Let’s talk about something completely foolish and unreasonable that has been bothering me: the plastic stool hole. There was a small circle in the center of the hard plastic stools. You’re familiar with the one. For years, it has been quietly and strangely there, as if it is aware of something we are not.

I’ve sat on stools in various places, including my parents’ house, little tea shops, outdoor weddings, and bermside food booths, and they all have a strange hole. Why? What is the secret? Is there a design flaw? Is there a manufacturing issue that has gone viral? Is it genuinely useful?

Spoiler alert: it’s not completely worthless. It’s a sneaky little brilliance, in fact.

What is the function of the hole in the plastic stool?

Let’s get right to it. There’s a reason for the hole in the middle of the ubiquitous plastic stool; it’s not only for decoration or to screw with your mind. It has a few practical applications:

Easy to handle and stack.

Have you ever tried to disassemble those small plastic stools? You pull one, and the entire tower collapses on you like a plastic Jenga game. What about that hole? When you put stools on top of each other, the vacuum seal breaks.

If the hole was removed, the grip would be so strong and the surfaces so smooth that they would create suction, making it extremely difficult to pull apart. The opening allows air to escape as you lift one stool off the other. Simple physics. But brilliant.

In addition, when you wish to move the stool, simply lift it up by the hole. This is a ready-made handle. Who knew your stool had built-in ergonomics?

Drainage Matters

Assume you’ve left your stool outside. It’s raining. Without a hole, that top would be a birdbath. Nobody wants to be the one who sits in a pool of terrible rainfall. The plastic stool hole also allows water to pass right through, allowing the surface to dry faster and avoiding the uncool act of having your jeans soak up more water than your sponge.

In food booths or houses where cleaning is done with spilled buckets of water competing for mopping gold, that hole is an excellent way to drain the water and save your stool from becoming a proverbial slip-and-slide.

Molding and Efficiency in Manufacturing

Here’s an interesting side note from the realm of injection molding (yes, it exists!): The hole helps to cool and set the stool while it is being produced. The center, where the hot plastic is poured, is usually thicker and cools slower. Making a hole instead of a peg saves material while also speeding up production. Less plastic, faster cooling, more stools for everyone.

It’s the IKEA-level minimalism of stool design.

Weight Loss (while Maintaining Strength)

Plastic stools are designed to be lightweight, portable, and stackable. What about the little hole in the middle? It saves on materials. When you multiply it by thousands or millions of devices, it becomes a major concern for manufacturers. Chipping away at cost, weight, and carbon footprint, each so minutely.

Bonus: Mischief Magnet.

Let’s not lie, youngsters enjoy sticking their fingers in it. Hey, some adults do (don’t say you haven’t tried). And somehow, that chasm is a terrific topic of discussion in group settings. I like this essay.

You will never be able to unsee it. You are welcome.

It is more than just a hole.

So, what appeared to be a meaningless design quirk actually had layers, much like an onion or a thoroughly good Pixar movie. The plastic stool hole: A small detail with a big impact.

It counteracts suction, aids drainage, is used in manufacturing, and, in a potent and smelly manner, makes one bowl stool lighter and less expensive. The next time you sit down on one of these, take a moment to admire the hole that silently holds it together.