Stardew Valley Penny Gift Guide: Best Presents, Reactions, and Heart Event Choices

Penny is one of the marriage candidates in Stardew Valley and one of the easier villagers to win over. She spends most of her days reading at the library or doing chores around the trailer she shares with her mother. Even so, knowing her exact preferences saves you from burning friendship points on a bad pick.

Who Penny Is

Penny has been in the game since launch and lives with her mother Pam in a small trailer at the edge of town. She is shy, modest, and prefers a quiet routine: reading, cooking, and tutoring the local kids Jas and Vincent at the library. If you marry her, she moves to your farm but keeps her position at the museum as a tutor.

How Gifting Works

Penny accepts up to two gifts per week, plus a bonus gift on her birthday, which falls on Fall 2. Her reaction depends on what you hand her:

• Loved: "Thank you! I really love this!"
• Liked: "Thank you! This looks special."
• Neutral: "Thanks, this looks nice."
• Disliked: "Uh, it's for me? ...Thanks."
• Hated: "Ugh...I'm sorry, but I absolutely hate this."

Aim for loved items when you can, and avoid the hate list. A single hated gift can erase weeks of progress.

Loved Gifts

• Diamond
• Emerald
• Melon
• Poppy
• Poppyseed Muffin
• Red Plate
• Roots Platter
• Sandfish
• Tom Kha Soup

Liked Gifts

• Dandelion
• Leek
• All Milk
• All Artifacts
• All Universal Likes, except Beer, Mead, Algae Soup, Pale Ale, Pale Broth, Pina Colada, and Wine

Neutral Gifts

• Chanterelle
• Common Mushroom
• Daffodil
• Ginger
• Hazelnut
• Magma Cap
• Morel
• Snow Yam
• Wild Horseradish
• Winter Root
• All Eggs except Void Egg
• All Fruits except Grape, Melon, Salmonberry, and Fruit Tree Fruit
• All Universal Neutral except Hops, Wool, and Duck Feather

Disliked Gifts

• Algae Soup
• Duck Feather
• Pale Broth
• Purple Mushroom
• Quartz
• Red Mushroom
• Salmonberry
• Wool

Hated Gifts

• Beer
• Grape
• Holly
• Hops
• Mead
• Pale Ale
• Pina Colada
• Rabbit's Foot
• Wine

A pattern in the hate list: almost every alcoholic drink and anything grape-related. Penny is also a teacher, so handing her a six-pack tends to land poorly.

Heart Events

Penny triggers a Heart Event at every even-numbered friendship level. Some scenes include dialogue choices that shift the relationship up or down. There is also a 14-heart event reserved for after marriage.

Two-Heart Event

Walk into Pelican Town on a sunny day between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Penny will ask you a question with three possible answers:

• +50 friendship: "I was. You did a kind thing there, Penny."
• -50 friendship: "I was. You should've asked instead of assuming George wanted help."
• No effect: "I'm just taking a walk, minding my own business."

A second question follows, but it does not change your friendship score either way.

Four-Heart Event

Enter Penny's trailer at any time while she is home. The scene plays out without any dialogue choices, so you cannot lose progress here.

Six-Heart Event

Visit the trailer again, this time to sample one of her cooking experiments. Your reaction matters:

• +50 friendship: "(Lie) Mmm! That was delicious!"
• -50 friendship: "Uh... can I get the rest to go?"
• No effect: "Well it's definitely unique... how did you get it so rubbery?"

Eight-Heart Event

Head to Cindersap Forest between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. You will find Penny with Jas and Vincent. The first question has three options:

• +10 friendship: "I'd love to!"
• No effect: "Sure."
• -1,500 friendship: "No... I can't stand kids." (the cutscene ends immediately)

If you pick one of the first two, the conversation continues with a question about your own family plans:

• No effect: "I haven't really thought about it."
• +20 friendship: "Absolutely. I want a big family."
• +20 friendship: "I guess so. It's a natural urge."
• +10 friendship: "No, I don't think I'd be good at it."
• -10 friendship: "No, The world's crowded enough already."
• -10 friendship: "No, I don't want to be tied down with a family."

Ten-Heart Event

You will receive a letter from Penny inviting you to the spa's pool area. Go between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m. to start the scene. Most dialogue choices are safe, but rejecting her romantically with "Sorry, but I don't like you in that way..." costs you -1,500 friendship.

Quick Tips for Maxing Friendship

Diamonds and emeralds are easy long-term picks once you reach the Skull Cavern or get a Crystalarium running. For early-game progress, a stack of melons in Summer or a few plates of Tom Kha Soup from your kitchen will carry you through the lower heart levels without much effort. Save the wine, grapes, and holly for the recycling bin.