Ah Japan. You never fail to entertain us with your weird and wonderful fads and trends.
A new meme has Japanese mums and dads gently squishing their babies’ cheeks into the shape of a rice ball for a quick photo to upload using #RiceBallBabies.
It all started back in June when comedian Masahiro Ehara posted hilarious snaps of his own little one:
The hashtag has taken off, with fans uploading adorable snaps to Twitter, just for the squee of it. There’s even a website where you can while away an afternoon looking at #RiceBalllBabies from all over the world… and submit your own little rice ball for consideration.
#RiceBallBabies ☺️? pic.twitter.com/grSOcEtG1n
— Meagan Rice (@meagan_89) December 13, 2015
And you don’t even have to be a parent to participate, #RiceBallBabies participants come in all shapes and sizes:
There’s the kid sisters…
#RiceBallBabies Carlita pic.twitter.com/6NiVMjKgvX
— Roberto Jimenez (@jszroberto) December 14, 2015
The pets…
#RiceBallBabies ?? pic.twitter.com/pRNtf4Lk5q
— Diana (@didimsosa) December 11, 2015
The toddlers…
Yah, I’m THAT mom. ? #RiceBallBabies #momlife pic.twitter.com/cM13AYYwii
— Juliet Baker Beguin (@vietnabeguin) December 10, 2015
There’s only one (fairly obvious) rule: The face-squishing must be feather-light and gentle. And you must share your efforts with us @HerFamilydotie.
