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Also acceptable is the first anime to have body pillows (or dakimakura) as
merchandise.

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/POG9X.jpg)

Anime body pillows are a big part of anime otaku culture - but this can't have
always been the case. I doubt there were body pillows of the characters back
in the 60s.

When did body pillows start being sold as merchandise for anime and who was
the character to get the first pillowification?

I'm interested in officially licensed body pillows only - and specifically
body pillows as opposed to normal pillows (if the line is vague though, that's
fine).


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anime-history merchandise
Who was the first anime character to be on a body pillow?


I can't find a specific character, but I can give you a company!

According to [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakimakura) Wikipedia page,
the company Cospa was one of the first companies to begin printing anime
characters on Dakimakura. They started in the late 90's, however it's notable
that non-anime Dakimakura have been around for a long time, in the form of
what the Wikipedia page calls "security objects" (some object providing
psychological comfort, especially in "unusual situations"). However I cannot
find any pictures of cospa's early pillows.

That said I feel that the Wikipedia source on the country is probably
reliable, because it cites Patrick Galbraith's "Insider's Guide to the
Subculture of Cool Japan" which, along with his book "The Moé Manifesto" are
great sources for answers to any other questions you might have similar to
this one.


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Inside of anime:

Urusei Yatsura (1981-1986)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z6Upc.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z6Upc.jpg)

The character Megane is likely the first otaku that featured inside of an
anime.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/o0Rx4l.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/o0Rx4l.jpg)

> officially licensed body pillows only

Keep in mind that the entire fandom started inofficially producing merchandise
long before any official sources even existed. Doujinshi, figures and body
pillows all started out as being made by fans for fans.


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What is considered Japan's first body pillow (dakimakura) was created in 1996
by a company called Lofty. Although the definition of what a dakimakura is may
vary depending on the person.

The precursor to life-sized full body pillow covers likely originated from the
"Goodnight Sheets" bedsheets from Tokimeki Memorial released on January of
1997 by Konami. People wrapped the bedsheet around the body pillows and slept
with them. Influenced by this [a person](http://www.din.or.jp/%7Emiochan/)
custom ordered a body pillow with the bedsheet processed as a pillow cover and
that popularize the trend due to his influence among _Tokimeki_ fans.

[![2023 re release of the
sheets](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6h9KC.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6h9KC.png)

Prior to that Elf had released smaller hug pillows (about 90cm long) featuring
characters from _Doukyusei 2_ in 1995.

[!["Virtual IDOL" Vol.5 \(PC Engine Fan November 1995 special
issue\)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WafDG.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WafDG.png)

The first ever mass distributed dakimakura covers to feature a full-body sized
character originated as a doujin work from an doujin event called [Leaf
Fan](https://web.archive.org/web/20010428085306/http://www2.nerv.ne.jp/%7Eleaffan/)
in 1997. It is alleged that the circle named 江戸主水のお店 was the first to do this,
creating a two-sided (with a lewd side) cover for Multi from the _To Heart_
series.

[![non-lewd
side](https://i.stack.imgur.com/b5JVz.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/b5JVz.png)


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