Ideas for · 2 min read · updated

Best friend birthday gift ideas

You know more embarrassing things about them than anyone. A birthday is the one day you're allowed to print them.

The short answer

Turn something only you know about them into the gift: their year printed as a band tour on the back of a tee, their face canonized as a saint across a fanny pack, or their giant head as a pillow with a birthday ribbon. The more specific the joke, the better it lands.

The picks

  1. A faded black tee printed with a flaming skeleton doing taxes and The Tax Season Tour, made with The Tour of Your Life
    Things to wear

    The Tour of Your Life

    Their year as a heavy metal tour on the back of a tee, every date a real thing that happened to them, with one piece of band art on the front.

    Makes: T-shirt

  2. A fanny pack printed all over with a smiling woman in a halo labelled St. Marisol, made with Saint Mode
    Things to wear

    Saint Mode

    Their face canonized with a halo, laser eyes or a WANTED poster and a legend you write, repeated across a fanny pack, a tee or socks.

    Makes: Fanny pack

  3. A big head pillow of a man's face in red and yellow halftone with a #1 DAD ribbon, made with Big Head
    Pillows

    Big Head

    Their giant head as a pillow with BIRTHDAY ROYALTY on the ribbon, cut with a thick white border like the ones held up at games.

    Makes: Shaped pillow

  4. A jigsaw puzzle of a crowded wedding party with a missing person case card in the corner, made with Find Dave
    Puzzles & flags

    Find Dave

    Their face hidden in a crowd at a beach, a wedding or a concert. Give it to their family and watch them hunt.

    Makes: Jigsaw puzzle

  5. A blue text bubble pillow that says "you up?" with a read receipt, made with Left On Read
    Pillows

    Left On Read

    Their most quoted text as a pillow, read receipt included. You both know which one.

    Makes: Shaped pillow, stickers, magnets

Write the list first

Before you open any of these sites, write down three things that happened to them this year. The dentist appointment they rescheduled four times, the move, the haircut. You'll use the list for the tour dates, the saint's legend and the ribbon.

Birthday touches on each site

  • The Tour of Your Life takes any year, so it can be the year they turned 30 or the year you met.
  • Saint Mode titles them by miracle: ST. NAME with a halo, NAME HAS SEEN IT with laser eyes, NAME, 1997 with the glamour shot. The legend underneath is yours, up to 44 characters.
  • Big Head has a ribbon of up to 22 characters. BIRTHDAY ROYALTY fits.

Questions people ask

What do I get my best friend who has everything?

Something about your history together. Nobody else could have bought them a tee of their own year as a band tour or a pillow of the text they sent you.

Can I use a photo of my friend?

Yes, on the sites that use a face. The photo is cut out on your phone and only uploaded when you order, then checked by Google's AI: no famous people, nothing explicit.

Who writes the saint's legend?

You, or pick one of three the site writes from their name and the miracle you chose. It never sees the photo.