My dad was a self-employed plumber for decades before his accident left him permanently disabled. He used to get calls all the time from people who wanted a new toilet when it was really a simple fix. 95% of the time when it wasn't flushing, it had NOTHING to do with the toilet. Almost always tampons. It was drilled into my head to NEVER flush one long before I had even had the need to use one. Never have flushed one...
OT: He said the most interesting thing he ever found clogging a pipe was a toupee (sp? the hair piece). He never could figure out how the guy managed to flush it and he never felt the desire to ask. He also went to a woman's house who managed to clog up her pipes by flushing a bunch of her ex-boyfriend's things down the toilet after he cheated on her. My dad felt so bad he didn't charge her. I never will be able to figure out why otherwise rational adults believe that the toilet is some kind of bottomless pit.