Why Is It Called White Elephant?
A 'white elephant' is a possession that costs more trouble than it's worth. The phrase comes from a story that kings of Siam (now Thailand) gave rare white elephants to courtiers they disliked, knowing the upkeep would ruin them. The gift game borrowed the name because it began with funny, impractical gifts.
On this page
The short story
In English, a white elephant is something that’s expensive or troublesome to keep and hard to get rid of. A stadium nobody uses, a huge antique cabinet you inherited, a timeshare. The phrase was common by the 1800s.
The gift exchange took the name because, in its early form, people brought odd, impractical or slightly useless items: white elephants. Trying to get rid of yours, or avoid getting stuck with someone else’s, was the joke.
The King of Siam legend
The usual explanation goes like this. In Siam (modern Thailand), rare albino elephants were sacred and belonged to the king. If a courtier annoyed him, the king would give them a white elephant. It was a huge honor that couldn’t be refused or put to work, yet it cost a fortune to feed and house. The courtier would be ruined by the gift.
Is it true? Probably not. No historical record shows a Siamese king doing this as punishment. White elephants were considered auspicious, were carefully cared for, and were a symbol of royal power. Wikipedia’s article on the game notes the lack of evidence. The story seems to have grown in Western retellings, and the exact first use of the phrase is still debated.
So the honest answer: the name comes from the idea of a burdensome gift, and the King of Siam story is a colorful legend attached to it.
Is a white elephant gift supposed to be bad?
Not anymore. The original game leaned on joke gifts, but most groups now prefer gifts people want. That makes the stealing meaningful. Plenty of people still bring one great gag gift for laughs. Our funny ideas and useful ideas cover both camps.
Other names for the game
- Yankee Swap (New England). See Yankee Swap rules.
- Dirty Santa (the American South). See Dirty Santa rules.
- Pollyanna (parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where it can also mean Secret Santa).
- Thieving Elves, Cutthroat Christmas, the Grinch Game, Steal-a-Thon, Rob Your Neighbor.
- “Chinese gift exchange” or “Chinese auction”: an older American name. It’s still searched for, but many people find it offensive, and “gift swap” describes the same thing.
Whatever you call it, the rules are the same, and the house rules generator lets you print your group’s version. And if your crew is spread out, you can play the whole thing on a call with our virtual White Elephant game.
Frequently asked questions
Is the King of Siam story true?
There's no record of a Siamese king giving white elephants to ruin someone. White elephants were sacred and valued in Thai culture, so historians treat the story as Western folklore.
What is a white elephant gift?
Originally, a funny or impractical gift that's hard to get rid of. Today it just means the gift you bring to a White Elephant exchange, which can be funny or genuinely useful.
What are other names for White Elephant?
Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa, Pollyanna, Thieving Elves, Cutthroat Christmas, the Grinch Game and Steal-a-Thon, among others.