It's an interesting thing that fans sometimes feel compelled to send things to their favorite celebrities. Fan letters make a certain kind of sense, although we doubt that many people still send actual paper letters anymore now that they can simply try to slide into a celeb's DMs. (Confession: We may have sent a New Kid on the Block a letter or two in our day!) But the impulse to send a rich and famous celebrity a gift is an interesting thing, especially since stars can pretty much buy whatever they want.
Of course, fan gifts are likely more about wanting to connect with the celebrity than to merely give them a present. That desire to express to a celebrity how much they or their art might mean to someone is why fans will sometimes send their favorite singer, actor, or sports star art or other homemade items. Those are generally harmless enough, but sometimes fans go a little (or a lot) sideways and send celebrities items that are odd, unusual, weird, or even downright scary.
It turns out there's a fine line between sending a gift and engaging in some light stalking by mail! Read on for 15 of the weirdest things fans have sent celebrities — and do not think of this as a shopping guide.
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Jared Leto's Ear
We are not going to include the photos of what Jared Leto got sent — and we're pretty sure everyone will thank us for that. A fan mailed him an actual human ear. It is a weird (and gross) gift, but Jared is kind of a weird dude, so he not only kept it, he wore it as jewelry. Yikes!
Zac Efron's Skin
We promise that this isn't going to be a story entirely filled with anecdotes about celebrities being gifted human body parts. That said, we do have to note that Zac Efron was once given a piece of skin (unclear how large, but is any size really a good size?) from a fan. Ew.
Dolly Parton Meets Baby Jolene
We all love Dolly Parton (it is basically required by law at this point), but one fan loved her so much that she literally left her baby on the country music icon's doorstep. Dolly recounted to Larry King that she arrived home one day to find an infant in a basket by her driveway with a note that said the baby was named Jolene (after Dolly's hit song). Dolly did the right thing and called the police and child protective services. It is unknown what happened to the baby, but hopefully she found a good home, even if it wasn't with Dolly!
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The Jonas Brothers & the Shark
The Jonas Brothers were teen heartthrobs back in the day and got more than their fair share of love letters in the mail. They also, according to a 2009 interview with Digital Spy, once got sent a dead baby shark by a fan. It was a gift that left them with more questions than answers, according to Kevin Jonas, who remarked, "We're still trying to figure out how they actually went about buying a dead shark. I mean, is there such a website as Buyadeadshark.com?"
Robert Pattison & the Toothpicks
Robert Pattison went through a phase where he regularly chewed on toothpicks during interviews and on the red carpet as a way to help himself quit smoking. Fans noticed and started bringing toothpicks to events he was attending, and he has shared that he's been inundated with fans trying to give him more toothpicks. Better than a dead shark though, we'd argue!
Taylor Swift's Turtle
Taylor Swift is known for having highly dedicated fans, and the beginnings of her passionate fandom were obvious even when she was still a teenager working in the country genre. Back in 2008, she gave an interview with The Boot and revealed that in addition to fans tattooing her name on their bodies, someone gave her a big turtle shell with her face painted on it. "That was definitely a first!" she said.
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Lady Gaga's NSFW Gift
During a concert in Australia, a fan presented Lady Gaga with a gift. An extremely personal gift, indeed. She opened it on stage and discovered a new (thank goodness!) vibrator and joked that the fan was worried that she wasn't "getting enough action" and wanted to give "moral support" to the amused singer.
Ariana Grande's Creepy Stalker Gifts
Not all gifts are welcome and appreciated, especially when they come from a fan who has been engaging in stalking behavior. In 2016, a 31-year-old man was placed on probation for harassing Ariana Grande, including by sending her an odd assortment of items including an ankle bracelet, dog- and cat-themed calendars, and even a rock. This wasn't the first time he'd been in trouble for something like this, as he also sent Ariana a pumpkin through the mail in 2014.
Tom Hiddleston: Pole Dancer?
We love Tom Hiddleston as the character of Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies, but apparently that role has inspired some unusual gifts along the way. "I've had some very strange fan mail over the years," he told HuffPost.
He explained: "There's a moment in the first Thor movie where Thor and Loki are engaged in a fight. I have a spear in my hand and I make a huge leap to spear Chris [Hemsworth], but he dodges out of the way. The spear is embedded into the ground, so I use the spear as a lever to spin myself around and kick him in the chest. Well, some fans have interpreted this as emblematic of my hidden talent at pole dancing. I've received a surprising number of depictions of myself in a pair of tight briefs and a horny helmet dancing on a pole. That is pretty weird and hilarious."
Harry Styles & the Weird Love Letter
Back when he was still in his boy band days with One Direction, Harry Styles revealed that one fan sent him a sanitary pad with his name written on it. He didn't say what his name was written with so we are really, really hoping it was just some red ink!
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Jeffrey Tambor Hates His Fan Gifts
One of the gags on the show Arrested Development features actor Jeffrey Tambor screaming the words, "There's always money in the banana stand." This line has led to many fans finding ways to send bananas to Jeffrey. He explained this and his problem with it to Time magazine: "When I go to a hotel, it's a good chance that the chef will have sent up frozen bananas. But I hate frozen bananas."
Kesha's Interesting Use of Teeth
Singer Kesha apparently loves both her fans and creating weird arts-and-crafts projects. She requested that her fans send her human teeth, and they responded so enthusiastically that she was able to make a crown and a bra out of them. She'll be a hit if she ever performs at a dental convention!
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Norman Reedus & the Implant
Walking Dead star Norman Reedus is no stranger to things that are a little creepy, given that he acted with zombies for many years. But we're not sure which is the weirder, creepier fan gift for him: the breast implant or the bag of squirrel meat?
Emma Watson & the Good Book
One of the dangers of being a Harry Potter star is dealing with people who think that any books or movies about witches and wizards are somehow dangerous or antireligious. Emma Watson has shared in the past that multiple fans sent her copies of the Bible after she rose to fame as the beloved Hermione Granger.
Daniel Radcliffe's Picture of Milk
Emma Watson isn't the only member of the Harry Potter franchise cast who got some unwanted gifts. The Daily Mirror reported on one creepy present. "I also got sent a photograph of a milk bottle and a door. It was my house! There were two people in front of it. There was only a door between us. That was very strange," Daniel told the outlet.
