About

Oppai Mouse Pads, also known as a Boob Mouse Pads or 3D Mouse Pads, are a type of ergonomic mouse pad with designs of various anime and video game characters that have protruding wrist supports shaped like the character's breasts or buttocks. Initially sold in Japan and popular with otakus, the mouse pads received global spread throughout the 2010s with various unusual and humorous designs appearing online and in memes.

History

While oppai mouse pads ("oppai" meaning "breasts" in Japanese), originally referred to as "three-dimensional mouse pads," were sold in Japan prior, they did not attract major attention online until August 30th, 2007, when TwoTop Akihabara Main Store started selling a mouse pad with the design of the character Maho Akai from the video game Doki Doki Majo Shinpan! On August 31st, 2007, Akiba Blog^[1] reported on the start of the sales, with Kotaku^[2] reporting on it later that day (photographs and Kotaku blog entry shown below).

Throughout the 2010s, the product achieved recognition in the West as users shared their purchases of various oppai mouse pads with popular character designs, often that of their waifus, on social media (examples shown below, left and center).

The mouse pads achieved their first burst in virality in 2013 and 2014 when various designs were shared and went viral on Tumblr. For example, prior to July 27th, 2014, Tumblr^[3] user Mio Sugiyama posted an oppai mouse pad that gained over 2,900 likes and reblogs on the site in eight years. During that period, husbando designs gained initial popularity. For example, on November 9th, 2015, Tumblr^[4] user hikikomoricorp posted two images of oppai mouse pad with Jean Pierre Polnareff from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure that received over 2,700 likes and reblogs in roughly six years (shown below, right).

The recognition of oppai mouse pads in the West was assisted by the release of the multiplayer video game Overwatch, as many of the game's characters became subjects of hornyposting, with their designs frequently used for oppai mouse pads.^[5][6] The spread was further assisted by the popularization of remote work from home due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[7]

Use in Memes

The earliest known meme about oppai mouse pads, an edit of the Maho Akai mouse pad photograph in which the character was replaced with Valve CEO Gabe Newell, was posted by 9GAG^[8] user smerpy on August 8th, 2011 (authorship unconfirmed; shown below). The image was widely circulated in the following years.^[9]

Following the initial popularization of oppai mouse pads in the West in the mid-2010s, oppai mouse pads with humorous and unusual designs that intentionally subverted their purpose of being sexually appealing were created. For example, in May 2016, Twitter user Dogeboob^[10] started selling oppai mouse pads based on the Doge meme (shown below, left). In November 2017, artist ApocalyssArt started selling a 3D mouse pad featuring the Pokémon Rowlet and Decidueye (shown below, center), with a photograph of the mouse pad going viral on Twitter^[11] and Tumblr.^[12]

The product has also been referenced in various memes, often in memes making fun of anime fans and weaboos.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References