New York Couple Trolls the HomeGoods Shopping Experience: ‘Do You Have a Giant Horsehead?’

Shopping at HomeGoods is like going into a thrift store—there are random items that hardly make any sense. Joe Mele (@mmmjoemele) and his girlfriend, Angela Chalet, trolled the whole shopping experience on TikTok.

“Hi, I’m not sure you have this, but I’m looking for a wooden duck in flip-flops, a bathing suit, and a top hat,” Mele said on his video. It seemed like an absurd decor to look for, but Chalet pulled a figure that matched his description. Where would it even go? Is it better off at the coffee table as an odd conversation starter? Maybe it’s supposed to be decor for the poolside? Only its artist would know what it’s meant for.

“Do you have a giant horse head?” Chalet asked, and right on cue, Mele found one. If it were on a coffee table, it would take the entire space. It’s almost as big as Mele’s torso, which made it an odd piece of decoration. But maybe an equine lover or rancher out there would be more than happy to have the bust in their home.

Items that feel AI-generated

“Hi, do you guys happen to have a whale but it’s made of grass?” It’s an oddly specific request from Mele. But true enough, Chalet found another one of those strange decorations lying around in the HomeGoods decor section. It was made of synthetic grass and had beady eyes. Overall, it has the potential to be an adorable addition to the garden.

“Hi, do you have a wooden duck that’s skiing?” Chalet said, and Mele pulled one out from one of the aisles. It was amidst the throw pillows and other living room items. It might appeal to anyone who has a wooden cabin.

“Do you have a frog standing on a golden lily pad that looks like this?” Dramatically, Mele extended one leg back and raised his arm behind him. He looked like he was imitating a one-foot-spread-eagle pose. Chalet found one somewhere among the other decor. Frogs won’t ever be able to stand that way. Perhaps the artist thought about what a ballerina would look like if they’d been transformed into a frog.

“Do you have a frighteningly large painting of a bird?” Chalet requested, and Melee found “the last one” in stock. It was a huge crane, but it’s arguably the most normal decor they showed in the bunch. This video was clearly poking humor at the items in the store. But what made the parody hilarious is that the items are up for sale at HomeGoods. If the figurines and sculptures in the clip had been drawings, they’d probably be accused of being AI-generated because of how uncanny they all seemed.

The average HomeGoods shopping experience

The clip went viral on social media, with HomeGoods even commenting on the skit. The corporate account wrote, “The frog is coming home with us.” It seems that they acknowledge the randomness of their home decorations.

Someone who claims to be an ex-employee for HomeGoods weighed in. They said, “As someone who used to work there, I can confirm.”

A commenter wrote, “It’s like the Family Guy bit where Peter is asking about all the items that are super outrageous at anthropology.” But other users agreed with the skit—shopping at HomeGoods may yield random results. People don’t know what to expect, but that might be part of the appeal, especially for those looking for something unexpected to spruce up their homes.

(featured images: Joe Mele)

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