The Verge’s Favorite Home Office Memories

Back in the Mad Men In the past, the only thing that could disrupt the monotony of a workspace was a family photo or maybe a coffee mug with a funny saying. But nowadays, especially if we work from home, we can have some pretty interesting, weird or just plain pretty objects on our desks.

We asked people here at The Verge What they have on their desk or in their office that they keep just for fun — because they like it, because it means something special, or just because… Here are some of the responses we got.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto, commercial/deals editor

A year ago, my wife and I had to say goodbye to one of our two beloved cats, Pouncey. She was a loving companion for over 11 years who my wife had adopted as a kitten shortly before we started dating, making her a fixture in our relationship. It made it all the more traumatic that our departure, due to her declining health, was more sudden than we expected. But in addition to all the photos and videos that remind us of our best friend (with apologies to our eight-month-old daughter), I have a comforting reminder of Pouncey every time I sit down at my desk.

When I received my Meletrix Zoom75 mechanical keyboard as part of a long-awaited bulk pre-order last year, I opted to add an integrated LCD display because… well, why not? And, unsurprisingly, once I built my board with that little display inside, I asked myself, “Okay, what do I do with this thing?” So, I let it display something boring like the battery level.

After Pouncey passed away, I reconsidered the looping GIF feature and decided to put a cute clip of our daughter in it. The GIF was just a series of random images from one day, and if you look closely, you can see her eyes widen adorably once she notices me taking her picture. We now call her Keyboard Pouncey, and while it’s bittersweet to see her curled up on my desk but unable to feel her soft fur or hear her sweet purrs, I love seeing “our Pouncey girl” every day.

Sean Hollister, Editor-in-Chief

Whenever I feel a little exhausted, I have an extra life on my desk. My family bought me this The Legend of Zelda A year ago I bought a heart-shaped container, so it encapsulates their love too! (This is less important if you’re buying it for yourself, so I recommend giving it as a gift.) It lights up when you press the front button, and that’s it. Two AA batteries won’t power it for months, so turn it off when you’re feeling cheerful again! You can also import a Tears of the Kingdom version based on the newer game.

Allison Johnson, critic

I have a problem with putting nails in my office wall (which is also my bedroom, by the way), so I end up with a pile of little things I’d like to hang on the wall but can’t commit to, like a drawing of my kid’s or the jumble of tech event badges in my desk drawer. But recently I’ve been doing a comic book series, putting little hooks and clips around the house, and I’ve started using them to decorate the wall behind my desk.

Clothespins are great: I can replace them with a cute new piece of kid art whenever I want, and I don’t have to commit to putting them up. They’ll come in handy if I want to reorganize my office (er, bedroom), and I’ve never had a problem removing them from the wall without damaging them.

Adi Robertson, Tech & Policy Editor

I keep a paper planner and notepads to track my stories and meetings, and the TWSBI Eco (in creamy rose gold with burgundy Noodler’s ink) is my favorite writing instrument for all of these. It’s a reasonably priced, attractive, easy-to-fill, and comfortable fountain pen.

I’m not really a fan of desk trinkets, but I love this amiibo link for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I’m inspired by how Link seems to be using his Ultrahand powers to create a better world around him. If he can do it, maybe I can too, though I might have to make things happen without a magic arm.

Kylie Robison, Senior AI Journalist

My little Moleskine notebook keeps track of my entire life – I look at about two of them a year. It’s where I keep my weekly and monthly calendars, as well as all the notes from sources/general meetings. I use Micron pens because they’re simply the best, and I keep them in a Kirby pencil case that I even have on display in Edge videos (see above). I recently redid my entire home office, and part of that was a lot of decorating, my favorite being an LED Majora’s mask.

Barbara Krasnoff, Reviews Editor

I love Dorothy Parker, both for her writing and her acerbic personality. I even bought a bottle of gin because it was named after her (and, truth be told, it wasn’t too bad). So when I spotted her among a plethora of finger puppets of famous people at a book fair a few years ago, I just had to buy her. Parker’s puppet has a little magnet on the back of her head, which allows her to easily cling to any metal surface. In fact, I took her with me when I started working at The Vergeand when I accidentally left her at the office during lockdown in 2020, I was distraught. Thankfully, Dorothy held on throughout the pandemic, and she’s now back in my home office, smiling wryly at me.

Victoria Song, Senior Critic

A while ago, a friend gave me this adorable cat-shaped desk note holder as a souvenir from Beijing. At first, I didn’t know what to do with it. Then, I started putting motivational notes in it and, surprisingly, it worked. After a while, I started printing or writing memes from time to time. (Well, yes, I did (I write Vice President Kamala Harris’ entire coconut tree speech on a Post-It note one week.) When I really need strength, I stick a photo card of my favorite K-pop singer.

This note holder only holds one note at a time, which helps me stay creative week after week. More importantly, it reminds me to take breaks and laugh at myself whenever I get too serious. I’m not sure where exactly to find this desk note holder, but you can find a bunch of fun designs on Amazon and Etsy.