Parent Asks Internet What Strange 'Bugs' Are in Bathroom, Then Learns Truth

A Colorado mother of two sparked a viral mystery online after discovering strange seed-like specks scattered throughout her home—leading to a surprising revelation involving a stuffed animal her toddler never even cuddled.

On July 13, the mom, known as u/jmc807 on Reddit, shared a post titled "I keep finding these in our bathrooms," to the r/whatisit subreddit.

The post, which has since earned 22,000 upvotes, featured photos of tiny brown specks resembling seeds, shown both in her hand and scattered on the floor. "It looks more like seeds, and not a bug? Looks identical on the front and back," she wrote. "Please tell me what this is and I'm hoping I don't have bugs or rodents."

The poster, who did not shared her name or age, told Newsweek that she first noticed the mystery objects a few weeks earlier. She said: "I saw ONE in one upstairs bathroom, thought 'huh, that's weird,' and threw it away. Then about a week later, I saw ONE in another upstairs bathroom... Then a few days later I noticed three in the hallway between my son's room and the bathroom."

Despite her suspicions of pests, the answer came from another Reddit user. A commenter under the handle u/Hemlock_and_Lace wrote: "Do you happen to have a heating pad or one of those warming stuffed animals? My son had one filled with flax seed and when it got a small rip, I'd find those everywhere. It drove me nuts until I figured out what they were."

That response proved to be the turning point. "I think the third person to respond (within minutes of me posting) was the person who I responded to...and then it just clicked," the poster told Newsweek.

She said she ran to the suspected item—a frog-shaped Warmies-brand stuffed animal commonly filled with flaxseed that's been used as a doorstopper in her home. "Lo and behold, underneath one of the arms there was a tiny hole with seeds coming out of it," she said.

The viral moment arrives as the global market for stuffed animals and plush toys continues to grow. According to a report from Grandview Research, the market was valued at $11.76 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $20.29 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.2 percent. The report notes that specialty plush toys—like the weighted, microwavable Warmies—are a major driver of consumer interest, especially among collectors.

Though initially frightened by what she thought might be mouse droppings or insect residue, the discovery brought instant relief. "YOU WIN!!! Omg omg thank you thank you!" she replied to the helpful Redditor. "As soon as I saw your comment, I ran to his room and found his warmie stuffy... there was a small hole under the frog's arm! THANK YOU!! I am no longer panicking about all the other bug comments on here."

The family had been unknowingly using the leaking plush toy as a makeshift doorstop, propping open doors that didn't stay ajar on their own. "My son had never used it as an actual stuffed animal or toy," she told Newsweek. "We are always kicking or picking up the frog Warmies [toy] to use as a doorstopper."

The sudden proliferation of the flaxseeds—scattered in bathrooms, hallways, and her son's room—had escalated her concerns, pushing her to crowdsource the solution on Reddit. "I genuinely panicked and thought we must have a mouse or bugs or something," she said. "So I reverse Google searched, and it was a tie between bugs and mouse poop. Which made me panic even more, so I went to Reddit."

After the mystery was solved, the family had a light-hearted moment saying goodbye to the now-unusable plush toy. "My husband and I are laughing about all of this," she said. "I showed my son, and even younger daughter, the hole in the frog and asked if it was okay to get rid of it. My son initially started to cry... then I said 'well, you have about 50 other stuffies you ACTUALLY cuddle, and we can get a new doorstopper.' To which he quickly changed his tune and said 'oh yeah! goodbye door frog!' and that was that."

"I have never posted any original content on Reddit," the poster said. "So the fact that I came to Reddit just to ask about something I was panicking was infesting my house is WILD."

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