Gifts for Grown-Up Kids in Their Thirties and Forties

Holigays 2022 // Header by Viv Le

One of the best things about being a grown-up is that you can spend your money on things that would have made you so happy as a kid. I feel like this is especially true for queer and trans people who sometimes didn’t have excellent childhoods and could really use a chance to nurture their inner child with some rebuilt memories. At least that’s what I tell myself when I spend all weekend watching cartoons! I’m 43 years old and I love to play! I love to play video games, board games, table top roleplaying games with my friends. I love to decorate my spaces with superheroes and animated queer characters in love. If you or someone you know is a kid at heart too, this gift guide is for you!

Video Gamers

1. A Nintendo Switch. 2. Adult legos. 3. A mechanical keyboard. 4. A Roost coffee mug. 5. The game Stray. 6. A pair of gaming headphones with headset. — 1. Nintendo Switch ($320) // 2. Lego Horizon Zeo Dawn Tallneck ($90) // 3. Anne Pro 2 60% mechanical keyboard ($90) // 4. Brewster’s The Roost coffee cup ($29) // 5. Stray ($40) // 6. Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense Wired USB Gaming Headset ($110)

There’s truly no limit to the cool things you can get a person who loves to play video games, from stickers to consoles, a few bucks to hundreds of dollars. This is just a sampling of the smorgasbord. If you’re looking to buy any kind of console, get yourself on a waiting list or go ahead and buy it as soon as you can. Oh, and Stray was the favorite new game of the year for every queer I know.

Table Top Gamers

1. A D&D Players Handbook. 2. Thirsty Sword Lesbians. 3.Exploding Kittens game. 4. A set of blue dice for D&D. 5. A set of black dice for D&D. 6. Stardew Valley — 1. Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook ($23) // 2. Thirsty Sword Lesbians ($30) // 3. Exploding Kittens ($10) // 4. Mighty Nein Dice Set: Beauregard Lionett ($20) // 5. Mighty Nein Dice Set: Yasha Nydoorin ($20) // 6. Stardew Valley board game ($55)

Dungeons & Dragons has never been more popular, and neither have the other TTRPGs it’s inspired. Here we’ve got some classic gear for the D&D buddy in your life and a handful of other stories that are nearly universally beloved amongst queer nerds.

Superhero Stans

1. A Ryan Wilder enamel pin. 2. Harley Quinn fan art. 3. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. 4. A Valkyrie action figure. 5. A Captain Marvel Funko Pop. 6. A Dreamer water bottle sticker — 1. Batwoman enamel pin ($12) // 2. Vintage Harley and Ivy print ($10) // 3. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore ($17) // 4. Valkyrie action figure ($20) // 5. Ms. Marvel Funko POP! ($15) // 6. Dreamer sticker ($3)

I, for one, am never going to outgrow superheroes. All of the above are queer, except Ms. Marvel (for now!), and that includes canonically bisexual Wonder Woman and don’t you forget it.

Queer Cartoonies

1. Steven Universe: The Complete Collection on DVD. 2. She-Ra and Catra prom fanart print.3. Princess Bubblegum's rock shirt. 4. The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Omnibus book. 5. The Good Witch Azura journal. 6. Star Trek: Lower Decks character print. — 1. Steven Universe: The Complete Collection on DVD ($65) // 2. She-Ra and Catra prom print ($25) // 3. Princess Bubblegum’s rock shirt ($19) // 4. The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Omnibus ($25) // 5. The Good Witch Azura journal ($18) // 6. Star Trek: Lower Decks print ($25)

I say it all the time, but I really believe there’s no better LGBTQ+ representation on TV right now than on cartoons. Nearly everyone was queer on Steven Universe! And that’s the case for The Owl House too! Beckett even got a girlfriend on Star Trek: Lower Decks this season. One thing I’m thinking about this holigay season, that I haven’t for the past several years, is physical media. We’ve now witnessed how easy it is for promised projects and beloved properties to just disappear. If you can hold it in your hands, that won’t happen!