fixtures in the Arab world and in predominantly Catholic countries, such as Italy (the installation of a bidet in a bathroom has been mandatory since 1975), Spain (but in recent times new or renewed houses tend to have bathrooms without bidets, except the luxurious ones), and Portugal (installation is mandatory since 1975). They are also found in Southern Eastern Europe in countries like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece and Turkey. They are very popular in some South American countries, particularly Argentina and Uruguay. Electronic bidet-integrated toilets, often with functions such as toilet seat warming, are commonly found in Japan, and are becoming more popular in other Asian countries. In northern Europe, bidets are rare, although in Finland, bidet showers are common. Bidet showers are most commonly found in South-East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. In 1980, the first "paperless toilet" was launched in Japan by manufacturer Toto, a combination of toilet and bidet which also dries the user after washing. These combination toilet-bidets (washlet) with seat warmers, or attachable bidets are particularly popular in Japan and South Korea, and are found in approximately 76% of Japanese households . They are commonly found in hotels and some public facilities. These bidet-toilets, along with toilet seat and bidet units (to convert an existing toilet) are sold in many countries, including the United States. Bidet seat conversions are much easier and lower cost to install than traditional bidets, and have disrupted the market for the older fixtures. After a slow start in the 1990s, electronic bidets are starting to become more available in the United States. American distributors were directly influenced by their Japanese predecessors, as the founders of Brondell (established in 2003) have indicated. The popularity of add-on bidet units is steadily increasing in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, in part because of their ability to treat hemorrhoids or urogenital infections. In addition, shortages of toilet paper due to the coronavirus pandemic have led to an increased interest in bidets. Etymology Bidet is a French word for "pony", and in Old French, meant "to trot". This etymology comes from the notion that one "rides" or straddles a bidet much like a pony is ridden. The word "bidet" was used in 15th century France to refer to the pet ponies that French royalty kept. History The bidet appears to have been an invention of French furniture makers in