how to have a whimsical 2026
advice from an unofficial Curator of Whimsy (me) (if that wasn't clear)
Some people spend their entire lives trying to find their purpose. We ask ourselves: Why am I on this big floating rock? Am I meant to solve world hunger? Cure cancer? Piss on a billionaire’s car or two?
For me, my own purpose on this rock has always been clear: I am meant to be a Curator of Whimsy.
Being “whimsical” might look differently for you than it does for me. I will not bore you with a Merriam-Webster definition, but I will give you my own. To me, “whimsy” means being unafraid to make your own fun, no matter how silly it may seem. Whimsy means unapologetically being yourself, and showing up as that authentic-self in every space you enter. It means making magic out of the mundane on a daily basis. It means being silly whenever possible. It means laughing until you cry, even on the days when laughter feels impossible. It means spreading merriment. It means having your cake and throwing it in the face of your friends, too.
I could go on and on.
Alas, as a Curator of Whimsy, I have whimsical errands to accomplish, and must be on my magical way - Luckily, I have gathered enough intel on exactly how to generate copious amounts of whimsy that I can share this knowledge with you. Ah, my dear friend, get up! There is no need to bow to little old me. I do it all out of the kindness of my whimsical heart. You’re welcome.
Below are six tips on how to create the most whimsical 2026 possible. Follow these simple guidelines, and fairies and muppets alike will envy the overwhelming amount of whimsy you possess.
Make your space weird
The journey to Whimsy starts with a single banana-slipping step, and doesn’t even require you to leave your home.
Our space says everything about who we are, and should inspire us to reach our full potential. This is exactly why my apartment is filled to the brim with Muppets propaganda memorabilia, frogs, fairy lights, plants, and cat toys littering (pun intended) the floor. If and when I actually have the courage to invite people over, I want their first thought to be, “Man…this person is weird.”
Creating whimsy in your space does not have to be expensive. Much of my collection of whimsical tchotchkes come from thrift stores, or are simply pictures that I printed at my local library. Many of the pictures I have are of people I consider to be Whimsical Role Models, including (little) Alex Horne, Gilda Radner, and Mel Brooks.
This brings up an essential part of having a whimsical 2026: You have to pick an Icon of Whimsy to emulate. They will serve as your personal lighthouse of whimsy, and remind you that even your darkest days can be whimsical. Because I am who I am, my Icon of Whimsy will always be a Muppet. 2026’s Icon of Whimsy for me is, of course, Gonzo the Great.
I’ve chosen Gonzo this year primarily because he is unafraid to take risks. As I’m starting 2026 unemployed (womp womp), I need some of that cannon-flintlock spark that fuels each flight he takes. Your own Icon may represent a quieter (but just as powerful) force of whimsy - like Tina Fey, Jeremy Culhane, or even Stevie Nicks - or perhaps a more in-your-face force of whimsy - like Martin Short, Roger Rabbit, or Alison Hammond - but trust me when I say: There is no wrong choice. Unless the choice is Elon Musk. Then we may need to have a proper chat.
Surround yourself with whimsical media
One of the best ways to exude Whimsy is through references. Think about it: If you’re reading this essay and are either neurodivergent yourself or have neurodivergent friends (which feels highly likely given the title of this essay1), I’m positive the most whimsical people in your life have an infinite rolodex of niche media they can quote at the drop of a hat. In short, if you want to be whimsical, it is imperative to consume whimsical media. You are what you eat!!
If you’re having trouble finding whimsical media, ask your friends for suggestions - because you are a Seeker of Whimsy, I am positive your friends will expose you to phenomenally whimsical media. However, may I offer a few suggestions of my own:
the entire Muppets discography - are we surprised? But also, if you’ve never seen the original 1979 Muppet movie, stop what you’re doing right now and watch it - your life isn’t complete until you’ve seen Kermit riding a bicycle
Taskmaster (2018-present, TV) - for a sillier form of whimsy that will have you laughing until you cry. All episodes are free on Youtube!
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021, movie) - the only film I own on DVD. Selling points: Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo star, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay produce, and features a song about boobs and a talking crab named Morgan Freemand (yes with a “d”)
Tim Minchin (comedian/songwriter) - if you’re not British or Australian and haven’t heard of this man and are recovering from childhood religious trauma, this is the comedian for you. I highly recommend starting with this video of his song “Thank You God”
Dropout TV (streaming platform) - ditch the overpriced and underperforming streaming platforms and switch to a Dropout TV subscription if you want to achieve Maximum Whimsy. Cannot recommend these improv weirdos enough - like Whose Line is it Anyway for Gen-Z/millennials. Start with full episodes of their show “Make Some Noise” on Youtube.
Anything by Terry Pratchett or Kurt Vonnegut (books) - just trust me on this one!
Okay, I got carried away there. But you get my point.
Dress up whenever possible
Understanding your own style of Whimsy starts with how you dress. While I do not subscribe to the idea that one’s appearance tells their whole story, I can personally attest to how dressing whimsically makes you and everyone around you feel - quite immediately - whimsical.
My own journey with Whimsical Attire started in my post-graduate life, which immediately felt dull and drab. Entering the corporate-and-Adulting-space made everything I did feel like it was covered in a grey haze; so, naturally, I decided to make my own color wherever I went.
It started small: Lucy-and-Yak multicolored-flower jeans, Rainforest Cafe sweatshirts, Muppet bag charms2. Eventually, it escalated into Maximum Whimsy - to the point where, in creating a collage (below) to represent my Whimsical Attire, I couldn’t even find all the instances in which I dressed to the Whimsical nine’s.
Once again I reiterate: this does not have to be expensive. Bezos and Musk and all the other billionaire white guys are taking so much from us, and contributing to that is most assuredly not whimsical. Whimsical attire can be found anywhere and everywhere: thrift shops (big emphasis on this one - much of my collection of Whimsical Attire is thrifted), garage sales, your mom’s closet, clothing swaps with friends, or truly anywhere in the world! I haven’t done this yet, but you could even learn how to sew!! Honestly, sewing is the most Whimsical hobby I can think of, and much of the most Whimsical Attire I see in daily life is handmade.
No matter where you get your Whimsical Attire from, allowing the Whimsy to guide your style means you’re already halfway there. If you think it looks eclectic and strange, you’re on the right track!!
Support local shows and events, no matter how silly they seem (spoiler alert: the sillier the better)
This one’s for you to do your own research, but adding to say: Whimsy thrives in the most unexpected places. My own journey to Whimsical Enlightenment flourished in 2022, when I found BmoreTrivia - a Balitmore-based trivia team (run by my Whimsical Icons, Katie and Joe) who offer bonus points for wearing and bringing often-ridiculous props. Because of them, I dressed like an elderly man in public for the first time, and my life was forever separated (for the better) into “Pre-Old Man” and “Post-Old Man” eras. They encouraged me to be myself unapologetically, and gave me the playground to try out much of my Whimsical Attire. I don’t live in their area anymore, but I am infinitely grateful for the safe space they provided me when I needed it most.
“Local events” here don’t just apply to trivia - go to an event hosted by your neighborhood brewery, or a paint night, or even comedians trying out stand-up routines for the first time. Perhaps there’s a full-sensory experience of The Muppet Christmas Carol near you, too! No matter where you are in the world, I can almost guarantee that there is a (mostly) hidden world of Whimsy just outside your door, waiting for you to seek it out.
Better yet, if you find there’s no Whimsy outside your door, create it yourself. Host paper-mache-making parties at your local park, or create a Buzzfeed-style quiz for your loved ones to play. Which brings me to my next point…
Include your friends in your whimsy!!
Whimsy is not Whimsy if it is not shared. Technology makes it so easy to live out our days alone, liking posts and conducting life, for the most part, from our own couches. It may surprise you to know this from all my Whimsical Attire and general tomfoolery, but I am in fact an introvert. There are many, many, many days when the most I want to do is doomscroll and rot in bed. Sometimes, this is necessary for me to function as a (mostly) regular adult! And yet!!! Much to my chagrin (and downright horror), none of my favorite memories were made when I was by myself. My social battery may need constant recharging, but it is an honor to get to 0% because I was surrounded by love.
In this category I must tip my hat off to the most supreme Curator of Whimsy, danielle (𝓇𝒶𝓌 & 𝒻𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁) . From pulling pranks on her friends to hosting an annual Soupsgiving, danielle’s page is packed with ideas on how to make Whimsy a communal event. Where two or more are gathered in Whimsy’s name, danielle and I will be there (whether you like it or not)
I’m leaving this section relatively short because, at the end of the day, this one’s up to you! Just know that the friends you choose to include in your Whimsy are so lucky to be there with you, and if they’re good friends, they’ll recognize how great of an honor this is.
…and write about it all!
If a tree falls in the forest and no one writes about it on Substack, does it appease the Substack Algorithm?
Writing is inherently reflective. I firmly believe (and you probably share this belief too, if you’re on this platform) in this: Any experience can be elevated through writing about it. Through writing, we dig deeper into circumstances that can feel surface-level, and allow ourselves the space and opportunity to learn more about what makes us who we are.
So much of life can feel rushed. Writing is a deep breath in a fast-paced world. Whimsy itself is also a deep breath in that world. Making my life as whimsical as possible has allowed my creativity to blossom from a seed that may never have been planted in the first place. Growing up, I always heard the cliches about being yourself (“because everyone else is taken” and yada yada yada), and never understood what they meant. I was (and still am) a chronic overthinker, and never felt like any sort of “identity” label fit the bill for me. I still use she/they pronouns, I dress both overly masculine and overly feminine on any given occasion, and I think I’ll always have a hard time describing myself in job interviews. Binaries of all kinds felt suffocating and dull. Why be one thing when you can be elastic, stretching and growing through the seasons of life?
For me, belonging came in embracing the only constant in my life: That nothing would ever feel constant. I am a tapestry of the people and the things that I love, and those people and things come and go as they please. Whimsy, for me, is embracing the idea that I can wake up and be who I want to be that day; if I wake up tomorrow and feel a little different, that’s okay - it’s just part of the whimsical experience. “Whim” is part of the word, after all - we float in and out of life on whims, taking what serves us and leaving behind what doesn’t.
As the Muppets3 say, “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.” Write your own beginning, and middle, and ending - and keep it all as whimsical as possible. Imagination thrives in whimsy, and accessing that imagination opens our world astronomically.
I cannot wait to see where following your whimsy leads you in 2026. May this be our most whimsical year yet!!
stay whimsical 5ever,
kirby
LET ME KNOW WHO YOUR ICON OF WHIMSY FOR 2026 IS IN THE COMMENTS!! this is not a request, it is an order.
if you liked this piece, feel free to check out:
the Venn-diagram of “readers of this essay” and “neurodivergents or neurodivergent-adjacents” is a circle btw
take a shot every time i mention the Muppets and you’ll be drunk by the end of this essay
if you’re taking shots, you should by now be so obliterated that you cannot read this sentence.
Oooohhh!! And also I’ve been aligning more and more with being a “witch”. Meaning I talk to inanimate objects (like telling my plants how pretty they are— they are all fem btw), speaking into my coffee and tea (bonus points for “sprinkling in magic for the day”), and etc. 2026 is the year of whimsical witches 🧙🏾♀️
throwing myself into the ponyo way of life next year (lots of pink, excitement about good food).