Most succulents come home in a plain plastic pot and end up in an equally plain terracotta one. Funny succulent pots fix that. Think of a face wearing party glasses, a sheep with a fluffy cactus fleece, or a monster drooling string of pearls. The right pot turns a small plant into a character people actually talk about.

These 14 ideas mix styles you can shop with easy DIY versions, from pot head planters and pun pots to toy dinosaurs and boots on the porch. Each one is paired with the succulent that completes the joke. A mohawk only works with spiky blue chalk sticks, and a long tongue only works with a trailing plant.

There’s a practical side too. Plenty of quirky succulent planters skip the drainage hole, so you’ll find simple fixes like a hidden nursery pot liner and a good sealer. You’ll also see where to put googly eyes and spiny plants when kids and pets are around.

1. Pot Head Planters With Party Glasses and Plant Hair

The pot head planter is the craft that went viral, and it’s easy to see why. A plain terracotta pot gets a wooden bead nose, two googly eyes, painted lips, and a pair of novelty party glasses, and suddenly it has opinions.

Hot glue a flat-backed wooden ball knob to the front for the nose, then paint the whole pot in a warm skin tone. Add the eyes and lips, and wrap a strip of bandana around the rim as a headband. Seal the inside before planting, because water wicking through bare clay will lift the paint.

The plant is the punchline. A spiky haworthia poking out the top reads as a messy updo that gave up for the day, which suits a pot wearing glasses on a sunny kitchen counter.

Get the look: a medium terracotta pot, a wooden ball knob, googly eyes, craft paint, a bandana, party glasses, and a haworthia.

2. Punny Hand-Lettered Pots

Store-bought pun pots tend to recycle the same few jokes. Writing your own is half the fun, and it costs a few small white pots and a paint pen.

Try “Leaf me alone,” “Succ it up,” “Low maintenance, high standards,” or “Plant shaming is rude.” Sketch each line lightly in pencil first so the words stay centered on the curve. Then trace it with a fine black paint pen and finish with a clear matte topcoat so watering splashes don’t smudge the joke. Hens and chicks fit these small pots, and the plump rosettes keep the look friendly instead of snarky on an office desk.

Gift tip: Check that the pots have a drainage hole before you buy. Many printed pots are sold with a cute tray but no hole, and a tray can’t save a soggy root.

3. Dangling-Leg Pots That Hang Off the Shelf

A pot that sits on the edge of a bookshelf with its little legs swinging over the side is impossible to walk past without smiling. You can buy these, or make your own in an afternoon.

Roll two short legs from polymer clay, shape tiny round shoes on the ends, and bake them following the package directions. Glue them to the underside of a small round pot so the legs hang forward when the pot sits at the very edge of a shelf. A small jade plant on top looks like a tiny tree growing out of the character’s head, and the chunky trunk keeps it from looking top-heavy.

Styling note: Put a small felt pad under the pot so it grips the shelf, and choose a sturdy shelf away from doors and elbows. A dangling pot is funny until it takes a dive.

4. Toy Dinosaur Planters

A plastic dinosaur on a shelf is a toy. Cut an opening in its back and plant a tiny garden there, and it’s a planter with a backstory.

Pick a hollow plastic dinosaur with a wide body. Cutting the opening is an adult job: use a sharp craft knife, cut away from your hands, and poke a few small drainage holes in the belly. Spray paint it matte white or soft gold outside in a well-ventilated spot, then fill it with cactus and succulent potting mix. Tuck in baby sedum cuttings so the greenery looks like a little forest on the dinosaur’s back.

A row of three in different species is funnier than one. If your kids want a whole prehistoric scene, these mini succulent terrarium ideas make a good next project.

5. The Cheeky Bum Pot

Bathroom humor, literally. A pot shaped like a little rear end gets a laugh from every guest, and the bathroom shelf is its natural home. Keep it classy with a matte white or soft blush finish rather than anything too realistic, and let the plant do the rest.

A compact echeveria rosette sits up top like a tidy bun, which makes the whole thing read as cheeky rather than crude. Most novelty pots like this have no drainage hole, so plan for that before you plant.

6. Woolly Sheep Pot With an Old Lady Cactus

The joke here is in the hair. An old lady cactus is covered in soft white fuzz, so planted in a sheep-shaped pot it looks exactly like a fresh, fluffy fleece.

Buy a small sheep planter, or paint your own: a matte white pot, a little black face and two floppy ears painted on the front, and four short black legs glued underneath. The round cactus sits right where the wool should be, so the plant finishes the animal instead of decorating it. Set it on a sunny home office windowsill, since cacti like this want plenty of bright light.

That fluff hides small hooked spines, so handle the plant with folded newspaper or gloves and keep it away from curious kids and pets.

7. Monster Mouth Pots With a String of Pearls Tongue

Just in time for Halloween, though it works all year. Paint a terracotta pot bright lime green. Add a wide, open, gap-toothed mouth across the front and two mismatched eyes above it, one big and one small.

Then let the plant finish the face. String of pearls planted right at the front edge spills over the rim and down past the mouth, so the beaded strands look like a long, goofy tongue or a monster drooling over its lunch. Seal the inside before planting so the paint holds up to watering. A shelf by a bright window keeps the strands full instead of stringy.

You will need: a small terracotta pot, lime green, white, and black acrylic paint, a clear sealer, and a string of pearls.

8. The Lazy Lounger With a Belly Garden

Reclining figure planters, the little guys lying on their backs with a planting pocket where the belly should be, are among the most popular funny planters out there. They’re also among the trickiest to keep alive, because that pocket is shallow and dries out fast.

Plant it with a low mat of jelly bean plant. The plump, bead-like leaves look like a green blanket pulled up to the chin, and shallow-rooted succulents handle the small pocket better than anything tall. Check the soil more often than you would in a regular pot. Water only when it’s fully dry, and pour off anything that pools.

Set the lounger on the corner of a coffee table so he looks like he’s watching TV with you. For more ways to dress that table, these succulent table decor ideas add easy company.

9. Googly-Eye Pots That Stare Back

One googly eye is a little silly. Two oversized ones on a plain terracotta pot turn it into a character that watches you do the dishes.

Glue two large googly eyes high on the front of the pot, slightly crossed or looking in different directions for extra comedy. Then pick a plant with built-in attitude. A fuzzy panda plant, with its velvety silver leaves tipped in brown, reads as a bad case of bedhead sitting right above the eyes. Use a strong craft glue rather than hot glue, which can let go when the pot gets damp, and keep the pot indoors on a bright kitchen windowsill.

Googly eyes are a choking hazard for babies and toddlers, so glue them on firmly and keep these pots up high and out of small hands.

10. Joke Mugs Turned Desk Planters

Everyone owns at least one mug with a joke on it that’s too good to throw out and too chipped to drink from. Give it a second career on your desk.

Mugs have no drainage hole, so don’t plant directly into one. Plant a small aloe in a plastic nursery pot that fits inside the mug, then drop it in. The mug hides the plastic, and you can lift the plant out to water it at the sink. A spiky aloe paired with a sarcastic mug is a match made in the break room.

Desk tip: Put the mug where it gets light from a window, because aloe sulks under office lights alone. These easy-care succulent container ideas have more ways to dress up a desk without killing anything.

11. Rock-Star Face Pot With a Blue Chalk Sticks Mohawk

A pot that looks like it’s about to play a stadium show needs the right hair. Paint a terracotta pot matte black, then add a pair of white sunglasses and a crooked, confident smirk with a paint pen.

Plant blue chalk sticks in a single straight line across the middle of the pot instead of in a clump. The upright, powder-blue stems stand up like a spiked mohawk, and the whole joke depends on that one planting choice. Seal the inside before planting, and set it on a bright bookshelf where the stems can stay tall instead of flopping.

That’s the secret behind every funny face pot: choose the plant for the hairstyle you want.

12. Kids’ Rain Boots and Roller Skate Planters

Outgrown rain boots and a lone roller skate usually end up in the donation pile. On the porch steps, they make some of the funniest planters on the block.

Drilling drainage holes through the rubber soles and the skate’s base is an adult job, so use a drill and clamp the shoe down first. Fill each with cactus and succulent potting mix. Burro’s tail spilling out of the skate looks like the wheels are rolling off into a jungle, while a pair of bright yellow boots planted with hens and chicks reads like someone stepped in a garden and kept walking. If you love turning odd finds into planters, these succulent planter DIY ideas run on the same thrifty spirit.

Many succulents can’t handle frost, so bring the boots and skate indoors before cold nights arrive.

13. Pots Wearing Tiny Knit Beanies and Scarves

The whole gag is the hat. A round pincushion cactus wearing a tiny knit beanie looks like it’s bracing for winter, and it’s the easiest holiday gift you’ll make this year.

Look for miniature knit hats sold as ornaments at craft stores, or knit a few from scrap yarn. Perch one on top of the cactus, then tie a thin strip of matching knit or felt around the pot’s rim as a scarf. Make a set of three in different colors for a holiday gift swap, lined up on an entryway console so guests meet them on the way in.

Take the hat off before watering. Wet wool sitting on a cactus is a fast way to invite rot, so it’s a costume for show, not for bath time.

14. A Funny Pot Family Shelf That Looks Curated

One funny pot is a joke. Eight random funny pots crammed together on a shelf is a yard sale. The difference is a few simple styling rules.

Keep the pots in one color family, like cream, terracotta, and sage, so the faces and figures read as a cast instead of clutter. Group them in odd numbers, mix heights so the eye moves up and down, and repeat one plant across two or three pots to tie the set together. Give each character a little breathing room, and choose one star, like the rock-star mohawk or the dangling-leg pot, to sit front and center.

Styling note: Add one plain pot for every two funny ones. The quiet pots make the jokes land harder. For more ways to group plants, these pretty succulent arrangements follow the same rules.

How to Pick Funny Plant Pots That Keep Succulents Alive

A good joke shouldn’t cost you a plant. Run every funny pot through this quick check before it comes home.

Funny Succulent Pots FAQ

Do funny succulent pots have drainage holes?

Many don’t, especially printed pun pots, mugs, and resin figures. Check before you buy. If there’s no hole, keep the succulent in its plastic nursery pot inside the novelty pot and lift it out to water at the sink. Ideas 5 and 10 both use this trick.

What succulents look like hair in a face planter?

It depends on the hairstyle. Blue chalk sticks planted in a line make a mohawk, haworthia makes a messy updo, and string of pearls or burro’s tail make long, flowing hair. Old lady cactus and panda plant read as fluffy curls. The table in idea 11 lays out every match.

How do you make a face planter at home?

Start with a terracotta pot and seal the inside. Paint it a skin tone, hot glue on a wooden bead nose and googly eyes, and paint lips and cheeks. Party glasses or a bandana add personality. Then plant something spiky or trailing for hair, as shown in idea 1.

Are funny succulent pots good gifts?

Yes, they make easy, inexpensive gifts that get a real laugh. Pick a pot with a drainage hole or tuck a liner inside, and include a short care note telling the recipient to water only when the soil is dry. The pun pots in idea 2 and the beanie pots in idea 13 are good gift picks.

Can funny novelty planters go outside?

Some can, in mild, dry weather. Resin and glazed ceramic pots handle porches better than painted terracotta or anything with glued-on googly eyes. Make sure there’s drainage, and bring both pots and succulents indoors before frost. The boot and skate planters in idea 12 follow this rule.

Conclusion

A plant doesn’t have to be serious to be cared for well. Pick one or two funny succulent pots that make you laugh, match each one with a succulent that finishes the joke, and sort out drainage before you plant. Then group them with a few plain pots so the characters stand out instead of crowding each other. Once your cast grows, you’ll want more plants to fill new pots, and these succulent propagation ideas turn one plant into many for free. Save this for the next time you need a gift that gets a laugh.