Random Thing Generator

The Random Thing Generator picks between one and five ordinary objects from a list of 189 and shows each one as a card with a picture and its name. The list is deliberately mundane: a rubber duck, a soda can, a cinder block, a checkbook, sticky notes, a tire swing, a soy sauce packet. Nothing abstract, nothing branded, just things you could point at in a house, a garage or on a street.

That makes it a prompt machine more than anything else. The picture matters here: when a game or an exercise needs "an object", a photo of a mop or a clay pot gives everyone the same starting point in a way a word alone does not.

Options and output

There is one setting, the number of things, from 1 to 5. Each result is a card with a photo of the object and its name underneath. Within one draw the five objects are all different; press again for a new set. There are no categories or filters, so you cannot ask for only kitchen items or only tools, and the objects in a set have no relationship to one another beyond chance.

What is in the list

The 189 items break down roughly like this:

• Around the house: couch, sofa, pillow, blanket, lamp, lamp shade, vase, mirror, rug, drawer, hanger, thermostat, washing machine, fridge, toilet, door, window.
• Desk and stationery: pen, pencil, eraser, chalk, Sharpie, white out, sticky note, bookmark, grid paper, sketch pad, paper, scotch tape, rubber band, playing card.
• Bathroom and personal care: toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash, lotion, deodorant, perfume, nail clippers, nail file, tweezers, hair brush, hair tie, lip gloss, eye liner.
• Tech and media: phone, cell phone, charger, keyboard, monitor, computer, mouse pad, headphones, speakers, boom box, radio, camera, controller, video games, USB drive, CD, iPod, MP3 player, television.
• Food and kitchen: chocolate, milk, bread, beef, bananas, apple, tomato, carrots, broccoli, soy sauce packet, candy wrapper, cookie jar, plate, bowl, cup, glass, fork, spoon, knife, plastic fork, ice cube tray.
• Outside and odd: street lights, stop sign, sidewalk, puddle, tree, tire swing, sailboat, wagon, truck, car, cinder block, rusty nail, shovel, drill press, clamp, spring, cork, packing peanuts.

Plus a scattering of clothes (shirt, pants, socks, blouse, shawl, stockings, leg warmers, sandal, slipper, shoes, shoe lace) and one living thing, a cat.

Ways people use it

• Drawing and still-life practice. Draw one object and sketch it in five minutes; draw three and arrange them into a composition. The photos give you a reference to work from.
• Story and improv games. Generate five things and tell a story that uses all of them in order. "Cinder block, lip gloss, sailboat, checkbook, cat" is a harder brief than it looks.
• Charades and Pictionary. Hand the phone to the person acting or drawing; everyone else looks away. Because the items are concrete, they are fair to act out.
• Language practice. Name the object in the language you are learning, then describe it. The pictures mean you do not need to translate first.
• Product and design exercises. "Redesign this object" or "combine these two into one product" works well with random household items. If you want an activity rather than an object, the Random Activity Generator is the better pick, and the Random Topic Generator gives subjects to talk or write about.

Limits worth knowing

The list is finite and small enough that regular users will see repeats within a session. It also reflects an American household: there is a checkbook and a Sharpie, but no items specific to other countries. The photos are stock-style images hosted by the site, one per object, and every card uses the same fixed image size. If you want something more specific than "a thing", the site has narrower pickers such as the Random Hobby Generator, the Random Car Brand Generator and the Random Shoe Generator, and you can browse all fun, party and decision tools.