks wood::
I have a small beanbag frog. It was a silly gift from my husband’s cousin at Passover–it’s a plague frog. I think he’s awesome. He guards my Jelly Belly jelly beans and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. His tag said his name was Feivel. How could you not love a plague frog named Feivel?
On the other hand, a former co-worker had her entire desk (including her flat-screen monitor) covered with Hello Kitty figures–stuffed, plastic and ceramic. It was frightening. And she was not a frilly girly-girl either; she had short hair and wore a baseball cap most of the time. But she had a real Hello Kitty obsession. It’s a good thing we don’t see clients here.
I’ve seen “Homies” in the vending machines here in Greenville. Want me to get you some?
I think I love you now.
And in reference to lezlers’ entire post: someone very wise once told me that to get ahead in any office you had to be friendly to both the secretaries and the cleaning staff because if you’re not they can screw you over in ways you can’t even think of. Truer words ain’t never been spoke.
I so covet this! It would match my see-through phone from the 80s!
As to the OP, who knew there was adult peer pressure? Just because someone is “grown up” doesn’t mean they can no longer go by Cindy (right Ms. Crawford?), have whatever toys (if you wanna go for the macho side, one need looks no further than say, the Tuttles of the infamous OCC) they enjoy or dress a certain way as Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon chose. Maybe we should pick her apart 'cause she was a country bumpkin. But I always assumed it had to do with how well you performed your work, took care of your children and did right by the rest of the world at large. Hell, I’m grateful though for the people who look down on someone who doesn’t readily fit into whatever mold they deem necessary to acquire the requisite esteemed title of “mature.” Because then you know who the really judgmental, illogical and childish they are. And to stay clear.
For full disclosure, if your HR allows it, I wouldn’t care if you could turn your cubicle into a tent (which, I believe, I’ve seen somewhere before). In my time as an office drone, I had both male ( ::: snort ::: ) and female ( ::: snort snort ::: ) playthings. I did so for the many variety of reasons already given. I’ve also personally witnessed a worker who collected VWs and thus covered every available bit of space around her. She was by far one of the most respected in the company. My husband has some fun stuff too; a tiny anvil with a “Y2K Approved” sticker on it, an “It’s So Easy!” giant button that, obviously, talks and a light bulb shaped candy dispenser that gets moved around and hidden in an ongoing game by his guys. I feel they always win since he has a disadvantage as boss. 
Last but not least, consider the number of those that are not into anything but appearing tasteful, professional and appropriate to the highest degree. There’s more of them than us. Which ultimately means, by sheer dent of volume, it’s mostly them that commit crimes and probably go postal. Just sayin’. :eek: :eek: :eek: