Which small race for an Armorer Artificer?

My friends and I recently finished a campaign and are having session 0 for Ghosts of the Saltmarsh. My wife challenged me to create a character who's not angry, so I want to play a small race mad scientist Armorer Artificer who rides around in a suit of armor like a magical mech. Which small race would I pick to maximize the fun of this little chaos gremlin?

Edit: We're playing 5e2014.