diff --git a/src/lib/test/test-helper.cpp b/src/lib/test/test-helper.cpp
index 401690788..0c67ca7fd 100644
--- a/src/lib/test/test-helper.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/test/test-helper.cpp
@@ -41,5 +41,21 @@ namespace test{
   }
   
   
+  /** @todo probably this can be done in a more clever way. Anyone...?
+   */
+  string
+  randStr (size_t len)
+  {
+    static const string alpha ("aaaabbccddeeeeffgghiiiijjkkllmmnnooooppqqrrssttuuuuvvwwxxyyyyzz0123456789");
+    static const size_t MAXAL (alpha.size());
+    
+    string garbage(len,'\0');
+    size_t p = len;
+    while (p)
+      garbage[--p] = alpha[rand() % MAXAL];
+    return garbage;
+  }
+  
+  
   
 }} // namespace lib::test
diff --git a/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp b/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp
index 26d3b5616..afa79c743 100644
--- a/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp
+++ b/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp
@@ -110,6 +110,11 @@ namespace test{
     return Time (500 * (rand() % 2), (rand() % 600));
   }
   
+  /** create garbage string of given length
+   *  @return string containing arbitrary lower case letters and numbers
+   */
+  string randStr (size_t len);
+  
   
 }} // namespace lib::test
 
diff --git a/tests/40components.tests b/tests/40components.tests
index a1013091e..f5d4d3d5e 100644
--- a/tests/40components.tests
+++ b/tests/40components.tests
@@ -489,6 +489,7 @@ END
 
 
 TEST "Test support functions" TestHelper_test <<END
+out: [a-z0-9]{80}$
 out: Displaying types and sizes....
 out: sizeof..theUniverse.+ =  42
 out: sizeof..just a char.+ =   1
diff --git a/tests/lib/test/test-helper-test.cpp b/tests/lib/test/test-helper-test.cpp
index 40258c44a..f9c940741 100644
--- a/tests/lib/test/test-helper-test.cpp
+++ b/tests/lib/test/test-helper-test.cpp
@@ -24,15 +24,25 @@
 #include "lib/test/run.hpp"
 #include "lib/test/test-helper.hpp"
 #include "lib/error.hpp"
+#include "lib/util.hpp"
 
+#include <boost/algorithm/string.hpp>
+#include <tr1/functional>
 #include <iostream>
+#include <string>
 
-using std::cout;
-using std::endl;
+using util::for_each;
 using lumiera::Error;
 using lumiera::LUMIERA_ERROR_EXCEPTION;
 using lumiera::error::LUMIERA_ERROR_ASSERTION;
 
+using boost::algorithm::is_lower;
+using boost::algorithm::is_digit;
+using std::tr1::function;
+using std::string;
+using std::cout;
+using std::endl;
+
 
 namespace lib {
 namespace test{
@@ -61,6 +71,7 @@ namespace test{
       void
       run (Arg)
         {
+          checkGarbageStr();
           checkTypeDisplay();
           checkThrowChecker();
         }
@@ -99,6 +110,24 @@ namespace test{
         }
       
       
+  
+      
+      void
+      checkGarbageStr()
+        {
+          string garN = randStr(0);
+          ASSERT (0 == garN.size());
+          
+          typedef function<bool(string::value_type)> ChPredicate;
+          ChPredicate is_OK (is_lower() || is_digit());
+          
+          string garM = randStr(1000000);
+          for_each (garM, is_OK);
+          
+          cout << randStr(80) << endl;
+        }
+      
+      
       /** @test check the VERIFY_ERROR macro, 
        *        which ensures a given error is raised.
        */