Kenji Abe’s Rounded-Bottom Beer Bottle Sparks Viral Reactions

Japanese designer Kenji Abe unveiled a novel concept for a beer bottle with a rounded bottom, aiming to enhance the beach beer-drinking experience by allowing the bottle to be easily stuck into sand. Conceived for a 2023 international design conference focused on ocean environments, the bottle’s shape challenges traditional flat-bottomed designs by prioritizing functionality for sandy settings. Abe’s design description explains: “Users can fully enjoy the sea, sandy beach, and blue sky with this work, enhancing the beach beer-drinking experience” by eliminating the need for a table or flat surface to set down a bottle.

Despite its practical intent, the bottle's rounded shape quickly caught the attention of online communities, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), where the design went viral in mid-2025. Users across social media platforms humorously noted the bottle’s resemblance to a butt plug, uniting diverse audiences—including members of the LGBTQ+ community—around a shared joke that highlights the intersection of queer culture and design.

This incident also ties into broader conversations within LGBTQ+ spaces about representation and visibility in unexpected domains like product design. The viral response to Abe’s bottle echoes other recent efforts where beer brands and designs have been used to challenge norms and celebrate queer identities. For example, Vienna’s Muschicraft beer brand openly celebrates feminist and queer empowerment by incorporating bold, inclusive designs that defy misogynistic and heteronormative conventions in the beer industry. Similarly, American brands like Dyke Beer USA have partnered with art initiatives to center LGBTQ+ visibility during Pride month, demonstrating how alcohol branding can be a vibrant platform for queer expression and activism.

Kenji Abe’s beer bottle design exemplifies how a practical object can spark lively cultural dialogue when it resonates with LGBTQ+ humor and identity. The viral attention shows that queer communities often embrace and elevate designs and products that challenge conventional aesthetics or that can be interpreted through a queer lens. This playful reclamation not only brings levity but also fosters inclusivity by welcoming diverse perspectives into mainstream conversations about design innovation.

As the design continues to circulate online, it also invites reflection on how creative industries might intentionally engage with LGBTQ+ identities, blending functionality with cultural resonance. Abe’s bottle, initially created as a functional solution for beachgoers, has transcended its original purpose to become a symbol of queer joy and community connection through humor and shared cultural references.