What Are the Three Seashells in the Bathroom For?
If you’ve seen Demolition Man—that beautifully bonkers 1993 sci-fi/action film starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock—then there’s one line of dialogue that’s stuck with you more than the explosions or the futuristic Taco Bell. It’s when John Spartan (Stallone) exits the bathroom and grumbles, “He doesn’t know how to use the three seashells.” That line alone launched decades of jokes, speculation, and internet debates. And yet… no one in the movie ever explains how the three seashells actually work.
So, what are the three seashells in the bathroom for?
Let’s get into it—speculation, behind-the-scenes hints, and all the strange possibilities that have made this sci-fi bathroom mystery such a long-running pop culture gag.
The Gag That Became a Meme
First, it’s important to recognize that the three seashells were never meant to be explained. The line was written as a joke—an intentional bit of absurdist world-building to show just how weird and sanitized the future had become. Director Marco Brambilla once admitted that even the production team didn’t really know what the seashells were supposed to do. In an interview, screenwriter Daniel Waters said he wanted a funny, futuristic alternative to toilet paper and came up with the seashells because it was weird and totally unexplained.
Mission accomplished.
The joke works because Demolition Man presents a future where society has gone full “peace and cleanliness.” Swearing is illegal. Guns are obsolete. Physical contact is rare. So of course they wouldn’t use something as coarse and uncivilized as toilet paper. But seashells? Elegant. Futuristic. Mysterious. And just plausible enough to mess with your head.
So… How Could They Work?
Now for the fun part: speculation.
There are a few commonly accepted theories floating around—some half-serious, others clearly tongue-in-cheek. Here are the big ones:
1. The Mechanical Clamp Theory
This is the most practical version of the idea. Two of the seashells are used to “clamp” or scoop waste matter, and the third is used to clean or scrape anything that remains. Maybe they’re attached to small robotic arms or work like tongs. There’s even speculation that the seashells are just part of a control system, with actual cleaning done by some kind of automated bidet.
2. The Sonic Cleaning Theory
In a future where you can reprogram your brain with a VR headset and cryo-prisons are standard, it’s not a stretch to imagine toilets that clean you using sound waves or lasers. The seashells could be buttons or panels that activate different cleaning modes—drying, sterilizing, deodorizing. Kind of like a touchless car wash for your butt.
3. The Decorative Interface Theory
What if the seashells aren’t tools at all, but just buttons—like a sleek futuristic remote control? In that case, you’re not physically using them like utensils; you’re pressing them to trigger a complex system beneath the seat that does all the work automatically. The seashells are just the interface—a quirky, Apple Store-like aesthetic choice.
4. The Meditation Theory
This one is a joke, but some fans say the seashells are symbolic. You don’t actually clean yourself; you just meditate until the need to go vanishes entirely. After all, this is a society where people greet each other with “Be well” and have sex using neural headsets. Maybe bowel movements are spiritually obsolete.
Props, Design, and Why They Chose Seashells
According to Daniel Waters, when he was writing the script, he contacted a friend who was a production designer and asked for ideas for a funny, weird, bathroom gag. That friend looked around and said, “I have these seashells on the back of my toilet.” Waters immediately knew he had a winner.
So yes, the whole thing started as a sight gag. Three literal decorative seashells placed where you’d expect to see toilet paper, with no explanation—just confusion and silence from the rest of the characters in the film. The brilliance lies in how no one in the future explains it to Spartan, and the audience is left just as baffled.
In the movie, it’s clear that Stallone’s character is completely dumbfounded by the concept, and everyone else just assumes it’s common knowledge. It’s the perfect metaphor for feeling out of place in a society that’s moved on without you. You were asleep for 36 years and now you don’t know how to wipe your own ass.
The Joke That Endured
Part of what makes the three seashells joke so timeless is that it was never answered. Movies from the ’90s didn’t have to build complete cinematic universes, explain every prop, or give every character a spinoff series. Some things were just weird—and that was the fun.
In an age when movie fans pore over every frame for Easter eggs and backstory, the seashells stand as a tribute to a time when mystery was part of the charm. It’s like the contents of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction or the blue milk in Star Wars—we don’t need to know. The not knowing makes it better.
And Demolition Man isn’t a movie that takes itself too seriously. It’s goofy, over-the-top, and full of satire about political correctness, consumer culture, and authoritarian peace. The seashells fit perfectly into that world—a future where even the most basic human functions are now regulated, refined, and unfamiliar.
What Now?
So, what are the three seashells for?
The truth is, nobody knows—and that’s the point. They’re not just a running joke or a sci-fi prop. They’re a symbol of how far removed the future can get from the present, how easily normal becomes foreign, and how awkward it is when you’re the only one left behind. John Spartan’s confusion is our confusion. He’s standing there, pants down, trying to navigate a world that’s moved on without him—and honestly, who among us hasn’t felt like that?
In the end, the seashells are about more than bathroom etiquette. They’re about adaptation, absurdity, and the joy of a joke that never needed an answer. And if you’re still wondering how to use them?
Well… be well.
