Photo: T. Al Nakib (FreeImages.com)
Looking for a Czech gift that isn’t a load of old toss? PraguePig.com has a few ideas that don’t involve glass or spa wafers.
Contents
• Romantic Gifts
• Clothes & Accessories
• Food & Booze
• Gifts for Kids
• Home & Garden
• Books
• NSFW/WTF
Romantic Gifts
 | KAREL GOTT BEDDING For fans of the world's greatest Czech singer (and who isn't?), here's Matějovský's beguiling range of Kája-themed duvet covers, pillowcases and cushion covers. Take your pick from three exciting styles: "Romantic", "Gentleman" and "Cabrio". Website (CZE) |
 | CZECH POLICE THONGS Looking for a special gift for your favourite Czech police officer? Policie-darky.cz's the site for you! Along with arresting (sorry) underwear, the site features a selection of cop-themed merch perfect for those who think All Cops Are Beautiful. Website (CZE) |
 | FLOWER BOUQUETS FOR MEN Think flowers are only for women? Don't be so Anglo-Saxon! Prague 10-Vršovice florist Květinové studio Petra offers a range of bouquets for men, full of all the things men love most. (In this case, sausages, cigarettes and cheese.) Website (CZE) |
Clothes & Accessories
 | MAAPPI T-SHIRTS With help from his parents, Matěj Hošek, a Prague-area schoolboy with Asperger's, has turned his fascination with public transport maps into a growing empire. His distinctive designs now adorn a range of clothing and accessories. Website (CZE & ENG) |
 | CLASP'PIN BACKPACKS Frustrated by the poor quality of commercially available backpacks, Clasp'pin founder Jiří Salač began making his own, by hand, from leather, in Mníšek pod Brdy. They're not cheap but they are rather snazzy. Website (CZE & ENG) |
Food & Booze
 | A TRAM MADE OF ASPIC & HAM In the Czech Republic, it's not really a celebration until you're eating aspic. Prague 2-Nusle-based website Dobroty od nás takes the see-through jelly to new heights with its amazing range of "savoury cakes". Website (CZE) |
 | 'ELEPHANT URINE' In 2016, to celebrate its 85th anniversary, Prague zoo began selling a Becherovka-like herbal liqueur called "Sloní moč" ("Elephant Urine"). PraguePig.com has tried it and hopes the name is just clever marketing. Website (CZE) |
Gifts for Kids
 | 'THIS IS PRAGUE' BOOK A charming English-language picture book by Michaela Kukovičová & Olga Černá, inspired by Czech emigre M. Šašek's "This is..." series. Baobab also publish an English-language book dedicated to Šašek himself, plus Czech versions of his originals. Website (CZE & ENG) |
 | 'JOŽIN Z BAŽIN' BOARD GAME Ivan Mládek's viral hit is basically the unofficial Czech national anthem, and "Jožin z bažin" fans can now enjoy the song in the form of this board game, which currently scores a mighty 5 out of 10 on BoardGameGeek. Website (CZE) |
 | ROCKERBOARDS Prague-based Utukutu's "houpací prkno" is as simple as it's stylish. It's basically just a curved piece of beechwood that your child can rock, balance, sit or slide on. And if you'd like a go yourself, go ahead: the board can withstand up to 200 kilos in weight. Website (CZE & ENG) |
Home & Garden
 | A BEER SPA BATH For beer aficionados who want to take homebrew to the next level, Vlachovice, Zlin Region-based cooper Josef Fryzelka produces handmade wooden baths of the sort found in Czech beer spas. Sadly, beer is not included. Website (CZE) |
 | DRUMBEN They're just a big cardboard tubes with lids but Drumbens are an essential part of the PraguePig.com household, filling in as bedside table, extra chair and thing-you-can-stand-on-when-you-need-something-from-a-high-shelf. Website (CZE) |
 | COOL CAR POSTERS* Ideal for the boy or girl racer in your life, Prague-based Automobilist produce a dazzling range of retro car posters, featuring a hyper-realistic blend of photography and CGI. There's also a gallery in Vinohrady. Website (ENG) |
Books
 | 'SLAVIC MISERY'** Featuring biographies of some of Central & Eastern Europe's most colourful characters (Czechs included), "An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery" is the work of Prague-based John William Bills, who crowd-funded and self-published this mighty tome. Website (ENG) |
 | 'DIRTY CZECH' Martin Blaha's entry in US publisher Ulysses Press's "Dirty" series doesn't disappoint, taking in crude insults, crass expressions and mucky pillow talk - plus a bit of not-so-dirty filler. Available from Amazon.co.uk. Website (ENG) |
NSFW/WTF
 | RENEGATA'S CROCHETED 'TEA KOZI' A Czech equivalent of Etsy, Fler.cz is a great source of weird and wonderful handmade gifts, among them this brilliant bra-wearing teacup created by Karlovy Vary-based renegata. Perfect for keeping warm on long winter nights. Website (CZE) |
 | DREVENEPOTESENI'S WOODEN VIBRATORS Sex fiends with a penchant for DIY might appreciate one of Strakonice, South Bohemia-based Fler.cz vendor drevenepoteseni's ("woodenpleasure's") carve-it-yourself wooden vibrator kits. Sparks will fly. Hopefully not literally. Website (CZE) |
Disclosure
Every gift in this article was selected on its merits (or lack thereof), and PraguePig.com has received no payment, cash or otherwise, for featuring products. There are, however, a couple of cases where I do have a connection to the vendor involved:
* PraguePig.com used to do a bit of social media for Automobilist, back when it was known as the Silver Arrows Project.
** “An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery” is one of PraguePig.com’s media partners.
Any Suggestions?
Please email them to praguepig@gmail.com.
