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About National Boss Day 2010

National Boss Day is Oct. 15, 2010

When is it?: National Boss Day is Oct. 15. In 2010, National Boss Day falls on a Friday.

Origin: National Boss Day was launched in 1958 by Patricia Bays Haroski, an Illinois secretary. Was she a mastermind suck-up? A person with an exceptionally wonderful boss? Or was she just a super-competent secretary whose boss added to her "to do" list: "Create national holiday in my honor"? Actually, she was an appreciative daughter who worked for her dad whose birthday was Oct. 16. That's how National Bosses Day became the day to honor bosses.

12 Fun Gift Ideas for Bosses Day!

It's a tough job to find a good gift for your boss. But help has arrived! Whether you need that gift for National Boss Day, a birthday or some other occasion, we have 12 fast, fun and affordable gift ideas for bosses. (For even more ideas, see the Boss Gift Idea Store).

Check out our updated picks for fun National Boss Day gifts. All these boss gift ideas have one thing in common -- fun! Read on for hilarious gifts, executive toys, cool novelties, gag gifts and gift ideas about fun in the workplace! (We fund this site through the small payments we receive from affiliate programs when someone makes a purchase using some of the links on this page.)

1. Virtual Yes Man software!

Outsource the yes-man duties in your office to this hilarious virtual yes man and lackey software! His name is Al Morale and he will make your boss feel like royalty! That's why Al is so popular around National Bosses Day. Al schmoozes your boss with nearly 150 lines of funny flattery, hilarious praise and comic kudos! He will agree with everything your boss says and even laugh at your boss's jokes! This is the ultimate boss gag gift -- perfect if your boss has a great sense of humor.

You can get Al Morale software for same-day delivery by ordering the downloadable version for just $14.95. It's a very funny gift for your boss. See for yourself with this demo version of Al Morale.

Hire Al Morale to schmooze your boss. Order Al Morale, the virtual yesman software, for just $14.95.

2. Stress Relief Toys!

Desk Toy Box is loaded with toys for escaping day-to-day stress and retaining a playful outlook. The Desk Toy Box includes cool things to squish, bend, stretch and whirl your cares away. And at $24.99, it's a bargain compared to buying all these items separately. (But if you want to buy just a few specific office toys, there's no better play than Office Playground.)

3. Meeting Time / Cost Calculator

Give your boss shorter meetings and you could be employee of the month for life. While you can't control time, a mere $25 buys this neat meeting time/cost calculator. This clever gizmo lets your boss punch in the estimated value of everyone's time, then push the start button to maintain a running total of the meeting's estimated cost as time elapses. The "Bring Tim" device will remind everyone to get to the point and let everyone get back to work. Order for $24.99 at www.bringtim.com

4. Career Advice by Dave Barry

"Claw Your Way to the Top: How to Become the Head of a Major Corporation in Roughly a Week" By Dave Barry (Order for just $10.36 at Amazon.com)

Want to make your boss cry? This book is so funny, your boss will have eyes full of tears from laughing. Really! This is quite possibly the funniest book every written about the modern workplace. Dave Barry's "Claw Your Way to the Top: How to Become the Head of a Major Corporation in Roughly a Week" delivers sweet comic relief from workplace frustrations.

5. The Cubes

The Cubes Give your boss a playful reminder of what it's like out there in the cube farm. This hilarious playset features "Bob", who occupies a small desk surrounded by four gray walls and stares at a computer monitor for a living. This office cube set includes all the parts to build a classic corporate cube: one 2.75-inch plastic figure, 4 walls, desk, chair, file cabinet, in/out box, phone, and computer. Also includes one Cube Décor Sticker Sheet and one Job Title Sticker Sheet. Got Bob? You can for just $12.99. Office Playground

6. Fun with Fish

Can't take the boss to lunch? Give her fish sticks.Here's a fun treatment of a serious subject: workplace morale. This book and companion DVD gives your boss insights and inspiration for how to boost morale. Great idea for National Bosses Day!

Fish! Sticks: A Remarkable Way to Adapt to Changing Times and Keep Your Work Fresh with DVD is part of the popular series of Fish! motivational materials.Order from Amazon.com for discount price of just $13.97. (Includes book and DVD!)

7. Fun Works

''Fun Works -- Creating Places Where People Love to Work'' by Leslie Yerkes.

Help your boss make work fun for both of you. This new book dives deep into the work ethic mindsets that trap us into thinking fun is at best an add-on to the work day. The author offers lots of fun examples of real companies that make fun work. She also explains the how and why of integrating fun into your workplace. Order from Amazon.com for just $13.27.

8. Be a Team Player, Not a Ball Hog

Satisfy the sports maniac in your boss with this assortment of four popular sports balls. There's a football, basketball, baseball and soccer ball. If your boss is always tossing sports cliches at you, here's your chance to score big with a brilliant gift move. And at just $9.99, you can't lose! Office Playground

9. The Gift with Good Vibes!

Need a gift with good karma? The Zen Garden is the way. The ancient art of Zen gardening will help your boss achieve balance and harmony by creating serene patterns with rocks and sand in a 9x9x2 inch rosewood garden space. The garden includes a Book of Meditations to guide your boss to a state of mind where stress and chaos will just have to get their own beach. And at just $29.99 for the deluxe model, it's a whole lot cheaper than therapy. Office Playground

10. Gumball Machine

Got gum? Your boss will with this great Gumball Machine. This colorful, antique-styled gumball machine is metal and 15-inches high. It dispenses gumballs, jellybeans, peanuts and more. Make a sweet impression for just $39.99. Visit this link and search for other versions of the gumball machine -- there are many sizes and prices. Great gift! Just don't spend all your paycheck buying gumballs from the boss. Office Playground

11. Bozo Bop Bag

In the 60s, the comedy troupe Firesign Theater declared, "We're all bozos on a bus." Fast forward 40 or 50 years, and we're still bozos, but now we have jobs. Stressful jobs. And we could use a fun outlet for some of that tension. That's where Bozo Bop Bag comes to the rescue. He's almost 4-feet tall, inflatible, has bright red hair and would love to get bopped in the nose. This inflatable bag has a sand-filled base to give Bozo a satisfying wobble when you give him a poke. Use the bozo bag to relieve workday tensions in a humorous, harmless way. The Bozo Bop Bag is just $15.99. There's an optional hand-pump inflator for $2.99 extra. Office Playground

12. The Levity Effect:Why It Pays to Lighten Up

"The Levity Effect: Why It Pays to Lighten Up" By Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher (Order for just $15.61 at Amazon.com)

Office humor raises morale and profits, according to this new book by two motivational consultants. Writer Gostick says, "We define levity as more of a lightness, more being fun than being funny." So don't worry that this book requires you to be Jerry Seinfeld in addition to your regular duties. The book provides examples from companies such as Lego America, Google, Whole Foods. Benefits of a fun workplace include higher employee loyalty, health benefits, stress reduction and more.

Still stuck? Here's Plan B for Bosses Day gift ideas:

PLAN B: Still can't find the perfect boss gift? Here's a brilliant Plan B: Forget the person; buy for the pet. You'll get kudos for thoughtfulness and thinking outside the box when you get a cool pet toy for the boss's dog or cat. Check out these cool pet toy selections:

For the Boss's dog or cat:

Kitten Mitten ($5.90 at Amazon.com) catnip, pom-poms and more.
Multipet Wiggly Giggly Ball ($13.99 at Amazon.com) What dog can resist batting this ball around?
Atomic Saucerball ($9.90 at Amazon.com) is firm enough to fling and fly, but soft enough to be easy on fido's chomps. What makes it atomic? It is made from actual atoms of matter!

BONUS: More ideas: