Frequently Asked Questions

Heart Club began as a personal passion project. I loved high-quality dakimakura and collecting art of characters I adored. Eventually, that hobby grew into something bigger: a way to share custom designs with other fans who care about the art, fabric, and feel of a cover as much as I do.

Today, Heart Club is a curated collection of exclusive anime body pillow covers, with every single design commissioned directly from a real human artist. No AI, no cut corners. This is a place to support the creative community and find artwork that genuinely celebrates the characters you love.

I hope you find a cover that speaks to you, and thanks for helping bring these characters to life.

A dakimakura is a Japanese "hugging pillow". Daki means to embrace, and makura means pillow. The pillow itself gives you the long, huggable shape, while the cover is what brings it to life.

A dakimakura cover is a high-quality fabric case designed to fit a long inner pillow. It usually features life-sized artwork of characters from anime, games, or original creators. Think of it as a poster you can actually hold. It gives you physical comfort for a better night's sleep and lets you keep your favorite character close by.

We're part of the Dakimakura Discord Server. Come hang out, vote on upcoming characters, and talk with fellow dakimakura fans.

Heart Club is an independent doujin store. While our covers celebrate popular characters from anime and games, they are not official licensed merchandise.

Instead, we operate much like an artist alley at a convention. We commission talented independent artists to create unique, original illustrations specifically for Heart Club. When you shop with us, you're buying high-resolution doujin goods and directly supporting the human illustrators who drew them. We focus on the kind of premium, fan-made designs that official studios rarely release.

We love hearing what the community wants next. For character suggestions and polls, the best place is our Discord community. That's where votes happen and new releases get announced first.

If you already have artwork you're allowed to print, the custom dakimakura print option may be exactly what you're looking for.

After you place an order, keep an eye out for the post-purchase poll too. Your suggestions go directly into the mix.

Yes. The custom print option is for artwork you already have permission to use: OC designs, VTuber art, commissioned pieces, or original work made specifically for this format. Choose your size and fabric, upload your file, and we'll print it on 2-Way Tricot and ship it to you made fresh.

Start here: Custom Dakimakura Print

Use our template whenever possible. It has the correct dimensions, safe zones, bleed, and layout guides for our standard 160cm × 50cm cover. If you're commissioning an artist, send them the template before they start. Building the layout from scratch without it almost always creates problems at print.

Avoid compressed social media downloads or preview exports as your final file. They won't print cleanly.

Download the template and guidelines here: Custom Dakimakura Print

Yes. OC and VTuber covers are one of the best use cases for custom printing because the art can be built for the format from the start instead of adapted after the fact.

The only requirement is that you have print rights for the file. If the artwork was commissioned, confirm with your artist that personal print use is permitted before placing your order.

We use 2-Way Tricot. In the world of anime body pillow covers, this is the gold standard.

Unlike cheaper Peach Skin fabrics, which feel like a windbreaker, 2-Way Tricot is knit to feel magnificently soft, smooth, and elastic. It lets the printed image stretch without distorting and feels similar to smooth skin.

We currently offer two fabric grades:

• Standard 2-Way Tricot: Our reliable default for softness, stretch, and print clarity.
• Maple Syrup: Our upgraded blend with increased print quality and smoothness.

No, covers only. The inner pillow core needs to be sourced separately, which is standard in this hobby and works in your favor: it means free worldwide shipping on every order, since shipping a full-sized pillow core internationally would make that impossible.

We design our covers to the common collector size of 160cm × 50cm, approximately 63in × 20in. For the best aesthetic and widest volume, we recommend a 160cm × 50cm inner pillow.

For legacy-style 150cm pillows, our covers will fit standard 150cm × 50cm inserts, but there will be roughly 10cm of loose fabric at the bottom. If you need a 150cm crop, contact us before ordering and we may be able to help.

To get the most out of 2-Way Tricot, you want a high-quality insert with the right size, fill, and firmness for your setup. Start with our dakimakura inner pillow guide for sizing tips and recommendations.

It depends on the collection. Our standard catalog is generally available permanently. We also occasionally run limited editions for special fabrics or variants.

Once the preorder window for a limited run closes, we usually can't guarantee that design or fabric option will be reprinted. If a release is limited, we'll say so clearly on the product page.

When a cover is marked Limited Edition, it usually means one of the fabric options is printed in Japan using some of the world's most famous proprietary fabrics. We collaborate with Japanese printers to offer fabrics such as AquaVeil by Fules or Sakuramochi by Shiromoufu.

Because coordinating these runs is more complex, limited edition covers are usually produced in a single batch. Preordering is essential. If you miss the preorder window, we usually can't secure extra stock from the printer.

Yes. Every order ships in a plain poly mailer or cardboard box. No branding, no character names, no "anime" anything on the outside. The label shows your address and a generic sender name. That's it.

For more delivery details, see our Shipping Policy.

We ship worldwide. Since our dakimakura covers are made to order in small batches, production typically takes 1 to 2 weeks. Once your order is ready, we'll ship it out right away.

Shipping times vary by destination, with most orders arriving within 1 to 3 weeks after shipping. For current details, see our Shipping Policy. If your order has already shipped, you can use Track Order.

Preorders can be canceled any time before the preorder period ends. Standard covers are printed to order, so orders for items without a preorder tag cannot be canceled once placed.

Heart Club does not accept returns or exchanges unless an order arrives damaged, defective, or incorrect. If something is wrong with your order, contact us within 7 days of delivery with your order number and clear photos so we can help.

Full details: Refund Policy

For many regions, yes. We use tax-inclusive shipping lines where possible. That means we handle the paperwork and fees on our end so the package can move through customs without you having to pay extra upon delivery.

We currently offer tax-inclusive shipping for:

• USA, EU, and Mainland China: covered for Standard and Maple Syrup fabrics.
• Australia and Japan: covered for orders using Maple Syrup fabric.

If your country isn't listed here, you may be responsible for local import duties. We're always working to expand this list, so if you receive a package fee-free in a different region, let us know.

To keep delivery smooth, we collect these taxes upfront at checkout for the regions listed above. By paying this at checkout, we can prepay the customs duties for you. That helps your package avoid border delays and surprise "ransom" fees from the post office before delivery.

For orders to the US, EU, and the other collected regions listed above, no. Since we prepay the duties, the package travels like a domestic shipment once it clears the border. You just wait for the delivery.

We can't lower the declared customs value or mark orders as gifts. Because we use official tax-inclusive shipping lines, the value has to be declared accurately. Manipulating it actually increases the chance of inspection or seizure. The current method is genuinely the fastest and safest way to get your cover to you.

If you live in a country with strict import laws or need specific handling that isn't mentioned here, please contact us before you order. We'll check with our logistics partners to see if we can accommodate your needs.

Treat your cover like handling expensive lingerie. For best results, we recommend hand washing.

Turn the cover inside out to protect the printed image from friction. Fill a basin with cold water, since hot water can damage the elastic fibers. Use a mild, pH-neutral detergent. Gently agitate the water with your hands. Do not scrub hard or wring it out aggressively. Rinse with cold water until all soap is gone.

For the full step-by-step version, see our dakimakura cover care guide.

Yes, but you need to be careful. If you must use a machine, turn the cover inside out and place it inside a mesh laundry bag. The laundry bag is non-negotiable: it prevents the fabric from getting stretched by the machine.

Run a delicate or gentle cycle with cold water. Never use bleach or fabric softener. Bleach destroys the print, and softener clogs the breathable fibers.

Air drying is the safest option and what we recommend. It avoids heat exposure entirely and puts zero mechanical stress on the fabric.

If you absolutely must use a dryer, keep it short on the lowest heat setting your machine offers, remove the cover from its mesh laundry bag, and know that repeated dryer cycles will accelerate wear over time.

Instead of a dryer, hang it up to air dry in a shaded, well-ventilated area. Indoor shower rods work great. Avoid direct sunlight, since UV rays can fade the ink over time.

2-Way Tricot is famous for being soft, but that softness means it is sensitive to friction. Pilling happens when tiny fibers break and tangle into small fuzz balls.

To keep your cover smooth:

• Watch the stubble: Facial hair and body stubble act like sandpaper on tricot. Shaving before bed helps!
• Trim your nails: Sharp fingernails or toenails can snag not just the thread, but the image itself.
• Check your pajamas: Avoid sleeping in clothes with zippers, velcro, or rough prints while hugging the pillow.

We're here to help. Reach out through the contact form or email us using the link in the footer. We aim to reply to customer inquiries within 1 to 2 business days.

Tip: If you haven't heard back from us after 48 hours, please check your spam or junk folder to make sure our reply didn't get filtered.

We take quality control seriously, but things can happen during shipping. If you receive the wrong cover or notice a manufacturing defect, such as a zipper issue or print error, contact us within 7 days of delivery.

To help us fix it quickly, please include:

• Your order number
• Clear photos of the defect or incorrect cover
• A photo of the shipping packaging, if it looks crushed or damaged

We'll verify the issue and arrange a free replacement or a full refund immediately. Start here: Contact Heart Club. You can also review the Refund Policy.

Every Heart Club design is strictly 100% human-made. We don't use AI generation, not for any designs and not for any part of the process. We commission skilled freelance illustrators from the anime and doujin community to create original work specifically for our store. When you buy from us, you're getting a piece of human artistry, not an algorithmic output.

We believe in full credit. Unless the artist requests otherwise, you'll find the artist's name and social links, such as Twitter/X or Pixiv, clearly listed at the top of every product description. We encourage you to follow them and support their personal work too.

We treat our artists as professional partners and pay competitive commercial licensing rates that reflect the skill and time involved in creating high-resolution dakimakura art. Every purchase directly funds our ability to commission more human artists and keep the creative ecosystem thriving.

Always. We're constantly looking for new styles to expand our catalog. If you have experience with high-resolution anime illustration and want to work with us, please send your portfolio and commission rates to artists@heartclub.art.

Note: due to the volume of submissions, we may only be able to reply to applicants who are a potential fit for upcoming projects.

• Logo: Yawn
• Mascot Design: Omariri
• Site Art: ITSUKI, jeffanime, mapidraw, Boraiolet, Carlosa, Onzzy, LYUSIOLA, Meotashi, xiaoraini