When you think of a cookie cutter, you likely imagine the metal contraption that people use to create the most visually appealing sweet treats. But thanks to the people on the internet, this device is also a tool for enhancing your creativity.
Just take a look at these posts from the What Is My Cookie Cutter subreddit. All of its 230,000 members have shared images of their peculiarly shaped tools and the creations they made with them. It just goes to show that the things you can come up with through the use of the imagination are limitless.
Having fun scrolling through, and as always, don’t forget to upvote your favorites!
#1 My Whole Family Is Stumped
Image source: acrookodile
#2 Finally Have One. In Walmart Genuinely Confused LOL
Image source: Dwestmor1007
#3 I Know What It Is But Am Curious To See What People Will Guess
Image source: Clover_Stoner_1122
The cookie cutters on this subreddit feature shapes that let the imagination flow freely. But the human brain is actually programmed to see specific patterns in everyday objects.
This phenomenon is called pareidolia, in which we see faces in inanimate objects. For example, you may see a smiling face on a cloud, or a fruit grimacing in pain.
#4 This Came In A Christmas Set, It’s The Only One I Cannot Figure Out
Image source: calabazadelamuerte
#5 My Mom Has This Cookie Cutter For Years But Doesn’t Want To Use It Since She Doesn’t Now What This Is. Maybe You Can Change Her Mind?
Image source: Hedgehog_of_trust
#6 Found In My Grandma’s Cookie Cutter Collection
Image source: Asunaris
So, what is the scientific explanation behind pareidolia? According to researcher Dr. Colin Palmer, part of it is repeated exposure to faces locked in a certain expression.
“If you are repeatedly shown pictures of faces that are looking towards your left, for example, your perception will actually change over time so that the faces will appear to be looking more rightwards than they really are,” he said in an interview with UNSW Sydney.
#7 My Husband Thought This Was A Sledding Penguin At First Glance, So I Made Some Cookies To Match His Vision. 😂
Image source: Moofininja
#8 Found In A Thrift Store, My Girlfriend And I Are Both Stumped
Image source: BobTonK
#9 I’ve Been Stumped By This For A Couple Years Now
Image source: delimom
Dr. Palmer explained that face pareidolia is not only a product of our evolution but may also confer an advantage, especially in social settings.
“There is an evolutionary advantage to being really good or really efficient at detecting faces; it’s important to us socially. It’s also important in detecting predators,” he explained.
#10 Creative Answers Only
Image source: OgalFinklestein
#11 Please Help! Present From My Girlfriend
Image source: silverdim
#12 Im Stumped
Image source: BradleyGroot
Pattern recognition also goes hand in hand with creativity. Looking at these photos with the question of, “What are these cookie cutters for?” makes you rack your brain to find their different uses in the most visually appealing and out-of-the-box ways.
According to the American Psychological Association, the ambiguity in these images encourages creativity, offering endless possibilities.
#13 I Was Out Thrifting And Found This Cookie Cutter
Image source: After-Tune4494
#14 Cleaning Out My Baking Cupboard And…
Image source: Threadcat
#15 Unicorn? And No Idea The Blue One
Image source: reddit.com
The APA further notes that researchers measure divergent thinking as a marker of creativity. In a nutshell, it is the ability to generate potential solutions to a problem or question.
“Creativity involves an honest expression,” said cognitive psychologist Southern Oregon University director Dr. Mark Runco.
#16 We Have Consulted The Whole Family. What The Hell Is This Thing???
Image source: dmoore164
#17 All I Can See Is A Tooth With Legs…
Image source: annnnnnnnie
#18 Someone Asking In Our Parenting Discord Server. We Are Seriously Stumped
Image source: marissahm
#19 This Has Confused Me For Over A Year Now
Image source: iconicandchronic
#20 My Dad Wanted To See What You All Could Make Of This Cookie Cutter
Image source: haunted_sweater
#21 People Are Saying It’s Kevin Carrying Chili In The Office
Image source: Lonely-Answer-2104
#22 Found At My Dad’s Place, None Of Us Had A Clue
Image source: JansenTV
#23 Found At An Op Shop, Tag Just Says Cookie Cutter
Image source: Badenh94
#24 Found In Mom’s Pantry. She Doesn’t Know What It Is Either
Image source: gfixler
#25 I Feel Like This Is A Wild One
Image source: Katington96
#26 2 Years And No Answer…
Image source: LaMiMi3
#27 What Is It?
Image source: Ok-Magician9073
#28 What Is This Supposed To Be
Image source: Maleficent_Strike637
#29 Thrift Store Find!
Image source: pitiful-raisin
#30 What Is This Cookie Cutter?
Image source: KERMANENPERUNA
#31 Please State What You Think This Is
Image source: BellSeeker
#32 Do Your Magic Reddit
Image source: Autofroster
#33 I Was Looking For Cookie Cutters To Make Fries With And Found A..?
Image source: Masque_Meow
#34 Christmas Baking With A Student Group. One Brought This Cookie Cutter. What Is It?
Image source: Equal_Air_3074
#35 My Brain Cannot Compute
Image source: StructureSpecial7597
#36 Discovered At My Grandparents House. They Have No Clue
Image source: NelvisAlfredo
#37 I Thought I Knew, But Nope
Image source: Hugh_Jassle_I_Know
#38 Ridiculously Large Cutter
Image source: arcalando
#39 Found In A Flea Market. No Idea
Image source: ceciliaissushi
#40 Our Best Guess Is A Penguin With A Beer Belly
Image source: shampi
#41 Everyone Always Asks What Is My Cookie Cutter, But No One Ever Asks How Is My Cookie Cutter 😔
Image source: strawbopankek
#42 Is Anyone Else As Stumped As I Am About This One?
Image source: rupicolous
#43 Encountered My First Today!
Image source: Mysterious_Oven736
#44 My Heart Says Bee, But My Brain Can’t See It
Image source: allgreatthings
#45 Thrift Store Find. I’m Stumped
Image source: sxdcapricorn
#46 Heres One That I’m Genuinely Confused On
Image source: HorrorPunkKid
#47 We Are Stumped, Any Ideas?
Image source: baked_beanies
#48 Antique Store Cookie Cutter
Image source: Separate_Mousse1079
#49 We Got Nothing
Image source: FlojoRojo
#50 My Coworkers & I Cannot Figure This Out
Image source: Scribbledashes
#51 Flying Spaghetti Monster?
Image source: fantasypants
#52 Any Clue What This Could Be?
Image source: Pippy35
#53 Saw This In An Antique Shop In A Bin And It’s The Only One I Couldn’t Identify
Image source: DueBike582
#54 Mom Asked Me What This Could Be? I Said “Let Me Ask Reddit” What Do We Think? 🤔
Image source: crafty_ditz
#55 Old Cookie Cutter Mystery
Image source: Cryptid_Esskay
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