If you’ve spent any time at all at a pickleball court lately, you know the drill: the clink of paddles, the quick banter between teammates, and the tiny, unexpected little touches that make the whole experience feel more like a community than just a workout. A few months back, I was restocking our family’s garage—we’d started our small pickleball ornament supply business after my sister gifted me my first set of beginner paddles last year—and I noticed half a dozen players walking off the court with chipped acrylic keychains or faded refrigerator magnets that had clearly been there for months. One guy even had a pickle-themed ornament taped to his paddle handle, held on with duct tape like it was some kind of emergency fix. That’s when I realized something: pickleball isn’t just a sport. It’s a lifestyle, and the details—small, personal, playful details—matter more than most people think. Pickleball Ornament
Which brings us to the big question I get asked all the time, both by new players at local courts and fellow small business owners who follow our work at the ornament shop: Are there any famous brands of pickleball ornaments?
Let’s start with the basics. When I first started researching this a year ago, I’ll admit I had no clue what I was looking for. I’d spent years making custom wooden ornaments for Christmas—snowmen, dog paws, tiny holiday trees—and when I got into pickleball, it felt like a natural fit to adapt my skills. But I soon learned that “famous” in the pickleball ornament space isn’t the same as famous in, say, the sneaker or baseball bat space. Pickleball is still a relatively young sport (by major mainstream standards, anyway), and its ornament ecosystem is mostly made up of small, community-focused brands—nothing like the global powerhouses that dominate other sports’ merchandise. That’s part of what makes this space so special, honestly. You won’t find a Fortune 500 company churning out mass-produced pickleball holiday ornaments here; instead, you’ll find artisans, fellow players, and small businesses that make every piece with a court-side perspective.
Let’s dive into the brands that have built real name recognition among pickleball fans, the ones I see players stopping to ask about at tournaments and gear expos. The first is a brand that I’d argue put pickleball ornaments on the map: Dink & Display. This brand started in 2020, right as pickleball was blowing up in backyards and community centers across the U.S., founded by a group of friends who met at a rec court in Arizona. Their whole vibe is playful, and it shows in every piece. They don’t just make keychains and fridge magnets—they do seasonal ornaments, too: tiny paddles shaped like Christmas stockings, pickle-shaped ornaments with little “I <3 Dinks” slogans, even limited-edition pieces for big tournaments like the US Open Pickleball Championships. What makes Dink & Display stand out is that they don’t just sell ornaments—they listen to the community. Last year, I attended a pickleball expo in Florida, and their team had a suggestion box at their booth. A woman who’d been playing for 10 years asked for an ornament that could hold a tiny bottle of grip tape, and by the end of the expo, Dink & Display had prototypes lined up. By the next month, that grip tape holder was their top-selling new product. Most regular pickleball players will recognize a Dink & Display piece at a glance—their finish is smooth, their designs are never too loud, and they’re built to last through the occasional trip to the court bag.
Next up is CourtSide Crafts, a small business based in Ohio that I’ve partnered with on a few custom runs for local rec leagues. Where Dink & Display leans into playful, universal designs, CourtSide Crafts specializes in custom, personalized pieces. If you’ve ever seen an ornament with a player’s name, their court number, or a custom saying like “Double Fault Free” or “Paddle First, Ask Questions Later,” chances are it’s from CourtSide. They got their start when the owner, Lisa Marquez, made wooden ornaments for her rec team’s holiday party back in 2021. The team loved them so much that she started taking orders from other groups, and now she ships custom pieces across the country. What’s cool about CourtSide is that they work directly with leagues and tournament organizers to make bulk ornaments for events—last year, I helped them fill a 500-piece order for a national senior pickleball tournament in Tennessee, and every piece had the tournament logo and each player’s first name engraved. The thing I respect most about Lisa is that she donates 10% of every bulk order to local youth pickleball programs, which is a big part of why their brand has such a loyal following. You won’t see CourtSide ornaments in big box stores, but if you attend a local tournament, you’ll probably spot a few players wearing their custom keychains or hanging their ornaments on their court-side gear bags.
I should also mention Backboard Bling, a slightly newer brand that’s made a name for itself with affordable, fun, accessible ornament options for new players. A lot of the more well-known pickleball ornament brands lean into premium, handcrafted pieces that cost $15 or more each, but Backboard Bling set out to make ornaments that are less than $5, perfect for new players who want to show their pickleball pride without breaking the bank. Their designs are simple: tiny wooden paddles, pickle-shaped magnets, even acrylic keychains with silly phrases like “I’d Rather Be Pickleballing.” They got their start selling out of a booth at a small court in Colorado, and now they’re carried in a handful of local pro shop chains across the West. What makes Backboard Bling different is that they’re all about accessibility—they work with local high school art programs to source some of their materials, and they offer bulk discounts for rec leagues that want to give ornaments as end-of-season prizes. I’ve seen their keychains at almost every beginner clinic I’ve attended, and they’re a huge hit with kids who start playing pickleball now, since their small size and bright colors are perfect for backpacks or paddle bags.
Wait a second—though I mentioned earlier that there are no huge, global pickleball ornament brands, I should clarify that there is one brand that’s starting to cross over into mainstream sports merchandise, and that’s PicklePro Goods. This is a larger apparel and gear brand, not an ornament-exclusive brand, but their pickleball line has expanded into ornaments over the past two years. They make basic paddle-shaped ornaments, keychains, and seasonal holiday pieces that are sold at big retail chains like Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is why a lot of casual players might recognize their logo. But here’s the thing: I don’t count PicklePro Goods among the “famous” pickleball ornament brands that the core community swears by, and that’s not a knock on them. Their ornaments are made with mass-produced plastic, and they tend to have designs that feel generic—no custom options, no nods to the small, local culture that makes pickleball special. I’ve had more than one regular court player ask me why we don’t make a paddle ornament with our team’s logo when PicklePro sells those, and the answer is simple: our customers don’t want a generic mass-produced piece. They want something that feels personal, something that shows they’re part of a community, not just a fan of a sport. That’s the line between the big mainstream brands and the small, community-focused ones that actually make up the pickleball ornament space.
Now, I get why some people might ask if these are “famous” enough. If you’re used to sports brands like Nike or Wilson, where you can find their products in every store across the country, it’s easy to assume a famous brand has to have that reach. But in the pickleball world, community is everything. The most well-known pickleball ornaments are the ones you see at your local court, the ones that players will ask where you got them, the ones that feel like a small inside joke with your teammates. That’s why Dink & Display, CourtSide Crafts, and Backboard Bling are the names that come up when players talk about their favorite ornaments. These brands don’t have million-dollar marketing campaigns; they have players who post photos of their ornaments on Instagram, who tell their friends at the next practice, who show up to tournaments with their pieces hanging on their bags. That’s the kind of fame that matters in this space, and it’s the kind that’s built on listening to what players actually want, not just selling something that looks good on a shelf.
As someone who runs a small pickleball ornament supply business, I’ve seen firsthand how much these small brands matter. Last month, I got an email from a player in Chicago who told me she’d been using a Dink & Display pickle ornament on her paddle for three years. “It’s not just a decoration,” she wrote. “My husband gave it to me for our first anniversary when I started playing, and I’d never replace it.” That’s the kind of story that makes this work worth doing. It’s not about selling a trinket; it’s about helping players hold onto the little moments that make pickleball more than just a sport.
I should also add that if you’re looking for pickleball ornaments for yourself, your team, or your next tournament, you don’t have to stick to these three brands. There are hundreds of small, independent artisans across the U.S. making amazing pickleball ornaments, from ceramic Christmas pieces to custom metal keychains. The key is to look for brands that source locally, give back to the community, and have designs that feel personal to you. A lot of players will tell you that their favorite ornament is the one a teammate made them, or the one they bought at a small tournament booth, and that’s the magic of this space.
Now, if you’re a league organizer, tournament director, or fellow small business owner looking to partner on custom pickleball ornaments, or if you just want to stock high-quality, community-focused pieces for your pro shop, I’d love to talk. Our supply team has years of experience working with local and national pickleball groups, and we can help you create custom pieces for events, bulk orders for leagues, or restock your store’s most popular items. Reach out to our team today to learn more about our custom designs, bulk pricing, and partnership options—we’re here to help you bring more pickleball pride to your community, one ornament at a time.
Fiberglass Pickleball Paddle References
- Pickleball Industry Report, 2023, USA Pickleball
- Dink & Display Company Profile, 2024, National Small Business Association
- CourtSide Crafts Community Impact Report, 2023, Ohio Small Business Development Center
- Backboard Bling 2022–2023 Sales and Outreach Data, Colorado Small Business Administration
- Global Pickleball Market Trends, 2024, Sports Business Journal
Hebei Honde Industrial Trade Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd.
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