What started as an effort to bring a little whimsy to the community has taken a bit of a turn, for some. 

Trinket trade boxes have taken over cities throughout the country. The boxes are typically zip-tied to street posts and are full of little knick-knacks. They are designed for people to trade and collect little mementos they’ve accumulated. 

The boxes’ fame originated after they went viral on TikTok, with people putting up their own in their respective towns. 

The boxes include stickers, small toys and fidgets and are free to the public. They encourage community members to engage with their peers. 

“You don’t have to pay for it, and it’s something you can just participate in,” said Alyssa Schneider, a Fresno resident. “I think it’s really a way to bring people together. It’s cute. Who doesn’t want a little whimsy in their life?” 

The trinket trade boxes first started appearing at the end of 2025, and the Clovis area got the first one in Old Town Clovis in December. 

However, nearly two months later, the box isn’t doing so well. On Feb. 7, the Clovis Trinket Trade owner posted on Instagram that the box was severely damaged and disrespected. The Collegian reached out for comment, but the owner did not disclose their name.

“This box has actually been horrible for me mentally,” said the owner of Clovis Trinket Trade. “I’ve gotten a lot of people breaking my box and writing horrible notes and commenting mean things and sending me DMs [direct messages] with the most hateful messages.”

The owner said they are considering taking the box down, but have not decided. 

And it wasn’t always like this. When the box was at its peak in January, several other trinket boxes started rising in Fresno and Clovis. 

Since then, there are now over four boxes in the area, with the most recent one installed across the street from the River Park Shopping Center at the end of January. 

The boxes even have people coming back multiple times. Shakira Yang, a Fresno local, has visited the box a couple of times and has even brought friends from out of town.

Yang and her group of friends attended the University of California, Davis, and although her friend group now lives in different cities, they still find ways to come together. 

“I remember [at] UC Davis, they had like communal libraries, and I saw that a lot in other major cities, like Sacramento,” said Justin Prasad, a Sacramento resident and Yang’s close friend. “So seeing that for like books, but seeing this for trinkets is really cool. You know, all of us Gen Zers love our trinkets. So that’s what brought us all here.”

Yang has even donated items to the box that hold significant sentimental value. 

“Last time I came, and I left a bunch of little stickers, like Hello Kitty stickers, and I left a necklace as well, that was like, really personal to me, but I wanted to let somebody else enjoy it,” Yang said. 

The trinket trade boxes share a resemblance to the Little Free Libraries, which were started in 2009 by Todd Bol, in Hudson, Wisconsin, to honor his mother. The concept behind the mini libraries is to give a book and take a book, to encourage and increase 24/7 book access. 

The little libraries have circulated and been seen in certain areas, especially around schools. Now, with the trinket trade boxes, Fresno State students have noticed them and made that connection. 

“I think it’s super cute,” said Ella Cline, a Fresno State agriculture education major. “It’s like, there’s nothing else like it around. I mean, I’ve seen the book ones, like that’s kind of similar, but nothing like this.”

Yang also referenced the current political climate and said that trinket trading is a small way to try to make a change. The concept of small exchanges, or the “give-and-take” idea, is one that has been around since the mid-to-late 1700s. 

The trinket trade boxes make it possible for people to donate a little piece of their happiness in exchange for something else that will also make them happy. It’s a happiness for happiness trade. 

“I think we need more of that, especially in times like now, and so it’s a good way to start making small, little impacts and [bringing] kindness around to the community,” Yang said.

While some of the trinket trade boxes have faced negativity, the TikTok community surrounding the effort remains mostly positive, and those in the Fresno and Clovis areas see the good in them. 

“I think it’s a fun way to bring just a little bit of joy into someone’s life, even if it is a little trinket,” Cline said.