Reading the thread proposing Pink Flamingos as an alternative to Garden Gnomes, it occurred to me that I would love to have my very own Rube.
The Rube Ornament, like the Garden Gnome, has the ability to textually greet visitors/passersby. But The Rube Ornament goes one step further, and like real Rube, occasionally offers the visitor a trade.
So the Rube Ornament is essentially a bag that looks like the Rube, but like the Garden Gnome is locked down and can only be picked up by the owner. The bag is stocked by the owner, with items to trade. A lucky trader might receive a stack of 5 Purple Flowers, a rare Musicblock, 24 Hooches or a jar of Extremely Hallowed Shrine Powder. The owner decides which items to place in the bag.
There should probably be a built-in limiter (1 trade per game day per visitor/passerby) to prevent a single player from quickly depleting the Rube's supply of goodies.
And it doesn't have to be the likeness of The Rube. I understand people might not want to dilute the rare magic of an appearance by the Rube. But the Rube is such a great example to follow, and the Rube's tiki statue appearance make him an excellent choice for a lawn decoration. However, it could just as easily be a JuJu, who instead of stealing from you offers a trade. (ETA: Or even just add this trade function to Garden Gnomes) But I think this could be another fun way for players to be able to add even more random kindness to the game.