Kaoani (顔アニ) are small animated pixel-art emoticons that originated on the Japanese web. The name combines kao (顔), meaning "face," with an informal shortening of "animation." They may also have been referred to as puffs, blobs, or reversed: anikao.
They typically feature looping motions like bouncing or floating, with simple, rounded designs resembling blobs, animals, or food.
They spread internationally through anime and web communities in the late 1990s and early 2000s, appearing in forum signatures, messaging platforms, and personal homepages. Many were distributed as sozai (素材)—free web materials shared by creators, usually with conditions such as linking back for credit. Because they were widely copied and reposted, many original sources have been lost.
