The Top 5 Worst Advent Calendar Gifts

For one month each year, Neopets flock to the Advent Calendar to receive their daily gifts. A wide variety of prizes have been given out over the years. Pretty much everything from food to Petpets has been given out at some point. However, not all of these gifts brought much cheer. That's not to say that they were bad. After all, they were still free. The gifts on this list simply brought the least amount of happiness.

5. Christmas Paint Brush

If this item had only been given out once, it definitely wouldn't be on this list. I'm a huge fan of the Christmas color. It's nice to be able to stay festive all year round. On top of that, the three colors this PB gives most Neopets when they are painted Christmas (red, white, and green) all work very well together. Neopets that are painted with this color always end up looking extra happy and beautiful. The problem with this otherwise wonderful item is that it was given out multiple times. I can't blame TNT for this at all considering the time of the year, but I just can't be too overjoyed about receiving this item as a gift now. What makes other Advent Calendar gifts special is that they are only given out on that one day, never to be given out ever again. I could forgive this PB if it was given out in Random Events or through other means besides a single Advent Calendar day, but having it given through the Advent Calendar more than once ruined the thrill I originally got from receiving this gift.

4. Festive Altador Cup Coal Caddy

What's a worse present than coal? A gift specifically designed to hold the coal! Receiving coal as a gift actually isn't bad at all for many Neopians. In some areas such as Terror Mountain, coal is an excellent source of fuel. There's nothing like a toasty little fire to bring some cheer to anyone who lives in that freezing environment. This caddy doesn't have a special use to make it a very enjoyable gift. When you get down to it, it is little more than a glorified box. On the bright side, it is fairly large. That's the only thing that saved this item from being placed higher on this list. This caddy could easily serve as a place to store all of the toys your Neopets received. Knowing its intended use might make your Neopets worry that you'll give them coal next year, but at least this thing is actually a pretty useful storage container. Still, I get the feeling that owners enjoy this item much more than their Neopets do. I've seen a few mischievous pets behave like little angels as soon as their owners falsely hinted that this caddy could turn the toys of naughty pets into coal.

3. Plain Fruitcake

This is the one and only holiday food that deserved its own dramatic music. The sad thing is, it actually doesn't taste bad. It's just insanely bland. This is made even worse by the fact that this is a dessert. When I think of dessert, I think of delicious, flavorful foods that make my mouth water. Chocolate, cakes, pies, and puddings are all wonderful desserts which always leave me wanting more even when my stomach feels like it'll burst if I eat another crumb. With fruitcake, the taste is too boring for it to have any real appeal. If this was the only problem with this dessert, I would let it slide. Vanilla ice cream, yet another rather plain dessert, is actually quite popular since it's impossible to not like the taste of something that tastes like nothing. However, vanilla ice cream also appeals to Neopets because it's a cool, refreshing treat that is very easy to eat. Fruitcake has no such appeal. In fact, it can be pretty troublesome to eat because of how difficult it is to cut into pieces. By the time you've cut yourself a slice, you don't feel like having seconds. Still, this is one of the healthier desserts out there and it can be very useful for Neopets who would like to go on a diet. Therefore, this boring dessert does have some appeal after all.

2. Snot-Covered Cookies

Bland desserts are bad, but at least they don't make you nauseous. The description for these cookies CLAIMS that the green substance is actually icing. However, I don't believe that. Next they'll be trying to tell me that Snorkles can fly. The only thing the snot on these cookies has in common with icing is its color and even that seems like a stretch to me. First off, this 'icing' smells terrible. It is also sticky. I accidentally got some of it on my fingers one time. I almost scrubbed my skin raw trying to scrape that revolting substance off of it. I don't know if the 'icing' tastes like what I'm 99% sure it is, but I definitely won't be trying to figure that out any time soon. As gross as this is, it does have one redeeming quality. The cookies aren't completely covered in the green mucus. If you're very careful, you can get a few nibbles of clean cookies. As a bonus, these are chocolate chip cookies. Any other type of cookie wouldn't be worth the risk, but I can't resist chocolate. At least Snot colored Neopets (and probably the similarly gross Dung ones) can probably enjoy this dessert without needing to avoid the snot.

1. Plumpy

I feel awful about putting this little cutie at the top of this list. Sure he's grumpy, but he's too chubby and adorable. Oh well, it's no use denying it. At first, Plumpy seemed harmless enough. His fur was super soft and fun to rub. His snores after a large meal were absolutely precious. Best of all, Plumpy's *ahem* rotund physique made me feel extremely happy and satisfied with my own appearance. There is only one problem with this gift. Plumpy constantly, incessantly, ceaselessly demands BACON. What happen's if you don't give in to Plumpy's demands? He will eat any food he can get his paws on. He will aim for your favorite foods first and gradually consume all of the decent tasting food in your house. By the end, you'll probably be stuck with Snot-Covered Cookies and other questionable foods. As much as I love Plumpy, his spiteful attitude and bottomless stomach gives me no choice but to put him at the top of this list.

Remember, none of these gifts are necessarily bad. They all have their uses. It's just a shame that they are so easily overshadowed by the more celebrated gifts the Advent Calendar has given out over the years. With this in mind, be thankful for any gift you receive from the Advent Calendar. Some of these gifts are better than others, but they are all free items intended to spread cheer throughout Neopia.