You know what they say about Mercury retrograde (oh wait, you don't? here). And Uber's 2023 Lost & Found index suggests more than a few of us are feeling it.
Clothing, phones, keys and wallets topped the list of most commonly forgotten items once again, but as always, riders leave their unique -- and sometimes starkly unusual -- talismans behind, too. Uber saw people forget everything from a fog machine to an ankle monitor and a Danny Devito Christmas ornament in this year's index. Yeah.
Those feature among the 10 weirdest things left in Ubers, a list that also includes: MY DOG IS IN THE CAR!!! A toy poodle (2); Blue cap that says ‘i love the smell of jet fuel in the morning’ (3); Some bowling rags (5); My unicycle (7); 16 oz. of fake blood (8); a printer and remote-controlled vibrator (9); and a pin with Jesus holding a slice of pizza (10).
Still bizarre but not making Uber's top 10: 2 fingernails, 6 cheesecakes, My happy sauce, an important pregnancy test, self-respect, mostly, and ... OK. Here are all 50 for those interested.
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Notably, New York City does not feature in Uber's latest 10 most "forgetful" cities list. It didn't last year either, though French folks apparently like to ditch our hats. Neither did New Jersey. But Texas is represented twice in the top five.
Here are some of the top Lost & Found trends Uber saw this year:
- Lost in the magic: Forget finding Dory. Uber saw a significant spike in lost Disney and Harry Potter items, especially Minnie ears, lightsabers, Disney Magic Bands and of course, magic wands
- Smells like weed: From bags of weed to pre-rolls and pens – medicinal and recreational – Uber has seen a “high” increase in forgotten ganja goods.
- Gaming on the go: The Nintendo Switch was the #1 lost gaming device this year, with more than 70 lost
- That bites: False dentures and teeth continue to take the biggest bite out of Uber's top lost items year-over-year. This year, more than 40 instances of misplaced pearly whites were reported, though teh number of lost diamond grills has declined, Uber says
- Remember, remember the 5th of: April? April 5, 2022 was the most common day of the year for forgotten items, with nearly 1,000 lost item reports
- Cold shoulders: Shawls have been one of the top clothing items left behind, with more than 30 riders forgetting these garments
- Uber X-Rated: Passengers got “lost in the moment” and left a few *private* items behind – including an entire pack of underwear, condoms, and some sex toys
- Pets: Uber says it reunited a bunch of people with lost pets, including dogs, turtles, hamsters and a rat
- Inflation: With the recent egg shortage, it’s no yolk that eggs became a hot commodity. Uber saw an uptick in reports from riders who left behind their precious eggs and wanted to get their egg-cellent cargo back.
ICYMI: Here are the weirdest things left in 2022. And here's what to do if you left your "valuables" behind.
