A little history of the hug pillow
The hug pillow or dakimakura is a Japanese invention created specifically for hugging. However, long pillows were first used in Indonesia. The nights were hot and dry, the settlers were looking for a way to cool down. To do this, they came up with the idea of weaving hollow bamboo pillows that created natural ventilation.
The pillow found its popular image in the 90s in Japan, during the heyday of anime culture. First, they produced pillowcases with images of their favorite characters, and later they produced full-size anime hug pillows.
Initially, “handles” were sewn onto pillows to convey the impression of a hug. However, over time, this feature of the product disappeared.
Dakimakura has gained worldwide fame not only among anime fans, but also among ordinary users. Today, different versions of hug pillows are produced to suit every taste and budget.
Types of hug pillows
Japanese Dakimakura
Japanese dakimakura is a pillow with an image of an anime character. The print can be one-sided or two-sided. As a rule, such pillows are purchased by fans of Japanese culture as a decorative element, a gift, or for sleeping.
The size of the hug pillow ranges from 70x35 cm to 160x50 cm, with an average of 150x50 cm. The reasons for these sizes are hidden in ease of transportation and ideas about the ideal girl from an anime point of view. However, you can make dakimakura to your own measurements. The price depends on the size and quality of the product.
The following can be used as a filler:
- holofiber is an artificial fiber that is coated with a layer of silicone. The production of such filler is cheap, so it is often used in dakimakura;
- Comforel is an artificial fiber not coated with a layer of silicone. A cheap analogue of holofiber, it wears out extremely quickly;
- swan down is a soft and light filler that has elasticity and temperature-regulating properties. The disadvantages are high cost and excessive softness;
- expanded polystyrene – a filler known as “anti-stress”. Ideally holds the shape of the pillow, but makes rustling sounds.
Anime Dakimakura
Especially popular among teenagers and men. The pillows feature anime girls. Now they have begun to produce special pillowcases for dakimakura. If you take them off, the same anime character will be in underwear or without clothes at all.
Anime fans fall asleep with dakimakura, go to festivals with it, and travel with it.
Boyfriend pillow
It is a soft U-shaped pillow, one end of which represents the arm and the other the torso of a young man. It is purchased by girls who are separated from or do not have a boyfriend. The pillow imitates a hug with a loved one. Gives a feeling of calm and security.
For children in the form of animals
The cat hug pillow is the most popular request for children's dakimakura in the market. The product is made of soft, body-friendly material. They look more like soft toys. The pillow is small in size, but is perfect for babies and small children.
The pillow is multifunctional. It can be a support for the baby, helps to fall asleep, and you can play with it.
For adults
A hug pillow is not necessarily an attribute exclusively for children or teenagers. For adults, there are also a lot of suitable options on the market: Japanese dakimakura, a cylindrical pillow in a neutral shade, a small decorative pillow. You can safely fall asleep with them, hug them, or simply use them as a decorative element.
Among other functions, a hug pillow can be useful for an adult in a number of cases. First, dakimakura can be used after surgery to improve comfort and sleep quality. Secondly, for people with back pain it will be much more comfortable to sleep on such a pillow. Also, the hug pillow is recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
For pregnant
In later stages, pregnant women often find it awkward and uncomfortable to sleep. To improve the quality and duration of sleep, you can buy a hug pillow. With its help, the load is evenly distributed along the spine. Thanks to this, the heaviness from the weight of the abdomen is leveled.
After the birth of a child, the pillow also finds use in everyday life. It is comfortable to lean on during breastfeeding. In addition, dakimakura is, in principle, pleasant to hug and fall asleep with.
Product varieties
For single men, there is also a pillow man. Customer reviews note its creativity and convenience, but often question the design: unlike the women's version, there is no removable pillowcase, and the huge yellow hand evokes associations with the characters of the animated series The Simpsons.
The pillow-husband bears little resemblance to human outlines, and received its name only from the association with the feelings of comfort and security that it gives. Due to the high, dense back and armrests, it is very comfortable to read or watch TV while lying down.
Women's knees are another version for men. The invention also came from the East, and is a foam pillow depicting the hips and knees of a slender lady. Since it's unlikely that you'll be able to persuade any woman to sit on your lap for a few hours while you sleep, this is a pretty interesting idea.
A full-size human pillow will banish loneliness without complaining that her arm/leg is numb or that she is hot. This pleasure is not cheap - $200.
The U-shaped pillow is another variation of the “person pillow” type, although, like the husband pillow, it bears little resemblance to the human body. But she will hug and warm you from all sides. Expectant mothers especially love this type of pillow, because it provides support to the neck, back and allows you to comfortably accommodate your growing tummy.
Benefits of hug pillows
The benefits of using hug pillows can be divided into physical and psychological.
Physical
- Elimination of pain during sleep. The pillow evenly distributes weight along the spine, making sleep painless.
- Thermoregulation. Some fillers have thermoregulating properties. This way, sleep and regular cuddles with a pillow become comfortable and convenient.
- Tactile sensations are as important as visual and auditory ones. When a child or teen interacts with a cuddle pillow, they are fulfilling their need for physical contact with someone. Of course, the product will not replace a real person, but it will provide some of the necessary touches.
Psychological
- Calm. During a hug, a person feels peace and inner serenity. A cuddling sleep pillow can give its owner these feelings at any time. After a hard day at work, it is extremely pleasant to relieve stress by cuddling with a soft and cozy dakimakura. Plus, during sleep a person also experiences more positive emotions.
- Antistress. The product can be filled with expanded polystyrene. Because of this, touch will create a pleasant, soothing sensation that reduces stress.
- Emotional closeness with their idol gives teenagers joy and energy release.
- Aesthetic function. Anime fans often buy dakimakura to please their eyes and complement the interior of the room.
What kind of filler are they stuffed with?
What materials are used to fill hug pillows:
- swansdown. Microfiber treated with silicone. Weightless, soft, very thin. Has high thermoregulatory characteristics;
- holofiber. Highly elastic material. Springs, does not deform, lasts a long time;
- comfort. Holofiber subspecies. Has a slightly shorter lifespan;
- expanded polystyrene. Microgranules with a diameter of 0.2-1 millimeters. The advantages of the filler are its lightness and friability of the structure. When using the product, it rustles slightly.
How to choose the right hug pillow
First, you need to decide on the purpose of the purchase. Let's consider several criteria that you should rely on when choosing a pillow.
- Material and filler. The main thing is that the product is pleasant and comfortable to the body. For long-term use, it is better to take a product made from high-quality natural materials. This reduces the risk of irritation and increases the service life.
- Target. If the product is recommended for relieving back pain during pregnancy and breastfeeding, then it is better to opt for a long hug pillow with good filling. If you choose a product for a baby, then the dimensions of the hug are needed a little smaller.
- The pillowcase allows you to change the image on the dakimakura. If you are giving a hug pillow to an anime friend, then it is better to take a closer look at options with a pillowcase.
- Print quality. Pay special attention to this. In order for the product to last for more than one year, the print must be of good quality and not fade after the first wash. To do this, read the reviews.
- Double-sided or single-sided printing.
- Image. If you are giving a dakimakura to someone, then ask about your favorite anime and character in advance so as not to make a mistake with the gift.
Features of product care
Rules to follow when caring for your pillow:
- Wash pillowcases regularly. It is better to do this by hand or on a delicate cycle in the washing machine.
- When washing, use detergent for colored laundry, separately from other items. Also, add conditioner.
- It is strictly forbidden to use bleach and other aggressive compounds.
- Do not wring or tumble dry
- Iron at low temperatures, no higher than 110 degrees
- Use an antistatic agent
Step-by-step instructions for making it yourself
You can sew U-shaped, G-shaped, U-shaped and cylindrical dakimakura yourself. DIY hug pillow:
- Find a suitable pattern on the Internet. You can build it yourself or print a ready-made one;
- transfer the pattern onto the fabric. First of all, the material should be pleasant to you, so pay special attention to this. It is better to take cotton fabrics;
- add allowances, approximately 1–1.5 cm;
- cut out the pattern and secure it with pins, right side inward;
- Sew with an overlock stitch, leaving 25–30 cm for the filling;
- sew on a sewing machine and remove the overstitching;
- Turn the product inside out and fill it with filler. Try to do this gradually and evenly;
- sew up the hole.
You can additionally sew pillowcases for your pillow.
Where to buy a hug pillow?
Hugging pillows can be purchased at almost any online store. The OZON, Yandex.Market, Sbermarket websites offer a wide range of pillows for adults and children.
Dakimakura can be purchased at a specialized anime store. If there are no offline stores in your city with goods for anime fans, then turn to online resources. On the website akiba.su you can find full-size dakimakura with your favorite characters, and on nyapi.ru - mini versions. Also, hug pillows are available on Aliexpress.
Pygmalion and Galatea
Remember the Greek story where the sculptor made himself the woman of his dreams? Danish designer Noortje de Keijzer has knitted and stuffed her ideal man. She uses it not only to sleep and watch movies “together”, but even made a video where they brush their teeth, have breakfast and dance together. And when necessary, the girl washes her boyfriend.
The designer named the first version of the boyfriend pillow Arthur, and soon he had a dark-skinned brother, Steve.
She created this project when she herself was lonely, and, according to her, she felt much better. And not even because a “man” appeared in her life who is “ideal, fits perfectly into my interior, is always there to hug, will never cheat and will wear a mustache if I want” (from a book dedicated to a knitted boyfriend) . But more because she realized that in a humorous manner she drew people’s attention to such a serious problem as loneliness. In addition, the designer claims that the knitted man is just the first step. If you learn to live in peace with yourself and enjoy life, even with the help of such unusual props, then soon you will have not a stuffed friend, but a very real one.
Reviews of the hug pillow
Reviews for the product are mostly positive. Users share their experiences of sleeping with the pillow. Many people note an increase in comfort and quality of sleep. Pregnant and nursing mothers especially liked the hug pillow. In their opinion, the pillow reduces the load on the body.
Fans of anime culture also remain delighted with dakimakura, especially when it is presented as a gift.
The hug pillow is a multifunctional item. It can be used for its intended purpose and also as a decorative element.
Dakimakura sizes
The dakimakura pillow has the following dimensions: 150 cm in length and approximately 45 in width. This is the average size of a dakimakura. You can also often find products 150x50 and 160x50 cm on sale. In some cases, it can be made to individual measurements. These dimensions are due to the fact that most girls in anime and manga are miniature, and a height of 150-155 cm is considered the standard.
The longest custom-made dakimakura is a whopping 7 meters long! The hug pillow features the snake girl Miya from the anime Life with a Monster Girl. The customer paid more than $800 for such a product.
