Sanrio’s newest item looks like dog butt, exactly like it’s supposed to [Photos]

If you’ve ever wanted to take a nap while burying your face in Pompompurin’s butthole, this is the cushion you’ve been waiting for.

You can make a strong argument that no other company on the planet understands the value of good visual design as well as Sanrio does. Hello Kitty and her friends largely flipped the script on character merchandising, in that instead of starting with extensive narratives in animation, books, or other media, Sanrio characters tend to debut as merchandise and build their initial, fundamental fanbases based on their visual atmosphere, with the characters who prove to be the most popular then going on to have their personalities and storylines fleshed out in Netflix series, crossovers with violent sci-fi war epics, and the like.

So it might be surprising, maybe even disappointing, to learn that the appearance of the latest creation from Sanrio’s designers can be described as “total dog but,” or even “complete canine anus,” if you’re in the mood for alliteration and ass-related assonance. However, this isn’t a swing and a miss by Sanrio’s designers, as all of that is by design, because this isn’t just any dog butt we’re talking about here, but Pompompurin’s butt.

You could make an argument that, following back-to-back wins in the Sanrio Character Ranking election, Pompompurin has become as much the face of Sanrio as Hello Kitty is. You could make an even stronger argument, though, that Pompompurin is the butt of Sanrio, since depictions of the roly-poly golden retriever make consistently sure to include a prominent display of his butthole, or “the mark of his bottom,” as it’s euphemistically described. Many Japanese artists also make a point of depicting the buttholes of shiba inu in illustration, but in Pompompurin’s case it’s considered a critical part of his character design, with fans going so far as to consider it his “charm point,” so it’s got to be there, even sometimes when it means defying physics.

So when the time came to create the plush cushion that’s being included as an extra with the upcoming Pompompurin 30th Anniversary Nonbiri Pompom Book, the designers made the mark of his bottom the top priority. On the contoured side of the cushion, you can see Pompompurin’s hind feet and tail, but most importantly, the asterisk-shaped orifice. Flip the cushion around, and you’ll see Pompompurin with pals Muffin, Scone, and Bagel, but the fact that they’re just flat illustrations drives home how the backside is meant to be considered the primary side of this cushion.

You might have noticed that there are openings on either side of the cushion, and they allow you to pass your arms all the way through. Not only does this let you squeeze the cushion reassuringly tightly, it also means you can set it down on a desk or table and use it as a nap pillow. Yes, this will mean burying your face into Pompompurin’s butt, and the designers are well aware of that, including the invitation “Won’t you rest for a while with this cute butt?”

Further demonstrating the power of Pompompurin’s posterior, pre-orders for the Pompompurin 30th Anniversary Nonbiri Pompom Book with Soft and Squeezy Butt Cushion have already opened despite there being no solid information on what the book itself will contain. Then again, with the entire book being only 16 pages long, it’s not likely to be anything more than a few photo spreads and maybe a special thank-you message or two to fans, so really, this was always all about the butt.

The Pompompurin 30th Anniversary Nonbiri Pompom Book with Soft and Squeezy Butt Cushion is priced at 4,180 yen (US$26) and can be ordered through Amazon Japan here and Rakuten here, with shipping slated for September 9.