The Office Playground Blog

April Fool's Day at Work

April 1st (aka April Fool's Day) is only 24 days away. Do you have your pranks all lined up yet? Are you going to let another April Fool's Day go by without nailing a memorable prank at the office? On April Fool's Day at the office, there are only two kinds of people:

1. Those who prank
2. Those who get pranked

Which one are you going to be this year? The choice is yours.

First, some ground rules: please read our blog post from last year about the do's and don'ts of successful Office April Fool's Pranks.

There's a spectrum of Office April Fool's pranks ranging from simple to complex. Just like in life, you get out what you put in. The simple stuff is easy and fast to pull off. However, it gets forgotten within a few days or sometimes in just hours. The complex stuff takes time and dedication, but it's funny and memorable forever. You'll have to balance your desires to be funny with the realities of your available time.

Examples:
Simple – Whoopee Cushion on your boss's chair. Planning & Execution = 1 minute
Complex – Packing Peanuts in your boss's cubicle, Planning & Execution = 1-3 days

If you're thinking a simple prank is all you have the time and money for this year, check out our new Gag Gift Category. Here are some of our favorites:

Squirt Cigarette Pack	Whoopee Cushion - Remote Control	Hand Buzzer
See all of our Gag Gifts here

If you are willing to go the distance and want to create a lasting impression of yourself as an all star office prankster, then you'll need to invest in a more elaborate prank. The possibilities are endless; here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

YouTube Office Prank Videos

We wish you a very silly April Fool's Day!

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Ready for March Madness? Shoot Hoops at Work!

Are you ready for March Madness? Even if you're not, someone in your office might be feeling the excitement of the NCAA Basketball Championships. Selection Sunday is March 14, 2010 and the Finals are on April 5th. Who will be in that game? Who will win?

Do you and your co-workers still toss random garbage into your trash can and yell "3 points!"? If so, isn't it time to upgrade to a real Trash Can Hoop?

Get into the spirit of March Madness with an Office Nerf Hoop or a Basketball Stress Ball.

Why not get a bunch of Basketball Stress Balls and/or Hoops and give them out to your entire office? Sure, you're saying, "but then no one will get any work done". Just make sure everyone understands that office hoops are an acceptable form of stress relief and team building, provided the other work is still getting done. You'll be pleased to see that employee morale and productivity will likely increase.

To help you get your office ready for March Madness, we've reduced our entire line of Basketball related items by 10% through March 22, 2010. Use coupon code BBall10 at checkout.

So, don't throw an air ball this year. Drive to our site, face up, shoot and score with your very own Office Basketball Hoop or Stress Ball. (Whew, yeah, that's all I've got for the basketball lingo. Could you have done any better? Get it? Like betting on the games using a bracket? Something you shouldn't do at work. Sorry, I'll stop now.)

Here are some of our favorite basketball hoops and basketballs, but we have lots more fun basketball stuff! Come check them out!

Basketball Hoop - Backboard	Nerfoop	Breakaway Hoop
Basketball Stress Ball	Basketball - 4 inch Pro Mini	Basketball - 7 inch Junior
See all of our Basketball products here

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Host Your Own Office Olympics

Are you one of the estimated 28 million viewers watching the 2010 Winter Olympics? Do you dream of being an elite athlete competing against the best of the best for the gold? Or maybe you just wish you were there at the games in the heat of the action. I'm a little of both. In the past, I loved to compete in sports and I was fortunate to attend a live event at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

There is really something special about this sporting event that brings the world together. Let's check out the current medal count for the top three leaders. Go USA!

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
United States	6	5	7	18
Germany	4	4	3	11
Norway	3	3	2	8
(Results as of 8:00am PST, 2/19/10. Source: Comcast.net)

You can get into the Olympic spirit and bring your co-workers together by hosting your own Office Olympics. Compete against your colleagues (and even your boss) for some friendly competition. Pull out your snowboards, ice skates, and bobsleds and let the games begin!

Okay, so not everyone has the equipment (and snow) to host a full winter Olympics at work, but there are still plenty of events you can compete in. We know it's not too practical to build a Speed Skating rink in the parking lot. Therefore, we put together some events that you can do in your office.

Competitive Events

Timed Events
See who can find the most objects in the Find It - Sports within a time limit. One person is the player and another verifies the finds.
Liquid Motion Time Trials – Choose a variety of similar liquid motion timers and have each person flip them over at the same time. The person with the timer that finishes first wins. (This one is great because there is no skill required.)

Competitive Sports
Get an Air Hockey Table and players win the best 2 out of 3. Set it up tournament style.
Slingshot Animal Shooting – Fire off slingshot animals for distance and for accuracy.

Skilled Events
The Basket Case Hoop Game is a hoot. We did it at our office during the Office Playground Summer Games; it takes a steady hand to get them all in.
Whack-A-Mouse – who can get the most whacks in.
Dartboard Toss is easy. Set up a dartboard and aim for the target.

Off to the Races
Line up a bunch of wind-up toys and send them racing. Race the same styles against each other or mix it up by doing a variety of styles. Place bets on who will win. (Or maybe not, office gambling is probably frowned upon. And while we're at it, steroids probably won't help participants wind faster.)

Puzzle Solving
Find out who can solve a given puzzle in the fastest time. We recommend the Puzzle Pen for beginners and a Rubik's Cube for puzzle masters.

Design your Own
Be creative and develop your own games to match your tastes and co-worker skill levels. Check out the Sports & Games category to get started.

Once you decide on your events, set up game stations and assign point values to each activity. Have folks go in groups of two or three to each event simultaneously. People rotate through each station and post their scores as they complete a game. Keep a scoreboard on the wall. Tally up the points at the end and award 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. You can also give out consolation prizes to everyone who participates.

Speaking of prizes, adding a reward enhances the competition and encourages people to be more playful and to have fun. You can be creative with your prizes and here are some suggestions:

• An extra paid day off.
• Gift certificate to Office Playground, Inc.
• Extended lunch break.
• Gift certificate for a local store or restaurant.
• Higher end office toys (Zen Garden, Newton's Cradle or Stellanova, to name a few).
• The office toys you used during competition.
• Awards to post on the desk. Who doesn't love bragging rights?

Serve up some lunch or have folks bring a potluck. It's fairly easy to put together some games and it is a lot of fun. At Office Playground, we host an annual Summer Olympics and have a blast each year. And you may remember that hilarious episode of The Office.

Whether you win or lose, we hope you enjoy being more playful at work.

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Groundhog Day at Work

What do you think of when you hear Groundhog Day? For me, I think of Bill Murray and Punxsutawney Phil from the famous 1993 movie. The movie is classic and I give it two thumbs up (aren't we all film critics at heart?). For those of you who have never seen Groundhog Day or need a refresher, here's the quick plot from Wikipedia:

Self-centered and sour TV meteorologist Phil Connors (Bill Murray), producer Rita (Andie MacDowell), and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott) from fictional Pittsburgh television station WPBH-TV9 travel to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities with Punxsutawney Phil. Having grown tired of this assignment, the small town, and his crew, Phil grudgingly gives his report and attempts to return to Pittsburgh when a blizzard (which he predicted would miss the area) shuts down the main roads. Phil and his team are forced to stay in town an extra day.

Phil wakes up to find that he is reliving February 2. The day plays out exactly as it did before, with no one else aware of the time loop, and only Phil aware of past events... Read more

Do you work with people who are not aware of the time loop they are in? Is your job like Groundhog Day, where you do the same thing over and over? Now you can stop being like Phil Connors and avoid living your life like the movie Groundhog Day. Here are a few fun tips for shaking up the routine:

1. Mix up your office space – Spin your keyboard and monitor around and sit on the front side of your desk. Put your garbage pail on the other side of you. Change the position of all your pictures. Turn your name tag upside down.
2. Take a different route to work – Don't drive directly to the office. Instead, go the long way, take streets that don't make sense or drive up and down the block a few times. Just leave a few minutes earlier and cruise.
3. Alter the lunch menu – What kind of food never occurs to you? Eat that! Do any local restaurants serve Swedish Meatballs or Buffalo Burgers?
4. Flip your personality – Just for the day, behave the total opposite of your normal personality. If you are a bit ornery, be extra sweet to your colleagues. If you typically drive hard, be chilled and laid back all day.
5. Visit strangers – Make some new friends. Simply get up and start walking around. Find people you don't know (at your company or other tenants in the building). Say things like "Hi, happy Groundhog Day!" Then, see where the conversation goes from there (don't expect too much, these people are strangers after all.)

I think you get the point. This time of year, work can be a bit of a grind. It's up to us to break the pattern and avoid the doldrums of corporate life. You don't have to operate on autopilot. On the contrary, you can have a little bit of fun during the day. So come on, be whacky and be more playful. There's no better day than Groundhog Day to start mixing it up! I mean, why not?

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Image courtesy of Melissa.

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Work

Love is in the air... especially in your office. Are you feeling it? Lately, we've all been through some trying economic times together. Do you feel love for your co-workers and customers who are weathering this storm with you? Maybe you even get that warm and fuzzy feeling when you cozy up to the conference table with your team on a rainy day. Everywhere you look the experts are advising businesses to invest in their employees and to give them rewards and reminders of how important they are to the success of the company.

So, why not have a Valentine's Day celebration at work? Be open with the love and appreciation you have for your job, your colleagues and your customers. Here are some ways to bring back that loving feeling to the office:

1. Decorate your cubicle, lobby and office with a few Valentine's Day decorations.
2. Tape a big red paper heart on the refrigerator in the break room.
3. Leave a Valentine Heart Stress Ball on everyone's chair.
4. Have a company lunch. If you can't convince your boss or HR to spring for it, hit a restaurant and go Dutch or bring a bag lunch and have a potluck in the conference room. Just be together.
5. Encourage everyone to wear Valentine's Day colors (hint, RED) to work. For those that do, draw names to win prizes.
6. Rent a cupid costume so you can shoot bows and arrows at single folks to create a love connection. (Ok, we're just kidding about this one.)

Check out a few of our Valentine's Day items below:

Heart Stress Toy	Captain Smiley - Hot Pink	Inflatable Heart
4 Wheel Timer - Hearts	Smiley Dude Stress Toy - Red	Love Notes Ball
See our entire line up of Valentine's Day gifts here

Remember, fun Valentine's Day themed office toys last longer than chocolate and won't make your pants too tight.

With much love and appreciation,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

New Year's Resolutions or Vices?

Now that 2009 has come and gone, I'm thinking about my 2010 New Year's Resolutions and how much I really can't stand them. Everybody resolves to do the same old feel good self-improvements, such as lose weight or learn something new. You don't usually hear New Year's Resolutions like "I'm going to take up smoking" or "I've decided to eat cake every single day." What if your New Year's Resolution was to start a new vice?

Of course, I'm not recommending you actually start a vice in 2010 (we want you to be happy and healthy, after all). Just be a little more playful this year and have some lighthearted fun with your co-workers. As a joke, it would be funny to tell folks you have a New Year's Vice. We assembled some of our best vice related office toys to assist you in your quest to bring humor to the office. Put some of this stuff on your desk to get a few good laughs.

As you reflect on the past year, can you honestly say you enjoyed it as much as possible? Did you smile enough? Have you shared enough laughs with the folks in your life? Now is the time to relieve yourself of some stress and have a bit of fun. Are you going to start a New Year's Resolution or adopt a New Year's Vice?

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Be the Best Secret Santa Ever!

Image Credit: Michael Wade   What is the most embarrassing thing that can happen to you at work during the holidays? Sure, getting too drunk at the company holiday party, telling the CEO he looks like Screech and photocopying your behind are all pretty bad. But, we're talking about never being able to live down being a lame Secret Santa. Maybe you didn't even want to participate in the first place. Some people don't believe in Santa anymore. Yet, we all still stand in line to pick one of our co-worker's names out of a hat. You don't have to dread the workplace Secret Santa. The Office Toy Guy wants you to embrace it! This year, your co-workers will refer to you as the most amazing Secret Santa gift giver in company history. Or, at least they will think you are really cool and thoughtful for getting them such an awesome gift. OfficePlayground.com is ready to help you be the best Secret Santa gift giver you can be. Check out these unique gift ideas for your next Secret Santa exchange and really nail it this year!

Dependable and Classy Need to play it a little safe while making a good impression? Give a Zen Garden, Newton's Cradle, Kinetic Motion or Liquid Motion. Zen Gardens Newton's Cradles Kinetic Motion Liquid Motion Vulgar and Irreverent Do your co-workers appreciate low brow humor? Are your company's policies a little loose? Share a chuckle over our Vulgar Stuff and Desk Toys. Vulgar Stuff Desk Toys Cute and Cuddly A desktop plant or an animal toy will win you the cutest gift award. There are many adorable items in Desktop Gardening and Animal Toys. Desktop Gardening Animal Toys Stress Relieving If everyone is stressed out in your office, you can't go wrong with a Stress Ball, Stress Reliever or Foam Stress Toy. Stress Balls Stress Relievers Foam Stress Toys Silly Yet Practical Sometimes goofy can be useful. Give a Funny Office Supply or Gumball Machine for a fun twist on the regular. Funny Office Supplies Gumball Machines

You don't have to be a lame Secret Santa this year. Just make your picks, place your order and we'll get that awesome Secret Santa gift to you really fast. We wish you the best at your holiday office party and may you be remembered for your non-lame Secret Santa gift and not for dancing with a lampshade on your head. Lamelessly, Bill Ross The Office Toy Guy OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com www.OfficePlayground.com We help you play on company time.

Bad Chips and Dip

It's ok to admit that you don't like all of your co-workers. There always seems to be certain people who are geniuses at irritating you. Would you like to learn a surefire way to get them to leave you alone? Serve them bad dip. Here's how it works:

The Preparation
Start with some basic ingredients used for making a tasty dip: sour cream, salsa, plain yogurt, guacamole or cream cheese will do. Next, add some not-so-tasty ingredients like pickle juice, suicidal hot sauce, cod liver oil, grape jelly, etc. At this point, most recipes instruct you to season to taste. Well, you sure as heck aren't going to taste this stuff. So, go heavy on the bad ingredients to be sure the dip tastes really, really horrible.

The Placement
Neatly display the bad dip in your work area along with some chips. The chips don't have to be bad, but using stale chips would be a nice touch. Now, you wait for annoying co-workers to approach.

The Payoff
Those little mooches will soon come around looking for the free food. They always do. They'll slither up, sniffing and eyeballing your snacks. They will ask you for some. With a big smile you nod your head. Don't feel guilty. After all, you didn't offer it to your co-workers. They sought you out. Cherish the precious payoff when they take that huge reckless bite of bad dip.

The Act
As the targeted co-worker begins to chew their first bite, they will recoil from the horrible flavors attacking their taste buds. When they say, "AGH! THAT'S AWFUL," you burst into tears, grab the dip and yell, "That's my grandma's recipe!" Then, run to your car and go home for the day.

The Rewards

1. Your obnoxious co-workers will never come around again.
2. You get a free half-day off work.
   (Maybe you should watch some cooking shows.)
3. You'll never need to make food for the office again.
4. Everyone will be extra nice to you for a while.

Make some bad dip and watch your lame co-workers eat it. It'll make you laugh.

Bad dip making is just one more tool in your corporate survival toolbox.

Sincerely,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Image courtesy of Megan Soh.

Stealing Food at Work

The purpose of this blog post is not to endorse stealing your co-worker's lunch. We are simply offering advice on how to be successful at it.

Times are tough and your company is cutting back; it's up to you to create your own perks. Stealing your co-worker's lunch is wrong, but you're not likely going to go to jail if you get caught.

Speed – You can't linger around in the kitchen. Get in and get out. The ideal kitchen or break room has two doors. You should enter through one, snatch a free snack, and exit through the other.

Greed – Don't kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Don't steal food every day or from the same person over and over. We understand that certain people have better food than others, but exercise restraint.

Mix it up – If you work in a large company, spread out your efforts across all kitchens, break rooms, conference rooms, reception desks (free fruit or candy), etc. By spreading out, it'll be hard to identify the totality of your work.

Redirects – Once in a while, bring your own lunch and put it in the refrigerator with your name written on the bag. Your co-workers will think "the lunch thief can't be him, he brings his own." Little do they know you're just that hungry that you'll eat yours AND theirs. If the office is on to you, you can secretly eat half of your sandwich and then make a big scene, "HEY, WHO ATE MY SANDWICH!"

Image courtesy of Stacita.

Working with Aliens

Do you work with aliens? How would you know if you did? Finally there's help, here's a simple guide to discovering who among your colleagues are from another planet:

Food – Aliens don't eat normal human food. Look for colleagues who you've never seen eating. Offer them a slice of pizza because nobody from this planet would refuse free pizza.

Performance – Aliens are way smarter than humans and so they are typically successful. Look for those in your company who are high up in the organizational chart. Aliens are looking to run things, not be bossed around. For example, Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon) are aliens.

Social Skills – Aliens are not very good networkers and never play the role of office clown. Look for the ones who don't talk much and have a very difficult time conducting a conversation. Aliens don't have hobbies, they don’t have "good weekends" and they don't say "TGIF".

Office Romance – Aliens don't mate with humans and thus the aliens in your office won't ever get caught up in office romance. That should eliminate many of your colleagues as potential aliens.

Limited Time – Aliens don't just grind away at the corporate rat race. They are at your business for a specific reason, maybe to run a few experiments you would rather not know the details about. If one of your co-workers just vanishes one day, instead of a new job, they may have just returned to their home planet.

Now that you know who the aliens are at your company, you can begin the process of uncovering the robots. Stay tuned...

Bill Ross
CEO
www.OfficePlayground.com

Image courtesy of Steve Jurvetson.

10 Office Faux Pas

In an economic climate where companies are tightening their belts, job security can be shaky. No one wants their name to spring to mind when an employee must be let go. Behavior in the office setting is important. It may be the deciding factor between keeping your job and joining the ranks of the unemployed. Stay clear of the following office faux pas:

1. Do not engage in gossip or badmouth colleagues.
2. Dress appropriately for your position. Clothing that is too casual, too revealing, torn or dirty will make a negative impression.
3. Mind your table manners at a business lunch or group lunch celebration.
4. Do not take food from the community refrigerator or lunchroom that is not yours.
5. Clean up after yourself. Do not leave dirty food containers or half-eaten food on your desk, the lunchroom table or in the community sink.
6. Control your emotions at work. Outbursts of tears, anger or frustration are not acceptable behavior in the office.
7. Do not make personal calls during work hours. Use cell phones for personal calls and only make them during breaks. Show consideration to co-workers by moving to a private location when talking on a cell phone.
8. Music or the radio should not be audible beyond your desk. Wear earphones and keep the volume low so that you can hear others when they speak to you.
9. Keep your shoes on. Never walk around the office barefoot.
10. Never microwave fish in the office lunchroom! Microwaving raw onions isn't a great idea either. (We speak from experience!)

Image courtesy of Wolfrage.

Is the Lunch Break Going Extinct?

Today, it seems that the "lunch hour" is the biggest myth of office life. Many workplace experts suspect that even those workers who are allotted a half hour for lunch, often never leave their desks.

The move to shorter or non-existent lunches is in some cases self-imposed. Many workers remain at their desk and graze throughout the day. Those who do leave the office often dash around doing errands, especially women who must rush from work to pick up children. People are just too busy these days to take a leisurely lunch. They want to finish their work and leave at a reasonable hour so they can have some quality time with family and friends.

Giving up your lunch break could actually diminish your productivity, causing you to end up putting in more hours in the long run. The brain needs a rest in order to maintain concentration. Joe Takash, a business consultant, claims lunch breaks can "help boost creativity and profits."

People need the mid-day break. "They need to eat," demands Kathleen Hall, a stress and work-life balance expert. "Food boosts mental and physical productivity and regulates moods. Certain foods can also fight anxiety, stress and panic, which is good if you're having an especially difficult day."

Popular among younger employees, is lunch break computer games. Available online, these free games offer short, fun, stimulating diversions, but they don't provide a leisurely environment to eat lunch. Remember, the human body needs food, fresh air, exercise and relaxation to perform at its best.

Top image courtesy of Ziv Pugatch. Bottom image courtesy of Matt Seppings.

Nicknames in Business – Best Practices

Are you aware that 60% of all employees in America have a nickname? You shouldn’t be aware of that statistic because we made that up. :-) It grabbed your attention, right?

Do you have nicknames for certain co-workers or customers? Surely, you’ve got one for your boss. Doesn’t it make you feel better that you’ve tagged a secret nickname on a co-worker that drives you crazy? There's nothing better than the feeling of empowerment that nobody can take away from you. Here are some best practices for using nicknames at work:

1. Clones – People who look like others are "clones". Clones are the low hanging fruit of the nickname game. Let’s say your IT manager looks exactly like Bruce Springsteen. It's pretty straightforward—you'd call him "The Boss"!
2. Trust - Only tell others the nickname if you can completely trust they’ll use discretion and not tell the wrong brown-noser about it.
3. Redirects - Always redirect the source of the nickname and blame its creation on somebody else or as common knowledge around the office.
4. Verbal - Don’t ever write a nickname down on paper or, worse, type it into digital communication like an email. Nicknames are for verbal use only.
5. Acronyms - Use acronyms to ensure security levels. For instance, your boss is "Bloated Toad" and so you use "BT" to co-workers so you’ll never get caught. Just have an explanation for BT ready, "oh, that, it means Best Team worker". (Puke!)
6. Know the stakes – If your nickname is really negative and the person attached to it has power in the organization, you could lose your job if caught. If, however, you nail an amazing nickname that sticks, you could become the office hero. Your goal is nailing a nickname that is so perfect the recipient has no choice but to accept it. Go for a nickname slam dunk!
7. Do it right – Your mother always told you that "what’s worth doing is worth doing right". The nickname you create just might stick to that person for the rest of their life. Think this through before making an announcement to your trusted inner circle.

If you want your nicknames to be known for all to hear, follow in the footsteps of Sawyer, from the TV show LOST. He’s known for creating several nicknames for the other characters on the show and uses a nickname for himself. Some of the other characters attempt to use nicknames, but because of Sawyer’s delivery, it’s his nicknames that you’ll remember. He even has his own online nickname generator.

So go out and make up some nicknames; it’ll make your workdays just slightly more enjoyable. If you’re keeping the nickname a secret, just follow our rules above carefully and don’t say we told you do to any of this.

Need some nickname inspiration? Here are a couple nickname generators to get you started:

• Sawyer's Nickname Generator
• Get Nicknames

Bill Ross
Founder & CEO
Office Playground

Image courtesy of Alex Ruiz.

Fun Is Profitable! -- Just Ask Google

Google sets the standard for a happy work environment.

In 2007 and 2008, Fortune Magazine named Google the Number 1 employer in their annual 100 Best Companies to Work for. With a market cap of 120.97B and 12,000 employees in offices throughout the world, Google’s casual dress code and “work hard, play hard” philosophy is a prime example of when people are happy they perform better. It is a company that goes out of its way to ensure staff happiness and contentment. Their staff turnover is low, while job satisfaction is high. Google's playful approach to serious business is echoed in the many variations of their logo they create to honor interesting people and events around the world.

Great ideas start with just one person sowing a seed. You can make your workspace a more enjoyable place by adding colorful items, tactile toys and whimsical office supplies. Create variety by rotating items from your drawer to the desktop. You’ll be happier and your co-workers will be inspired. Watch your idea grow and spread throughout your company.

Office Playground is a provider of a wide variety of affordable products that add fun to any office. We’ve shipped toys and games to Google offices and we can ship them to you. Staff happiness encourages success.

Honoring The Office’s Michael Scott for Office Toy Best Practices

We are huge fans of NBC’s The Office. Michael Scott may not be the type of manager you’d want to work for, but there's one thing he gets, and that’s having fun at work. Next time you watch The Office, notice the office toys Michael has in his office, they include the following items:

Hoberman Mini Sphere

Wall Street Guru Ball

Newton's Cradle 7" Black

In this week’s episode entitled "Two Weeks", Michael is in rare form during his 2 week notice. He uses a Snapper Hand to totally annoy his direct reports. Please view the episode at the 1:44 mark, right as the episode begins, and watch Michael’s mastery of the Snapper Hand. Click here to view the episode.

Michael makes the technique look easy; we wonder how much practice he needed before that scene. He executes a perfect "paper snatch" from his salesman Jim. As the scene progresses, note the snapper hand hanging out of his suit pocket. Did we mention that all this is happening while he drinks a scotch and Splenda, which Michael says, "Tastes like Splenda, gets you drunk like scotch."

So, hats off to The Office and Michael Scott (actor Steve Carell) for the masterful Snapper Hand technique.

Go here to get your own Snapper Hand (you’re on your own for a scotch and Splenda).