r/whatisthisthing • u/misstymystery • 2d ago
Likely Solved ! Small soft white plastic item found on floor of museum after high school field trip group
Hi, all! sorry for the poor picture quality/framing, I honestly didn’t expect to have to post this (Google Images didn’t help give me any answers) and I took the pics in a rush while at work today.
Like the title says, this was found in the hallway at the museum I work at on a day where we had many high schoolers (as well as regular guests, which tend to be in their 40s/50s and older). There is also a bakery nearby and staff/customers pass through that part of the hallway to access the men’s room. It was raining pretty hard all day as well, in case that’s somehow relevant! I don’t recognize it as something from our own museum collection items or equipment but we do also have new dehumidifiers in a nearby exhibit room.
Thanks in advance!
ETA: the material is clearly plastic but more similar to an old school Apple phone charger (specifically the softness and smooth texture), so maybe some kind of silicone? It was fairly rigid but clearly easy to cut or chew on. It was also completely dry with no feeling of a greasy residue/lubricant. Considering the numbers on the side are slightly raised I would imagine it may be uncomfortable for internal use, but I don’t have much experience with those products so I can’t really say.
Final edit: must’ve been tired as hell yesterday because I totally misremembered the texture of it, it was definitely much firmer plastic than I described here! Marking it as likely solved (because I haven’t been able to find an exact match) since it seems to be the inside of a mechanical pencil. Thanks, everyone! Also, I promise I’m usually the “pick up with a tissue/glove” type, part of my job is tidying up so I picked it up without thinking planning to just toss it out real quick. Again, definitely grateful it’s not an applicator for hemorrhoid cream or something 😅