18th Birthday Gifts

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18 is a tough birthday to buy for: still childish enough to be demanding, but definitely old enough to know when you’ve got them a crap gift. Don’t worry, you’re not in this alone. Something on this list is sure to make their glazed eyes sparkle like one of Beyonce’s dresses.

Put away childish things, then seal them up into an air and water tight steel container, dig a hole deep into the ground and bury them under a sidewalk. Put a plaque nearby or something like that, wait a few decades, and then have them return to open an archive of their former self. No big deal.

DIY

This birthday, why not give them a bouquet of something they actually want – like the chance to win the lottery and retire early to travel the world in a super yacht! Plus, if they win, they’re sure to share their millions with you, right? Right?? Jon, can you hear me, you seem to be sailing in the other direction…?

Look, we know that not everybody needs to have a giant five pound gummy bear, but not everybody technically needs pants, either. Having a giant gummy bear is like having a pair of pants: once you have one, it is hard to imagine life without it. The point is that need has nothing to do with it.

Money is a slippery commodity. Much like a wet fish, if you don’t handle it just right it’s bound to squirt out of your hands, never to be seen again. However, there’s a lot of solid advice available on this front. You just have to know where to look. The important thing is that you get this good advice in the hands of a new investor before they go monkeying around in the markets and end up with empty pockets and egg on their face. A beginner’s guide to investing from a credible source is a great way to start.

Every birth is an incomprehensible miracle, and it’s a shame that we only allocate a single day to celebrate each one. Seems kind of lazy when you think about it. With Kindnotes, you can keep those good vibes coming for an entire month. Thirty-one little envelopes, each with a tiny note containing thoughts of inspiration, appreciation, and love. They’ll never get tired of opening these up every day and being reminded of how great they are. Choose from ready-made sets with messages already included, blank cards that you can fill in yourself, or Kindnotes will custom print your personalized set and jar.

Experiences make some of the best gifts, but it can be a real challenge to come up with good ones over and over again. This birthday grab bag allows the recipient to choose any one experience from a list of over 300 options that range from relaxing dining experiences and laid-back ocean cruises to extreme sports adventures in far-flung locales. With experiences available in 100+ countries scattered across six different continents, this is an especially great choice for globetrotters in search of unique and thrilling activities in faraway lands.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to learn from the best in the world? This is the idea behind MasterClass. A wide range of courses designed and taught by some of the most famous, renowned, and respected luminaries in fields as diverse as cooking, guitar playing, negotiation (hostage or otherwise), fiction writing, film making, and gardening, just to name a few. You can give a single class as a gift or a subscription for all of them.

When you were a kid, your mom probably told you not to sit so close to the TV — at least, if you were born way back before parents gave up on that sort of thing. Well, here is the Oculus Go, designed to be the ultimate in sticking it to your parents. It’s also the perfect gift for someone who loves big screen movies but hates sitting next to other people. Pretty much the most immersive personal entertainment system available, designed for people who want to be in the movie, not just watch it.

Instead of creating a game, a more cynical person would have made this a one-sentence book and that sentence would have been, “Everything important.” Thankfully, whoever made this wanted to be more specific and also make something fun to use, so they created this game full of weird trivia. A perfect gift for people who don't realize that they don’t actually know everything. This game is a great way to kick that door down and show them just how clueless they really are.

Give them a chance to get some skin in the game with a gift of stock. The investment does not have to be large, as fractional shares of top companies can be bought and sold just like full shares, just enough to cultivate an interest in investing that will serve them well later on.

Who has time for trial and error? Folks today demand fast-acting, proven solutions to their everyday conundrums. A modern stand-in for the tried and trusted Farmer’s Almanac, this back pocket companion is more reliable than your great-grandmother and more concise than an open-ended Google search. Believe it or not, some of the “smartest” solutions have been around for ages.

Flowers don’t just look nice and fill the air with pleasant aromas, they also carry various levels of symbolism. Much like the zodiac, each month has its own flower variety, reflecting the character of everyone born therein. Or at least, that’s what someone decided a long time ago. And it sure is a nice idea. Regardless of whether the person you’re buying for really is a carnation at heart, or whether they’re more of a Venus fly trap, these earrings are going to look great on them.

The Nintendo Switch combines the best of at-home entertainment with on-the-go gaming. Nintendo has always been at the forefront of portable gaming, going all the way back to the original Game Boy. But portability in gaming isn’t everything. Sure, it’s great for torturously long rides in the back of the minivan, but nobody wants to sit on the couch and play video games on a tiny portable device while there’s a ginormous flatscreen TV six feet away. The Switch’s dual capabilities solve this problem for good, going from handheld device to living-room gaming system in the blink of an eye.

Our mothers used to tell us that our tastes would change when we get older as a way to get us to try those yucky vegetables, but when is that supposed to happen exactly? With mBerry Tablets, it can happen right on the 18th birthday. These tablets alter the taste of nearly everything, proving that mom was right after all.

They’ve survived this far living outside the bubble, but why push their luck? Give them this insanely fun inflatable bubble ball, and hope they’re inside it the next time they do something indescribably stupid. A great way to insulate themselves against life’s hard uncertainties.

Do you know someone who needs a gentle reminder that basic hygiene is important? Money soap is a regular bar of soap with actual cash inside, and the best way to get to it is to get clean on a regular basis. They’ll think it’s just a clever way for you to give them money, and meanwhile you’ll have a happier nose.

Eighteen is the age a person becomes an adult, so it seems fitting to collect all those old photographs and memories from childhood and package them into a beautiful custom-bound book. It’ll be the perfect gift to show that special someone someday.

This easily digestible handbook contains loads of tips and tricks designed to teach a new college student how to get the most out of the experience. It covers everything from saving money to doing well in class to living in a dorm. It also has over 30 pages dedicated to partying, which seems like a lot, but then again: college.

The last thing they need is more stuff, and at the end of it all it’s really the experiences that they will cherish the most. Help them create some new memories to look back on by finding a fun activity to do locally. Be adventurous and choose something they’ve near done before. It’s a gift that will enrich their life and yours too.

It’s a fact: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) knows no bounds, and it doesn’t rest just because you want it to. Life goes on while you’re in the shower, moving forward at light speed, leaving you in its dust. Social media is a cruel world and it brakes for no one. But for every problem raised by technology, there is an elegant solution - and in this case that solution is a shower curtain. Who would have thought?

When you’re a kid, you assume that by the time you’ve reached your maximum height, everything will basically make sense and you’ll understand what to do next. In other words, you’ll be an adult. Unfortunately, the truth is a lot more complicated than that, because in the real world there are no guarantees that you’ll ever become an adult no matter how long you live. This book is a great way to introduce a naive soul into that sobering reality.

If you’re going to do something, do it the right way. That goes for buying a knife too. The last thing you want is to be in a life and death situation and have to say, “If only I had a fine-toothed miniature saw and I knew what time it was.” This pocket knife has you covered on both fronts. The only way we could imagine this knife being more loaded is if they added a miniature cannon or gave it time travel capabilities. The perfect gift for the survivalist who likes that extra layer of security against that “what-ifs”.

Truthfully, a college cookbook could be a mere three lines long: 1) boil water, 2) add noodles, 3) stir in shrimp flavor packet. Lucky for the soon-to-be debt-laden youth of America, the authors of this book went several steps further, compiling a collection of recipes that are easy, delicious, and cheap — while also hitting all of the main requirements of human nutrition, so even a broke English major doesn’t have to worry about ailments like the dreaded “Freshman scurvy.”

Good luck convincing them this isn’t an acid flashback. This remote-controlled fish will be a welcome break from conventional pets that need feeding and only stay in the air for a few seconds. Holds enough helium to turn any house party into a chipmunk colony.

If you know someone who likes the outdoors, but can’t seem to put down their phone, this 18th birthday gift ticks a lot of boxes: High tech? Check. Eco-friendly? Check. Charges a smartphone? Check. Can carry plenty of gear? Check. Doesn’t look too silly? Check(ish).

Ping pong is an activity that virtually anyone can get into. Along with “sports” like curling, mini golf, and shooting cans off of fence posts, it’s a game of physical skill that requires absolutely no meaningful athletic ability. That makes it a game of the people, if you will. And the best part about this kit is that it’s portable, as the name implies, and extremely fast to set up. Just supply the tabletop. If they could use a little dose of competitive fire, this might do the trick.

Only a complete tool gives an empty toolbox as a gift. We know you’re better than that, and you know it too. Enter the Loaded Toolbox — the prime companion of the jack of all trades. This is the classic entry level gift, the rite of passage into handyman or handywoman-hood. Life is a long journey full of creaky door hinges, rusty bolts, and other mechanical nuisances. Give them the tools they need — literally — to navigate this unforgiving landscape.

Someone who is turning 18 really just wants to go out and party with their friends. Tell them the night is on you, all expenses paid, and surprise the bejesus out of them when a stretch limo pulls up to whisk them away in style. Now is the perfect time for a gift like this, limos get less and less interesting as you get older.

If the 18 year old in your life will be heading off to college, they will need all the standard critical equipment like a laptop, a cell phone, and of course, a dorm fridge. This will likely be their first ever kitchen appliance. It will get heavily used and abused, covered in stickers and gooey neglected spills, and eventually sold on Craigslist. The ritual is a rite of passage.

If they don’t know how to do these things by now, chances are they’re too embarrassed to ask. How to change a tire? How to make scrambled eggs? How can any self-respecting person ask these questions and not be mocked? Give them this book on the sly, and you could save them from their hidden shame.

Let’s face it, they’re going to learn this stuff anyway. You may as well make sure they learn it right, and some of the things in this book are better not learned the hard way. For example, it may be best to beat that lie detector test the first time around. Plus, it’s a gift for you too – after all, who knows when you might need someone who knows how to crack a safe?

The world of responsible behavior is a whole new concept for someone who has just crossed the threshold from child to legal adult. This shirt may keep them out of trouble by explaining the internal struggle through a metaphor familiar to everyone. Many a fistfight, firing, or weekend in jail can be averted by simply explaining, in a few elegant words, what the hell is exactly wrong with them. The answer, of course, is nothing. They’re simply waiting for the adulting app to load inside their personal operating system.

Keep your head and face warm without the commitment (or testosterone) it takes to grow an actual beard! These knit beanies with detachable face fur are as funny as they are functional. From biker to barbarian, Viking to vagabond, there is a Beard Head for every taste and style.

We may have all played with a Magic 8 Ball when we were kids, but as we got older we realized that the real wisdom is found in fortune cookies. Create some custom messages for the birthday boy or girl so that they’ll always have the true answers to life’s toughest questions. Food for thought anyway.

For many wide-eyed young adults, the future looks ripe with opportunity as they imagine the glorious journey they’ll have while turning all their dreams into realities. Of course we know, most of those dreams will not materialize and many enthusiastic attempts at success will end in miserable failure. As this enlightening book explains, this seemingly endless floundering is actually the typical path towards real prosperity. Most of the important lessons in life are learned through mistakes and failures, lessons that culminate at some point (even if through sheer brute force and stubborn determination) in eventual success.

18 year olds have heard the elders speak of the analog era when all of humanity’s knowledge and art was stored on paper and organized by Dewey Decimal number. Now they can own a piece of “ancient” history that will become more and more rare. And they just may get some use out of it when the coming solar flare takes down the power grid once and for all.

By the time they turn 18 they will have filled their share of notebooks. They’ve probably used a whole tree’s worth of paper. As digital technology replaces antiquated practices like writing with pen and paper, products like this are a nice bridge between two worlds. The Rocketbook smart notebook gives you the satisfaction of writing your notes by hand but also saves a digital copy of what you write. Once the pages are full they can be deleted and reused.

At this point in their lives when the magic of childhood is slowly slipping away and the coldness of adult life is settling in, give them the chance to escape the inevitable approach of reality with a session in a sensory depravation tank. With all their senses blocked as they float in a pool of warm water, they will only have their thoughts to reflect on. This will either be therapeutic and relaxing, or completely terrifying.Either way it’s a memorable experience.

If you want some world class street art in your house, you can wait for someone like Banksy to break in and paint something on your wall, but most likely that’s not going to happen. And if someone does break in and paint your walls, you’re probably not going to like what they do. It’s better to play it safe and go with one of the classics, like one of these wall art decals based on famous Banksy paintings. A much neater, more controllable way to be vandalized.

Admittedly, this is kind of a niche gift. But somehow, inexplicably, this has become a giant niche. Fans of the animated sitcom - as well as the associated blog, comic book, and soundtrack album - will have a great time geeking out to these real life, chef-tested recipes for the outlandishly-named burgers the show is famous for.

DIY

18 year olds aren’t always wise when it comes to spending and saving money. Give them a $20 bill and it will vanish almost instantly, spent on pizza or video games or whatever else young whipper snappers do these days. However, if you give them money in the form of a handcrafted bouquet of paper flowers, they will be forced to really consider if it’s worth unfolding them all before spending willy-nilly.

Keeping practical supplies in the car in case of emergency is something we all should do – yet many people out there on the road haven't added so much as a band-aid to their car’s inventory. That’s right, in the event of a blizzard, those store receipts and empty fast food bags won’t save you. Shocking, we know. This Auto Survival Kit on the other hand…

At only 18 years old, they’re probably just getting used to being occasionally called ma’am or sir. Let them have the distinct honor of correcting people by saying, “actually it’s Lord.” They will have the legal right to that moniker with this gift of 1 or more square feet of an actual Scottish castle. The micro-deed is legal and legit, the proceeds go towards restoration efforts at Dunans Castle.

If they're the creative type, this Adobe subscription is a perfect 18th birthday gift. It will give them access to the most powerful creative applications on Earth, well, in the cloud actually. They’ll be able to make professional videos, animations, music, websites, graphic artwork and more, and of course, they’ll always have the latest version of Photoshop.

18th birthday parties tend not to feature clowns entertaining the kids who attend, but that’s no reason to think an 18 year-old doesn’t like balloon animals. Acknowledge that they’re still a kid at heart and respect their new adult sophistication with this fine-art version of the classic balloon dog.

Written by James Bond himself (or, you know, an actual real-life spy), this eye-opening book is packed full of genuine, practical tips for self-protection, and is a great present for any loved one or friend. Guaranteed to come in handy during a kidnapping, mugging or zombie apocalypse, you might just save their life one day.

You could wow them with an elaborate pop-up card, but why stop there? Why not add lights and music? Birthdays are a momentous occasion worthy of a completely over-the-top birthday card like this one. These handmade cards can even be personalized with a custom message, or just let the card do the talking. We're hoping they add fireworks to next year's model.

An 18 year old that is moving into a dorm or their first apartment probably doesn’t own a lot of furniture. They also may not have a great track record for taking good care of their things. A full-on Lazy Boy recliner would be nice, but also hard to move, expensive to buy, and heartbreaking to spill dinner on. Here’s a much more affordable alternative that is comfy and practical, but also okay to toss in the dumpster after the party gets out of hand.

For centuries artisans have toiled away, diligently refining their skills until becoming masters, so that they can create exquisitely detailed work of the highest craftsmanship. Well, there’s a much easier way now. 3d printing technology has rapidly advanced over the past few years, to the point that they’ve begun printing just about anything. Even houses. The kind people live in. We’re not suggesting that you need to invest in a home-building 3d printer, as those are rather large and might be out of your budget. But 3d printing can be used for all kinds of smaller things as well, from artistic models to home furnishings. And 3d printers are really fun to play with. If you know someone who needs a new hobby to keep them out of trouble, this could be just the thing. And if they’re lucky enough to get this as a gift from you, you will in turn be the recipient of printed thingamajigs for the rest of your time on Earth.

Chocolates used to (and perhaps still do) come from factories run by shady recluses and populated by obese midget slaves. Or at least that’s what the video evidence suggests. But it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. Stick it to big business by giving someone this home chocolate making kit and help them join the artisan revolution. A whole new way to make chocolate “guilt free”.

A lot of 18 year olds are already well versed in the ways of not giving a f*ck, but not many are very subtle about it. Help them express their lackadaisical side with a little more class, so they can blend in with the rest of us, who also don’t give a f*ck, but are forced to pretend that we do.

If you know an 18 year old who is heading off to college, they are probably excited and a little uneasy about stepping into a world full of new challenges that they will need to navigate on their own. Help them prepare for the experience before they go, so that they can get the most out of their education and avoid common pitfalls of the under-informed.

Deep inside every adult relaxing on a sofa, loveseat, or recliner is a kid who’s longing to be lounging in a good ol’ beanbag chair. In other words, beanbags are what the people want, conventional furniture be damned. After all, they are relaxing, charmingly informal, unpretentious, fun, and extremely comfortable. If only everyday life conformed to your wishes the way a giant beanbag conforms to the contours of your body. And beanbags are very stylish in their own way — you can call it “slacker chic.” Help someone unleash their inner lazy child with one of these.

If the birthday boy or girl will be moving away for work or college, a hometown map puzzle is the perfect gift to quell home sickness and help them appreciate their roots. Unlike most puzzles, there is no picture guide on the box to refer to when trying to place the pieces, they’ll have to rely on their own memory of the lay of the land to get through this one.

Watch opposing armies fight for supremacy on the living room wall with this piece of functional art. Grandmasters and novice players alike will appreciate checking their opponents on the most unique game board in their home. Framed like a picture, this chessboard makes a lovely 18th birthday present for anyone who loves to play games.

For all of the earth’s majestic wonders, nowhere will you find a geyser that spits melted chocolate. That’s why fountains were invented. This one may not have the impressive horsepower of Old Faithful, but what comes out of it tastes a whole lot better than sulfurous water. A chocolate fountain, in fact, can even transform the dull bounty of the earth (vegetables, we’re looking at you) into something that people will get excited about eating.

Surprise! That boy you used to know is now old enough to vote, sue you, and enlist in the Army. But it seems like only yesterday he was just learning how to drive a car. A lot of changes and new responsibilities are coming, and that boy needs to know all the basic man stuff to get through it. Stuff like how to respectfully break up with a girl, how to drive a manual transmission, and how to use a circular saw, like a man.

If they’ve got a hankering for a hoedown on their 18th birthday, but just can’t get the 17 piece band together, then the self contained hootenanny could be the perfect solution. It’s always ready at a moment’s notice, never misses a note, and with over 13,000 songs in memory it could play continuously until their 90th birthday shindig.

Don’t let mother nature’s inability to harness her own electrons cramp their style. Now they can stay connected even when far from civilization. Plus, this little gadget will make them the most popular person on the block when the zombie apocalypse comes.

The only problem with an oven is that it’s so much bigger than a pizza. Nobody knows why. This rotating pizza oven is compact and has separately-controlled, programmable bottom and top heating elements so your pizza comes out perfect every time. Fast, efficient, energy-saving, and delicious.

Just the emergency poncho alone is enough reason to splurge on this handy-dandy lifesaving satchel. Once they crack open those light sticks, they'll be jumping their battery in true style and bringing some much-needed illumination to the dreaded shoulder of the road. Outfit their vehicle with these self-help essentials. Don’t let them go it alone!

If you know someone who’s big on taste, we think they’ll love this giant peppermill that will keep their food flavorful for years to come. Not only that, it’s a great talking piece at dinner parties, so it’s particularly useful to have around if they’d rather talk about something other than getting another year older.

In case you’re not aware, death is always clawing its way into you through every pore. Make sure everyone else knows this too by giving them this book. 18 year olds can be especially clueless about this harsh reality. Shatter their precious illusions of health and vitality, in the most entertaining and hilarious way possible. A perfect gift for your favorite hypochondriac.

The 21st Century can be an overwhelming place – space exploration, nuclear weapons, Justin Bieber… The Knowledge Book distills thousands of years of humankind’s most significant ideas and achievements— explains how they are linked and why they are important—and packs everything into a single, irresistibly readable volume.

It’s a big claim, we know. But yes, apparently all of life’s mysteries can be explained using flow charts, and this handy book has collected them all together. Give this gift to someone who has always wondered about the meaning of life, and bemoaned the lack of a sufficient diagram to explain it.

Lobsters have many, many great qualities, not least among them are their nutritional and flavor profiles. But they’re dumb as dirt, exceptionally slow, and don’t drive. So if it’s inconvenient for you to go all the way to the ocean to find the best lobsters, you’re going to have to get someone to mail them to you. Thankfully, lobster mail is now a reality.

They may have achieved elite Girl Scout or Boy Scout status when they were younger, but that badge-covered sash won’t be able to save them from a sinking car. Forget cookies — today’s scouts should be peddling these life-saving gadgets instead. Foolproof and dependable, this indispensable car accessory packs a mean punch and won’t disappoint when imminent danger strikes.

If they're big on cookouts but small on yard space, perhaps a compact fold-up grill could be the answer. Easy to take with them on whatever adventures they have in store, and a bag of charcoal will last forever with this thing.

Bacon is the official food of the month, every month of the year. Now somebody has gone a step further and made a delivery service with a special kind of bacon for every month. Every time we go a level deeper with bacon it just gets better. Rumor has it Elon Musk is working on a bacon replicating machine. It’s about time he did something useful.

It looks like Virtual Reality might finally really be a real thing. That’s what they say at least. Apparently, the technology has arrived, and it’s gonna be big. They do say that. And you know what? We actually tried one of these recently. They’re pretty incredible. Like for real.

Why bother with messy paints and long drying times when there’s a perfectly good computer to paint on? The digital paintbrush mimics the flexibility and feel of the real thing, and even leaves brush stokes. It can simulate painting in oil, acrylic, watercolor or charcoal and is compatible with most touchscreen devices.

Sure, it will be strange when you have to get that cheek swab from them without them knowing what you’re up to, but it will all make sense when you reveal this custom portrait that showcases their unique DNA. Or you could just give them the DNA collection kit as the gift if that’s easier. Or just swab your dog. They’ll never know the difference.