It's a tiny bit of joy!' How trinket swapping is making the world a happier place, one china sheep at a time

"Boxes filled with tchotchkes that visitors exchange for their own trinkets are popping up everywhere. Emerging in the US last autumn (Philadelphia had one of the first using a ready-made electrical junction box, a popular format), they're a new iteration of a phenomenon that started with Little Free Libraries and diversified during the pandemic into myriad neighbourhood installations."

"Rachael Harms Mahlandt, a Portland-based artist, has been creating and cataloguing what she calls sidewalk joy since 2022 (her yard hosts a mug exchange, seed and stationery swaps, and a mini-library for itty-bitty books). She started a world map of installations in 2024 and it just keeps growing. In the past two months, the map has gone from 800 to nearly 1,500 sidewalk delights, and the UK is a hotspot."

"Stevens, 29, originally from Toronto, works as a pet-sitter, which means she can do lots of extra things, she says. I love to do stuff with other people. She was inspired by seeing a San Francisco trinket exchange, @sunset.trinket.trade, online: I'm big on trinket collecting and I loved her concept."

Trinket exchange boxes represent a growing phenomenon where community members swap small collectibles and tchotchkes through shared installations. Emerging from the Little Free Libraries movement and expanding during the pandemic, these boxes have proliferated from the US to become a worldwide trend. Artist Rachael Harms Mahlandt has been documenting these installations since 2022, creating a world map that grew from 800 to nearly 1,500 locations in just two months. The UK has become a particular hotspot for this trend. Organizers like Sam Stevens in Edinburgh create vibrant, curated boxes that encourage community interaction and connection through the simple act of trading small treasures.

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