If you think that the word ‘mild’ is drab, boring, and pretty ‘meh,’ then you couldn’t be more wrong. As the incredibly popular ‘Mildly Interesting’ community on Reddit will show you, mild is actually wild!
The subreddit, which boasts a whopping 18.6 million members and keeps growing as though being watered and cared for by the best digital gardeners on Reddit, is a magical place dedicated to (yup! You guessed it!) mildly interesting stuff.
Ranging from posts that will make you go ‘hey, that’s pretty neat’ to ‘wow, I can’t believe this exists, the world is amazing and life rocks so much, I’ve already forgotten about 2020,’ the subreddit has a bit of everything for everything. (And it has the follower count to prove it). Check out some of their best newest posts below, upvote your fave pics, and once you’re done enjoying this list, check out Bored Panda’s most recent mildly interesting posts right here and here.
Moderator RedSquaree told Bored Panda that even though it's been 9 years since the subreddit was founded, it hasn't changed much over that time. "We've been working hard to keep it that way," they said. Read on for our full interview with them.
#1 Beach Has Baskets For People To Help Clean Up
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#2 I Stacked 65 Jenga Blocks On One Block
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#3 These Kittens With Perfect Moustache Patterns
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"The mildly interesting feel of the subreddit is maintained probably due to its rule about titles which weeds out all clickbait which is common in other subreddits. On our side, submissions have massively increased and the moderation team has been forced to expand," moderator RedSquaree explained to us how the mod team is very hands-on in maintaining the quality of the content.
"That means we're removing more rule-breaking content than ever before; often the content is OC can be resubmitted which is great. There haven't been any massive changes in how we do things recently, although over the past few years we have used bots to automate a lot of our moderation practices. We haven't changed the rules in years despite some temptations caused by fads. In my honest opinion, it has been for the best. The sub feels pretty much the way it always has."
#4 This Dental Office Trims Their Shrubs To Look Like Molars
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#5 Used My Fingers To Make A 'Drawing' On Velvet
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#6 My Great Grandmothers Sketches Of Her Teachers. 1924
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As for how the subreddit was first founded, RedSquaree told us about how one thread had lead user Doginabathtub to create the community but has been "missing in action for years, and left the mod team years after becoming inactive as a moderator."
RedSquaree mused: "So, I suppose Woggietree named the sub he did not found! A few years ago we were featured in a h3h3 Productions video (linked in our sidebar) which was a great compliment and is perhaps a good marker of success."
#7 I Genuinely Thought My Car Was Hovering Over The Parking
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#8 The Dew Forming On This Trampoline Is Squared Out By The Fabric
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#9 I Made A Very Round Snowman
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Moderator RedSquaree confirmed to Bored Panda that what sets their online group apart from others on Reddit is that they allow only original photos to be posted, nothing else. "Our content is generated by our community and given that titles cannot be clickbait, there is a unique feeling of people seeing something mildly interesting, whipping their phone out of their pocket, capturing, and posting. So the community feels very interactive (the content creators are all here) and laid back. This is probably why our comments sections are almost always nice and relaxed and, themselves, mildly interesting." And we wouldn't have it any other way!
The main draw of the r/mildlyinteresting subreddit is, of course, the awesome photos and descriptions that their multimillion membership base posts daily. However, beyond that, the subreddit is incredibly focused in explaining to everyone what it aims to do.
#10 Bathroom At My Dentist Has A Picture Of The Bathroom At My Dentist Hanging On The Wall
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#11 Crosswalk Projected On A Dirty Winter Road
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#12 The Tag From My New Frying Pan Can Be Planted To Grow Thyme
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“Mildly interesting stuff. Stuff that interests you. Mildly. It's in the name,” the moderators explain what the community is all about. And while each and every one of us will have different interests, what unites all of us is our (mild) passion for something and our desire to share the (again, mildly) awesome stuff with everyone else. Sharing is caring, after all.
Founded back in February 2012, the subreddit celebrated its 9th birthday just last week. So if you’re planning on joining them, be sure to wish them a happy birthday when you tell them, ‘Hi!’
#13 My 3D Printed Julius Caesar Pencil Holder
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#14 The Exterior Of The Old Library Inside The New Library
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#15 This Winter Scene That Appeared On Our Car
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They’ve got plenty of rules, though, so be sure to brush up on them before you go posting things on the subreddit. Like all subreddits, r/mildlyinteresting needs to keep the community in check and to balance between being friendly and maintaining high standards that keep the content quality high and the entirety of Reddit happy.
Some of the rules include avoiding posting memes, as well as reposting and cross-community posting. That way, the photos are kept fresh instead of being a constantly repeating cycle of mildly interesting stuff. Remember, folks, high standards lead to everyone being happier.
#16 The Blossoms On My LEGO Bonsai Are Small Frogs
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#17 This Cute Wizard Made Out Of Soap Is My Son’s First Try At Whittling
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#18 The Cat Makes This Statue Look Like Elvis
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Another rule (and one that we can totally get behind) is that each and every post on the r/mildlyinteresting community has to be an original photograph! That means that everyone puts in a lot of work in their posts—it’s actually going out into the field and snapping a pic instead of screenshotting something fun that you saw on the net.
#19 My Sister Gave Me Hot Cocoa With A Tiny Gingerbread House Hanging On The Cup
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#20 My Husband’s Fully Reflective Iridescent Rain Set
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#21 My House Turned 101 Today (Originally A 1920’s Corner Grocery)
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Heavy photo-editing is also something that’s frowned upon. So keep in mind that the ‘Mildly Interesting’ mods want laser-like focus from their members. The photos have to be original and barely retouched while the titles have to be concise descriptions that don’t have any unnecessary “jokes, backstory, or other fluff.” The backstory belongs in follow-up comments where you can obviously expand as much or as little as you want to.
#22 Books-A-Million Puts A Slip Of Paper Under The Stickers On Their Books To Prevent Sticker Residue Being Left On The Covers
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#23 American Breakfast Cereals Imported And Sold In Asia Have Their Unsubstantiated Health Claims Blanked Out
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#24 This Maintenance Guy's Shirt Doubles As A Sign
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#25 The Spot Where A Cat Waited Out The Snowfall
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#26 Games At The Thrift Shop Were Arranged According To Color
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#27 This Art Nouveau Building Known As The "Het Bootje" ("Little Boat") In Antwerp, Belgium
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#28 Real Estate Agents In New Orleans Specify Listings As "Haunted" Or "Not Haunted"
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#29 Someone Made A Giant Iguana Out Of Snow
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#30 There Was A Small Hole In The Side Of A Trailer I Was Loading Today, Resulting In An Image Of The Street Outside Being Projected Upside Down On The Opposite Wall
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Oh, and for those of you who are big emoji and emoticon fans—keep in mind that they won’t win you any favors. So only add those to the title of your post if it’s absolutely necessary. When in doubt, it’s best to opt for basic editorial standards and you won’t go wrong. In other words, go for something to-the-point and simple; something that you'd personally love to see and read.
#31 I Made A Pueblo Out Of Clay For My Roborovski Hamster
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#32 I Found A Cake Vending Machine
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#33 My Periodic Table Shower Curtain Has The Element Of Surprise On It
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#34 My Dog Hates Getting Rain/Wind In His Eyes, So My Dad Got Him Goggles For Christmas For When They Go Hiking
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#35 My Friend And Her Sister Have Exchanged The Same Birthday Card For 32 Years
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#36 My University Sent Me A Wallet-Sized Diploma
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You really can’t overstate the impact that the ‘Mildly Interesting’ community has had on Reddit. They’ve created a massive network on the site that contains dozens of related niche subreddits and we’re absolutely astounded by how much they’ve branched out. They’re creating new ‘Mildly [insert word]’ communities all the time, so keep an eye out if you’ve got something in mind that you’re particularly interested in seeing.
#37 This Sight Seeing Binocular Is For The Color Blind
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#38 A Piece Of My Swiss Army Knife's Handle Chipped Off, So I Carved A Dragon's Head In The Plastic To Hide It
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#39 I Was Given An Embroidered Face Mask From The Japanese Embassy
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#40 My Aunt Spilled The Wine And The Glass Broke Exactly In Half
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#41 Troll Guarding Bridge Near My Town
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#42 A Wall Was Removed In A Victorian House We Are Working At Which Revealed An Old Cast Iron Fireplace
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They’ve also inspired other subreddits to pop up, such as the r/OddlySatisfying online group that Bored Panda has written about right here. It’s great to see all of these communities cooperating and helping each other out instead of fighting for attention. It’s something that we could all learn a bit from.
#43 This Bumper Sticker I Passed Walking In My Neighborhood
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#44 The Largest Size For Hellmann's Mayo Is Called "American Size" In My Country
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#45 Left An Eye Print In My Glasses After I Accidentally Punched Myself
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#46 This Massive Remote That My Grandma Uses
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#47 A Mask Gumball Machine At The Dollar Store
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#48 My New Turtleneck Has An Incorporated Face Mask
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#49 My Raw Egg Has The Number 5 On Its Yolk
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#50 My Shirt Appears To Be Two Vastly Different Colors In Different Lighting
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Which pics did you like the most and why, dear Readers? Which mildly interesting thing did you think was the wildest? Do you have any mildly interesting photos or facts to share with all the other Pandas out there? Drop us a comment or two below and be sure to visit the r/mildlyinteresting subreddit if you enjoyed what they’ve got to share!
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