15 Mystery Items That Went From “What Am I?” to “Yay, Solved!”

Insight, also known as the “Aha” moment, is often the only way to solve complex problems. The best solutions come to us when our brain is relaxed, carefree, and is able to put together all the essential pieces. Some mysteries need experts to be figured out and this is how the items in our article went through a journey that helped them go from unknown to finally having their name and use deciphered.

Bright Side believes we can learn new things every day and the following 15 pics really made us go “Hm, what could that be?” — we’re curious to see which ones of these you recognize in under 5 seconds.

1. “Metal spring with plastic ends, 20cm long, no writing or markings”

Answer: “It’s a hair remover used for little hairs on one’s face.”

2. “It has a suction cup with it that appears to be a stand for it. One is open and one is closed as in the photo.”

Answer: “It’s a grip for changing light bulbs that are out of reach.”

3. “Brass, 4” (long side) 3″ (short side), has a hinge that opens at a 90° angle. The inside of the smaller side has ribs along the inside."

Answer: “It’s an old bubble-blowing wand, pre-1800s.”

4. “Help me identify this thing.”

Answer: “It looks like a rotating tie holder that gets mounted to a wall.” Here’s an almost identical one.

5. “Bought a new shirt. This small packet was attached with the tags. What are these for?”

Answer: “Collar stiffeners. You can insert them in your collar to keep it stiff.”

6. “Found this under my passenger seat. It has magnets on the back. Is this a GPS tracker someone put in my car?”

Answer: “It is a GPS tracker, but not a very discrete one.”

7. “What is this foldy metal thing attached to the side of my back porch?”

Answer: “It’s a can crusher.”

8. “Found this in my office and can’t figure out what it’s for. It’s metal and only like a millimeter thick.”

Answer: “It’s a key for those paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms.”

9. “I can’t remember what this was for if I ever even knew. What is this thing?”

Answer: “They’re tongs for lifting hot jars, so you don’t burn your fingers.”

10. “What is this thing? It’s not scissors and it closes with a snap.”

Answer: “It’s a pair of authentic antique Victorian candle snuffer wick trimming scissors.”

11. “Carved wood with wooden rings around it. The rings don’t come off. Found it in a park.”

Answer: “It’s a Mexican hot-chocolate stirrer/whisk. Known as a molinillo.”

12. What could this be?

Answer: “It’s a tool to take the top off of a boiled egg.” Here are some similar ones.

13. Does anyone know what this could be?

Answer: “It’s the opening to a Victorian-style purse.”

14. “Found this while cleaning out the attic. It’s wood, looks handmade, measures 20 cm, but I have no idea what it is or does!”

Answer: “I believe it’s a Yacouba Double Spoon — a symbol of hospitality in traditional African art. It represents 2 very distinct universes that are opposite.”

15. “Silicon cup thing? My parents were randomly mailed this from an unknown address. Material is malleable.”

Wrong answer: “Reminds me of a menstrual cup. It isn’t.”

Correct answer: “It’s an anticellulite device. Here you can see a similar one.”

Which one of these things took you less than 5 seconds to solve? If you could wish for one of them to magically appear in your drawer overnight, which item would you choose? Let us know in the comments.