If you thought dachshund-shaped earplugs were the peak of novelty, think again. Back in 2022, glass artist Hirano Genki created something even weirder: an earplug modeled after an octopus tentacle. And yes, it looks exactly like you’re imagining—like an alien cephalopod is slithering its way into your ear canals.
The sculpted tentacle comes complete with detailed suckers and ends in a knob where you can attach different sizes of silicone tips. Originally a piece of glass art (not exactly ideal for jamming into your ears), the design was later reimagined in PVC for actual use. Still surreal, just less breakable.
By 2023, Hirano had teamed up with a manufacturer to bring these deep-sea sound stoppers to market. The result? A set of six different designs that look like you lost a fight with an octopus—and somehow won stylish hearing protection.
Even better, they’re still available from the Japanese site Nature Techni Colour for a very reasonable 400 yen [JP] (~US$2.75) per set. That’s a small price to pay to make strangers do a double-take on the subway.
Images: Instagram (@genki.hirano).
Story via Instagram (@beams.archive).
