Do you remember when you were curious about what happens when the toilet is flushed? If you were cheeky enough, you might have even flushed a toy or two to see whether they would magically disappear. In most cases, they were lost forever!
Well, it’s no secret that we’ve all had our fair share of close calls and scares at the toilet bowl, whether by mistake or by crooked planning. While most of us have dropped small items like coins or trinkets down the toilet, plumbers around the world can confirm that if you dig into the drain, you’ll be either fascinated or disgusted.
This list of the top 10 weirdest objects flushed down the toilet reveals that trips to the loo can turn crazy in a fraction of a second.
10 A Goldfish Grows to the Size of its Tank
All kids who watched Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” (2013) learned that all drains lead to the ocean. But as adults, we know that this is far from the truth. When many fish owners stress over disposing of unwanted fish, some make the mistake of flushing them down the toilet drain.
In a strange discovery by Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper (BNW), when goldfish are disposed of incorrectly, they can undergo strange transformations. According to the nonprofit organization, a goldfish that might have been flushed down the drain grew to about 14 inches! This is pretty gigantic for the small breed.
Despite the goldfish surviving the harsh conditions in the drain, the discovery revealed that flushing might not be the best option for freeing a fish.
9 Counterfeit Poker Chips Worth $2.7 Million
If you’ve ever been to Vegas or any other casino in your town, you know that hitting jackpots and winning loads of cash is one of the best feelings in the world. But, while most gamblers see the fun in honest gaming, one player made headlines when he decided to use fake poker chips.
In Atlantic City, New Jersey, a man showed up to a 2014 poker event with fake poker chips worth $2.7 million. During the event, the meticulous schemer proceeded to play with his fake chips, winning about $6,814.
Later, perhaps from the fear of getting caught, he proceeded to flush the chips down the toilet drain in his room, a decision he would live to regret. The fake chips clogged the hotel’s pipes. After tournament personnel and the police intervened, they ended up catching him.
8 Man Caught Trying to Dump Drugs Down the Toilet
In movies, police raids are a hectic affair and once the door is “kicked down,” the “bad guys” have only a few minutes to dispose of their illegal drugs. In Auburn, police arrested a man who was trying to flush his pills down the drain.
During the raid, where police recovered mushrooms, fentanyl, Xanax, and cocaine, the man was caught in his toilet trying to dispose of the evidence. While the criminal mastermind failed in his mission, he is not the first to attempt this quick form of drug disposal.
Experts often advise against flushing drugs in toilets since, even though they won’t clog the drains, they contaminate waters and create harmful effects for life in waterways.
7 Millions, or Maybe Billions, of LEGO Bricks
Whether they are playing or just acting out, kids just love to throw any kind of object down their toilet drains. In 2016, a survey estimated that British children had flushed over 2.5 million square Lego bricks down the drain.
While the study revealed that kids in the UK are mischievous, they are not the only ones that think flushing things down the toilet is a fascinating pasttime. For most plumbers around the world, unclogging toilet drains usually leads to the discovery of favorite and hated toys of all kinds.
Now you see it, now you don’t! It seems that kids are truly mystified by objects magically disappearing in front of their eyes.
6 Golden Wedding Ring Encrusted with Diamonds
In the western world, rings are considered the symbol of relationships. For couples, wearing them is a sign of their union and that they treasure each other. So when a woman from New Jersey lost her diamond ring, it was both emotionally painful and overwhelming.
Paula Stanton received a gold ring encrusted with several diamonds for her 20th wedding anniversary, an accessory she always wore with pride. But when she was cleaning one day, her ring slipped from her fingers and fell down the toilet to her shock and disappointment.
After efforts to retrieve the ring proved fruitless, Paula and her husband gave up, even purchasing a replacement. Remarkably, nine years later, a plumber discovered the ring only 400-feet away from her house. After being rejoined with her ring, the overjoyed woman remarked that the ring didn’t want to leave her family!
5 French Queen’s Hairpin
Being a member of the royal family might be one of the most exciting gigs ever and for modern scholars, learning about their lives is even more intriguing. Custodians at a Parisian royal residence were shocked to find a lavish piece of jewelry that belonged to Queen Catherine de Medici in the communal toilet.
The discovery of the 9 centimeter-pin, which had the Queen’s signature interlocking “Cs,” was a welcome surprise for the archaeologists. As a 16th century artifact, the toilet is the last place anyone would look to find it.
The unearthing marked the first time that any possessions of Queen Catherine were found at Fontainebleau Palace. Over the centuries, most belongings of royalty have either been lost or stolen, making the piece a most valuable treasure.
4 Live World War II Bomb that was Ready to Explode
Have you ever eaten spicy food that didn’t sit well with your stomach? Sometimes, a trip to the bathroom can be quite explosive. Believe it or not, residents of Stockport, Manchester, were shocked when someone found a real-life World War II bomb in a toilet.
After someone reported seeing a “strange device” to the police, quick investigations revealed that it was a live bomb left over from WWII. To ensure that it didn’t go off, the police quickly secured the area surrounding the toilet and evacuated everyone to safety.
With the intervention of a bomb squad, the three-inch mortar the bomb squad carefully retrieved and took it to a nearby location where they detonated it. The controlled explosion made sure that the dangerous device posed no further harm.
3Woman’s $8,500 Rolex Went Down the Drain
Watches are used to tell time but if we are being honest, they are better known as indispensable fashion accessories. A woman from Chino Hills, California, was distraught when her fancy $8,500 Rolex went, “plop,” down the drain, just as she flushed!
After overcoming the initial horror of realizing that her precious wristwatch had disappeared, the woman called plumbers to help locate it. Unfortunately, after launching a serious search, the precious gift was nowhere to be found and after some time, she reconciled with the fact that the gift was lost.
In a wonderful twist of events, 18 months later, a plumber that was involved in the original search was working a mile downhill when he discovered a Rolex amidst the debris. Recalling the previous search, the plumber contacted the owner who was overjoyed at the surprise recovery. The amazing thing is that after a good polishing, the Rolex was as good as new and only missed one stone! Imagine that.
2 Janitor Found Loads of Money on the Toilet
You’ve probably heard that money doesn’t grow on trees but in Australia, you can find it in the toilets too. While doing his daily cleaning rounds, a janitor, discovered wands of cash in a toilet trash can and noticed that even more notes were sticking out of the bowls. These were $50 and $100 bills and at first, he thought it was just a prank.
But after touching the cash and realizing it was real, the janitor rushed to report the matter to the police. In the ensuing investigation, police found that a mysterious individual had dumped a total of $93,000 down the toilet!
When the police failed to explain the origins of the cash, the judge decided that the janitor should get a share of his catch. The most honest janitor in the world kept $76,000 while the rest was awarded to the state! Would you have done the same thing?
1 Kid Used a Toilet Bowl as a Jacuzzi for his Puppy
Have you ever looked at the toilet bowl and thought, “This could make a really cute jacuzzi?” If you’ve never had this idea, you’ll be amazed that a four-year-old boy decided to give his pup a special bath on the toilet.
Using the toilet bowl as a miniature bathtub, Daniel Blair from Middlesex, London washed his best friend after a muddy walk in the neighborhood. Sadly, the little kid ended up flushing the puppy down the drain while rinsing him off!
Luckily for them, a plumber was quick to locate the puppy in the drainage pipes using special camera equipment, making a quick rescue possible. You can bet that the duo never looked at the toilet seat the same way ever again!