Life might not be as dramatic and impactful as it seems in movies and TV shows, but it can pique your curiosity, nonetheless. The world is full of small things that can amuse and intrigue us—even if just for a moment.
‘Mildly Interesting’ is a legendary online group with tens of millions of followers from all around the globe who share photos of—yup, you guessed it—mildly interesting things. Our team here at Bored Panda has curated a list of the very best mildly interesting and surprisingly fascinating pics of all time to share with you. Keep scrolling to enjoy them. It’s a feast for the eyes and a reminder to always keep your camera or phone on you!
Bored Panda reached out to Ohio-based photographer Dominic Sberna for some advice, and he was kind enough to share his thoughts with us. You'll find his insights below.
#1 My Uber Driver Offered A Conversation “Menu” For His Ride
Image credits: That1Girrl
#2 Our Cat Mia, Rests Her Front Paws On Her Tail To Keep Them Off A Cold Surface
Image credits: andyf7
#3 The Guy Who Does The Grass For My Building Left A Rectangle Of Wild Flowers So The Bees Can Use Them
Image credits: Gaddanger
Awareness of environmental details and all the interesting things that happen around you is vital for any photographer, amateur or veteran alike. We were curious to find out how people can cultivate this awareness.
"Being aware of your surroundings comes from being able to disengage, at least in my opinion," photographer Dominic from Ohio explained to Bored Panda.
"Taking the time to disconnect from the world and be at one with nature (if that's where you are) is an asset that just takes time to get used to," he said that there are elements of practice and experience at work here.
#4 The "Op" Of This Lost Cat Poster Came Back And Posted An Update On The Harold Situation
Image credits: RoboticElfJedi
#5 Nappies In Sweden Have A Father On The Packaging
Image credits: caspii2
#6 Today’s 1 Euro Coin From Greece Depicting 2400 Year Old Greek Coin
Image credits: pietr8
Bored Panda also wanted to get the photographer's perspective on what can inspire people to relax and be less stressed about the entire process of photography as a whole. Enjoying oneself can be difficult for some creatives when they're so focused on getting the very best results possible.
Dominic opened up to us that having more fun is an area of his life where he's had to focus on improving himself. "Just taking photos for yourself and making sure you're enjoying what you're doing is what's important," he said.
"Life can be far too serious and it's always good to remember to have fun in all that you do," the photographer shared some heartfelt advice.
#7 My Dog And I Have The Same Hair
Image credits: smoothride2106
#8 This Purely Golden Bee Landed On My Car Today
Image credits: EliteDangerous72
#9 I Built The ~$800 LEGO Millennium Falcon Set Out Of Parts I Already Had
Image credits: ben851
It’s an understatement to claim that the ‘Mildly Interesting’ online group is well-known online. It is one of the most popular internet communities out there, with a long history of sharing awesome content and inspiring its members to actively participate.
On the surface, the focus is sharing photos from everyday life. While some pics are just kinda sorta cool, others are incredibly aesthetic and could easily be called ‘wildly’ interesting.
First created exactly 13 years ago on February 5, 2012, ‘Mildly Interesting’ has grown to become a second home to a whopping 24 million members from all corners of the internet. A very happy birthday to the entire group!
#10 My Hotel Phone In Iceland Has A Special Button That Will Wake You Up If There Are Northern Lights In The Sky
Image credits: KristjanHrannar
#11 I Got A Warning For Leaving My Laptop Unattended In The Library
Image credits: DealingwithDisorder
#12 These Wild Burros Hang Out In My Neighborhood Often
Image credits: Alternative_Appeal
At the time of writing, the group was the 22nd largest subreddit on Reddit as a whole. The concept is so popular that numerous other social media groups dedicated to mildly interesting content have since sprung up.
According to the large moderator team that keeps the group’s sprawling community and flood of photos in check, the entire point of the subreddit is to post mildly interesting stuff.
Aka, “Stuff that interests you. Mildly. It’s in the name.” Naturally, the point is to share photos of things. So, this isn’t the place to post memes that you liked.
#13 Mounted Police Taking Pictures At The Beach
Image credits: jvilly
#14 Last Night My Wife's Uber Had A Duck In It
Image credits: purplepotables
#15 I Made A Blanket That Rolls Up To Look Like Sushi
Image credits: HealTHCareEmbroidery
Originality is a core tenet of the subreddit’s philosophy. The moderators highlight the fact that you aren’t allowed to post something that has been submitted to the site before, “even if you were the one who posted it.”
The only exception is sharing a fixed version of your post if it was removed or deleted by the moderators—or is wildly unpopular. After all, good timing is hard to pinpoint: some pics will get a ton of attention because you got lucky when you shared them.
The moderators stress the fact that if you didn’t take the picture, you shouldn’t be posting it. They’re also not big fans of images with significant photo editing. Nor should you share any personal information, whether yours or someone else’s. It’s okay to censor those details for the sake of privacy.
Meanwhile, you can’t share screenshots on ‘Mildly Interesting.’ And you should try to write the titles for your posts to be as concise and exact as you can be, for the sake of everyone who comes across your photos.
#16 My Grandparents Have A Glassed-Over Well In Their Kitchen
Image credits: TheRedGeradir
#17 I Have A Hereditary Gap In My Eyebrow
Image credits: reddit.com
#18 This Tree Looks Like Straight Up Broccoli
Image credits: Bdogg242
During a previous interview with Bored Panda, one of the moderators explained to us that their focus on original photos is what helps them set their content apart from other internet communities.
“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,” RedSquaree said.
#19 The Feeder I Got From The Store Already Had A Sleeping Hummingbird On It
Image credits: CJtheWayman
#20 Was At The Beach And Found A Shell With Barnacles On It That Makes It Look Like An Anatomically Correct Heart
Image credits: Cascading-hearts98
#21 My Adopted Street Cat Before And After Being Neutered At Age 13
Image credits: luhbreton
“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,” the moderator explained to Bored Panda earlier.
#22 My View Of The New Volcano Eruption In Iceland
Image credits: TheIntellekt_
#23 The Corrosion On This Water Tap Looks Like A Map
Image credits: Luke-Skywalk
#24 I Built A Miniature Audience Out Of Ads I Got In The Mail
Image credits: Kungfoohippy
According to them, they had to expand their moderator team as the number of submissions “massively increased.” That—plus their no-tolerance approach toward clickbait—has been part of the reason why the sub continues to be so successful. Having a higher bar for the quality of the content is a great thing.
#25 Dad’s Relay Torch From The ‘84 Olympics
Image credits: red_suspenders
#26 The Difference In Appearance Of This Nuthatch After I Found It vs. After A 2 Hour Nap In A Shoebox
Image credits: FunSushi-638
#27 This Window That Makes My Back Yard Look Like It’s In 4 Different Seasons
Image credits: pommiegurl130
Which of the images on this list did you think were the most (mildly) interesting of the lot? What are the latest mildly interesting things that you personally took photos of? What, for you personally, is something in a photo that piques your curiosity no matter what? We’re always happy to hear from you. If you have a moment, share your thoughts in the comments.
#28 I Just Moved In This House And There Is A Great Egret Who Just Comes In The House!
Image credits: 5Dali
#29 This Caterpillar That Looks Like An Anime With Wet Eyes My Nephew Found Today
Image credits: spinn80
#30 Underground Nest Of Garter Snakes At A Friend's House
Image credits: Professional_Eye_480
#31 These Water Jugs Look Like They're Getting Married
Image credits: SoupSeeker
#32 My Copper Wire Off Ebay Arrived With Six Different Collectable Princess Diana Memorial Stamps From 1998
Image credits: IndigoBlue14
#33 My Child That Was Born Last Week Has Natural Blonde Highlights
Image credits: duckfart88
#34 My Kitten’s Nose Turns A Darker Shade Of Pink When She’s Sleepy
Image credits: epineph_RN
#35 My Antidepressant Is Actually 12 Smaller Pills In A Trench Coat
Image credits: plutoforprez
#36 My Wounds After A Surgery To Help My Heart Were Covered By Heart Shaped Gauze
Image credits: Rixon-
#37 Restaurant I Ate Framed The Hole Someone Punched In The Men’s Room Wall
Image credits: Rigelstein
#38 The Deer Where I Live Have Zero Survival Instincts Around Humans. They Will Just Walk Up To You And Hang Out
Image credits: mrbeanIV
#39 An Mri Room Under Construction, Coated With Copper Wallpaper
Image credits: BucketsOLouis
#40 My Friends Giant Sunflower
Image credits: Verryfastdoggo
#41 My Airplant Flowered!
Image credits: tryviall
#42 My Friend Met A Stranger At A Wedding That Looked Just Like Him And Was Wearing The Same Thing
Image credits: reddit.com
#43 [homemade] Grandmas Delicious 21 Layer Jello
Image credits: ThUltimateGuy
#44 There's A Free-Roaming Turtle With A Diaper At My Local Gym
Image credits: Boumy
#45 Power Line Fell And Melted Sidewalk Into A Boiling Glass Puddle
Image credits: elvisBOY
#46 My Grandfather’s Retirement Home Has An Emotional Support Skunk That Comes In
Image credits: CoffeeMilkLvr
#47 The Squirrels In My Neighborhood Carved My Pumpkin For Me
Image credits: BuschLightApple
#48 This Bird Just Flew Onto My Finger And Then Flew Away Again
Image credits: NatureLion
#49 Lightning Struck My Home Gym And Left This Artifact Inside The Mirror
Image credits: PM_ME_INSIDER_INFO
#50 I Cleaned My Leather Couch And The Cattle Brand Showed Through
Image credits: mgarthur14
#51 Took My Kitchen Knives To Be Sharpened And They Gave Me A Band-Aid With My Receipt
Image credits: uninspired
#52 I Found A Lowercase Stop Sign
Image credits: mercerclone
#53 My 2x4 Came From The Very Center Of The Tree
Image credits: Fizzexx
#54 My Cat's Coat Has Darkened Significantly Since We Adopted Him A Year Ago
Image credits: Forotosh
#55 This Papaya Has An “Eating Color” Sticker To Let You Know When It’s Ripe
Image credits: Papi_Queso
#56 Local Funeral House Offers A $85 Cardboard Casket
Image credits: Kilo2Ton
#57 The Sun Hit This Freshly-Paved Tarmac Just Right And Made A Real-Life Rainbow Road Through Polarized Lenses
Image credits: kenziemonsterrawr
#58 My Mom Sent This Picture Of The Soda Aisle At Her Grocery Store
Image credits: MyraBannerTatlock
#59 My Niece Has 6 Fingers On Both Hands [oc]
Image credits: mugheesdogar
#60 In Legoland Denmark The Restaurant's Fries Are Shaped Like 2x2 LEGO Bricks
Image credits: r37n1w
#61 When I Was Young I Numbered Each Dimple Of A Golf Ball
Image credits: SkunkWoodz
#62 Bit Into Something Hard In A Fried Oyster And Found A Small Pearl
Image credits: nickeymousee
#63 Our Pilot Today
Image credits: New_Fault_1002
#64 A Sign Over A Urinal In Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean And Binary
Image credits: kalvinoz
#65 This 107 Year Old Hot Dog Place’s Original Menu Prices
Image credits: TheLoraxOfLouisiana
#66 Different Coloured Peppers Growing Inside Big Pepper
Image credits: Sweet-Meet-4510
#67 Clouds I Caught At The Right Angle
Image credits: Background-Beach-289
#68 The Monthly Dosage Of Medication Necessary For My Survival
Image credits: Hurambuk
#69 Friend’s Umbrella Grew A Large Mushroom In The Month She Didn’t Use It
Image credits: stephaniechia
#70 This Bonsai Plant Has A Hexagon Branch Structure
Image credits: SomberDUDE224
#71 Bees Swarmed My Plant
Image credits: Splintercell581
#72 The Stark Difference Between A Kroger And Farmers Market Strawberry
Image credits: DoodleNoodle08
#73 The Napkin On My Flight Has A Buttonhole
Image credits: Milliways07
#74 My Finger Prosthetic Has My New Fingerprint On It
Image credits: reddit.com
#75 I Found An Atlas Moth Today At School
Image credits: Competitive-Set5051
#76 I Spilled Some Milk And The Puddle Looks Like A Derpy Ghost!
Image credits: mockjogger
#77 A Sunflower I Grew In 2021:
Image credits: FunnyPast8531
#78 Noticed That My Girlfriend's Dad's Arm Looks It Belongs To Her
Image credits: aaariiieeeeellllll
#79 Car Parking Without Saftey Barriers
Image credits: mannymelb1987
#80 Someone Donated Hundreds Of Space Jam Fleece Throws To Our Flood Relief Fund
Image credits: BadPunsIsHowEyeRoll
#81 The Holes I Drilled In This Stump Are All Different Colors
Image credits: lightstrident
#82 Someone Left A Ducky On My Car
Image credits: CleverTits101
#83 My Mom's House Burned Down But There Was Still American Cheese In The Fridge
Image credits: nbain66
#84 My Dads ‘85 Pickup In Between 2 Modern Pickups
Image credits: alertmax15000
#85 My Dog’s Extra Long Whisker
Image credits: berglesauce
#86 My Mother Bought Me Another Copy Of The Toy I've Had Since I Was A Child
Image credits: Reaversal
#87 I Saw The Green Lady Yesterday
Image credits: cammi914
#88 Someone Plastered His Car With Solar Panels And Keeps His Car Loading Everywhere He Parks
Image credits: AutGuy1996
#89 The Difference Between A Trimmed Palm Tree And A Wild Palm Tree
Image credits: bullpendodger
#90 This Charred Intercom System At Taco Cabana
Image credits: willcordell1998
#91 Big Snail I Found. Foot For Scale
Image credits: Dexter_davis
#92 My Mother Is Making Sauce In A Mortar Made With Volcanic Rock And The Flame On The Stove Turned Green
Image credits: Angelaw1215
#93 This Wavy Road Seen From The Window Of A Plane Landing In Ft Lauderdale
Image credits: dgoldstein38
#94 One Of My Coke Bottle Candies Was Empty
Image credits: henkheijmen
#95 The Way This Customer Left Their Mussel Shells Organized After Eating
Image credits: inside-outdoorsman
#96 The Heated Side Walks At My Work, Doing Their Job
Image credits: rouseandground
#97 My Workplace's Air Conditioner Condenses So Much Water That It's Growing Cattails At The End Of The Parking Lot
Image credits: iamdarkyoshi
#98 I Put Some Bacon Grease On My Electric Skillet And It Formed A Perfect Diamond
Image credits: flyingdrums
#99 This Mesh Bag Makes Oranges Look Way More “Orange”
Image credits: jollycreation
#100 This Bunny In My Yard Doesn't Have Bunny Ears
Image credits: Cyberdan3
#101 This Restaurant Named "Thai Food Near Me"
Image credits: zirus23
#102 A Bird Made A Nest On My Car While I Was At The Gym
Image credits: RubMyGooshSilly
#103 This Eclipse Survival Goodie Bag Our Cfo Made For Everyone [oc]
Image credits: olbeamreturns
#104 Not A Single Person In This Dentistry Ad Is Showing Their Teeth
Image credits: verusisrael
#105 My Apple Has An Apple On It
Image credits: samgam74
#106 These Are The Same Stuffed Animal - One From Storage, The Other Loved For 30+ Years
Image credits: thinkconverse
#107 The Scar On My Arm Doesn’t Get Dirty
Image credits: dumbwhip
#108 There Is A Waiver On My Receipt For Takeout Shawarma
Image credits: cgxo
#109 This Rug Matches The Pattern Of The Tile Beneath
Image credits: peakedinthirdgrade
#110 Aging Of A Stuffed Animal Lion After 30 Years
Image credits: derfilipmitf
#111 My Water Bottle Shrank After Putting It In The Dishwasher
Image credits: Im-a-king
#112 Parking Garage Space Blocked Off Because Of Mri Machine Above
Image credits: celeste_ai
#113 Scent Free Zone For Workers
Image credits: yussi1870
#114 Weird Rock Found In Backyard
Image credits: harrypottersimp
#115 My Swiss Cheese Only Has One Hole
Image credits: MoroseOverdose
#116 My Dog Ripped Open His Chew Toy And This Was Written On The Squeaker
Image credits: RoyIsAFurry
#117 Family Iris Portrait
Image credits: mrbacterio
#118 My Tanned And Untanned Skin Tones Are Drastically Different
Image credits: CATNIP_IS_CRACK
#119 I Found A 12 Year Old Pouch Of Capri Sun In The Middle Of A Desert In New Mexico
Image credits: jameswest22
#120 My Lyft Driver Holds A Stuffed Bunny While Driving
Image credits: Imfrank123
#121 The Soap Dispenser At My Work Caught Fire
Image credits: bucket8a
#122 Old Ww2 Anti-Air Canon That Lives In The Middle Of Our Neighborhood
Image credits: ryanclicks2
#123 Old Injury On Hand Now Gets Dirty Or Stays Clean Opposite To The Rest Of The Hand
Image credits: PositivelyUnpos
#124 My Job Got New Microwaves And Only Allow Certain Foods In Them
Image credits: kanslice1738
#125 This Public Bathroom Has Blue Tinted Light To Discourage Drug Injections
Image credits: darialisa
#126 The „american Garden“ In The ‚gardens Of The World’ Exhibition In Berlin Is Simply An La Style Parking Lot
Image credits: Living_Double_3253
#127 My Girlfriend Met A Person At The Bar With The Inverse Of Her Tattoo
Image credits: jeshy1
#128 My Hairy Legs
Image credits: Mugrevideo
#129 You Can See All The Colors Of The Disneyland Teacup Because Its Worn Off Where The Door Closes
Image credits: Sugarmugr
#130 Breast Milk Color Difference 3 Days Postpartum vs. 8 Weeks Postpartum
Image credits: lfpod
