Funny 40th Birthday Gag Gifts: Milestone Presents They'll Actually Laugh At

Forty is the birthday where the jokes write themselves. Two-day hangovers, a bad back from sneezing, being in bed by half ten and calling it a win.

A gag gift works best when it is aimed at something they have genuinely started saying out loud. Here is what to buy, and where the line is.

Honest note: we design and print our cards, badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. The tiny violin is a recommendation from elsewhere.

Jokes about the ageing, which starts officially at 40

• The world's smallest violin, for the first mention of the back. The world's smallest violin is a keyring-sized violin that plays a tiny, tinny sad tune when you turn the handle. It exists purely to be produced the moment somebody starts a sentence with "I've had the worst day". Cheap, pocket-sized, and it never stops being funny.
• A hot water bottle presented as a party accessory.
• Reading glasses in three strengths, so they can pick.
• A joke pin badge announcing the decade - Shop the range
• A funny 40th card that does not pull its punches - Shop the range

Gifts about the hangovers

• A hangover kit: electrolytes, paracetamol, an eye mask and a sad sandwich voucher.
• A blanket for the sofa they now go to at ten o'clock.
• A proper eye mask for the recovery day - Shop the range
• A herbal tea selection, presented as a serious lifestyle intervention.
• A shot glass with a lid on it. They will not need it.

For the party

• Banners and bunting that state the number in enormous letters - Shop the range
• A photo board of them at twenty, at thirty and now.
• 40th birthday party games - Read the guide
• 40th birthday party ideas - Read the guide
• A group card that everyone writes one line of abuse in - Shop the range

Where the line is

• Age jokes: fine. Jokes about their weight, hair or relationship: not fine.
• Check whether they are actually enjoying turning 40 before going hard.
• If they are sensitive about it, buy a real gift and put the joke in the card.
• Gag gift plus one proper present is the safe formula.
• Nothing that only works in front of their friends and not their mum.

Lines for the card

• "Forty. The warranty has officially expired."
• "You're not old. You're just fluent in back pain."
• "Happy 40th - here's a violin for the next twenty years of complaints."
• "Still younger than most of the people at your party. Just."
• "Forty looks good on you, which is genuinely annoying."

Shop 40th birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• Aim the joke at what they already say out loud.
• Gag gift plus one real present.
• Put the biggest joke in the card.

Where to shop next

• Funny cards
• Funny gifts
• Pin badges
• Funny wall art
• Greetings cards
• Funny leaving gifts for colleagues
• Funny gifts for your brother
• Sarcastic gifts for friends
• Funny retirement gifts
• Funny stocking fillers
• The world's smallest violin, explained
• Prank and gag gifts under GBP 10
• Work colleague leaving gift
• Leaving card message for a colleague
• Funny leaving rhymes
• Leaving do ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• Birthday badges & party pins
• 40th birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Party bag ideas for adults
• How much helium do you need for balloons?
• Mother's Day gifts
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What is a good 40th birthday gag gift?

Anything aimed at what they have started complaining about: a tiny violin for the back pain, reading glasses, a hangover kit or a hot water bottle wrapped as a party accessory.

How much should you spend on a 40th gag gift?

Under GBP 15 for the joke, then a real present alongside it. The gag gets the laugh, the real gift gets remembered.

Are age jokes okay for a 40th birthday?

Usually, if they are joking about it themselves. If they are quietly dreading it, buy a proper gift and keep the humour to the card.

Do you make the tiny violin yourselves?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints, candles and party decorations in the UK. The world's smallest violin is a recommendation from elsewhere - only the things linked to our own shop are ours.