2003 March 22, Mappy [username], “Re: OT: Should you trust shoujo fans?”, in uk.media.animation.anime[1] (Usenet):
Taking your words literally, there wasn't any queues in Animate and the rolled-up, vacuum packed dakimakuras are too big to have more than one out at a time.
2003 July 27, AstroNerdBoy [username], “Re: Rei Ayanami body pillows?”, in uk.media.animation.anime[2] (Usenet):
Dang it! I think that Kotoko and Sumomo dakimakura should be sold as a pair!!! ;-P
2003 July 27, Mappy [username], “Re: Rei Ayanami body pillows?”, in japan.anime.evangelion[3] (Usenet):
In fact, this place [URL redacted] has links to what seem to be custom made dakimakuras. I should warn you that some of them are not quite modist.[sic]
2003 July 28, AstroNerdBoy [username], “Re: So *that's* Hild... SPOILERS”, in rec.arts.anime.misc[4] (Usenet):
I think Ethan was snuggling with his Nuku Nuku dakimakura when he did the reply. ;-P heh!heh!
2003 September 9, Psaiyan Prince Vegeta, “Re: Evangelion: Question about this scene..”, in rec.arts.anime.misc[5] (Usenet):
What about those of us who own (or in my case, would love to own) *official* dakimakura such as this?
2003 December 9, Ryan Ginstrom, “Re: Enterprising interviewee...”, in fj.life.in-japan[6] (Usenet):
I would follow that up with: "And then they raided his room at his parents' house where they found a Sailor Moon dakimakura and posters of Morning Musume plastering the walls" ...
These character-print dakimakura came into existence in the late '90s as a way for animé fans to get up close and personal with their cartoon sweethearts.
2004 February 10, Julian Fong, “Re: [Semi-OT] _Wired_ article: Xbox to come with DOAX hug pillows”, in rec.arts.anime.misc[7] (Usenet):
For an image on a dakimakura, maybe it's more appropriate for Kasumi to be wearing the Acapulco: […]
2008 October 30, AstroNerdBoy [username], “Re: Japanese launch campaign to marry comic book characters”, in rec.arts.anime.misc[8] (Usenet):
I'm sure there's a dakimakura that can handle the load.
2010, Gerald Figal, "Monstrous Media and Delusional Consumption in Kon Satoshi's Paranoia Agent", in Fanthropologies, Volume 5 (ed. Frenchy Lunning), University of Minnesota Press (2010), →ISBN, page 146:
After the fourth iteration the camera zooms out as in the opening sequence, but this time to reveal the scene running on a laptop next to a Maromi dakimakura in a darkened workroom without workers—two desks have vases with a cut flower, apparently commemorating the deaths of their previous occupants.
Jin has fallen head over heels for a Japanese 'dakimakura' - or hugging pillow - showing a life sized cartoon of his favourite sexy anime cartoon character Fate Testarossa.
2010 December 9, Galen, “Opera Tantei Milky Holmes”, in rec.arts.anime.misc[9] (Usenet):
... has inspired the question, is Twenty Faces' romantic infatuation with a dakimakura of himself an example of self-cest?
2012 March 20, Big Bad Bob [username], “[allegedly] stupidest girl on the planet (IMBO, gutless disclaimer)”, in alt.hacker[10] (Usenet):
After all, there is NO need to enrich the family law attorneys or the cottage industry that has grown around 'family court', ESPECIALLY in CALIFORNIA! No amount of loneliness can be 'cured' by one of THEM. You're better off with a dakimakura.