Debunking conspiracy theory Huggies put ‘pedophile symbols’ on diapers

In early 2026, an old conspiracy theory resurfaced online that Huggies, a brand that sells disposable diapers, had been placing symbols on one of its products to signal the preferences of pedophiles.

The rumor has spread since 2023, often alongside a photo of a “Lion King”-themed diaper featuring a variety of spirals. Social media users have repeatedly claimed Huggies deliberately included the spirals and that they represent the symbols pedophiles use online to signal their preferences.

For example, one X user wrote, “Huggies thought it was a good idea to put paedophile symbols on babies nappies. Sick b*stards.”

(X user @myhiddenvalue)

There is no evidence proving Huggies deliberately placed so-called “pedophile symbols” on diapers. The brand also denied the claim in 2023. Searches did uncover examples of the symbols pedophiles use to showcase their sexual preferences in a purported leaked 2007 FBI report. However, the similarity of the symbols are entirely coincidental, as such designs have appeared on other “Lion King”-themed merchandise as well. As such, we rate this claim false.

Snopes contacted the FBI to determine the authenticity of the online symbols from 2007 and the veracity of the report. The FBI declined to comment. 

The rumor surfaced in early 2023, when people shared an image of a “Lion King”-themed diaper with several spiral patterns circled on it. Some of the spirals appear round, while others are triangular. This is a common pattern on merchandise featuring designs from “The Lion King,” a popular Disney media franchise.

Huggies and its parent company, Kimberly-Clark, responded to the claim in 2023 (archived), writing on the brand’s official X account: “Kimberly-Clark and Huggies® take the safety and well-being of children seriously. Our products and its’ designs are in no way meant to represent anything other than fun and playful designs.” 

In 2007, Wikileaks, a nonprofit media organization known for publishing leaked documents, shared a purportedly unclassified FBI report titled “Symbols and Logos Used by Pedophiles to Identify Sexual Preferences.” The alleged report details the ways in which pedophiles used specific imagery to indicate which children they preferred. It reads, in part: “Members of pedophilic organizations encourage the use of descriptions such as ‘boylove’, ‘girllove’, and ‘childlove.’ These symbols have been etched into rings and formed into pendants, and have also been found imprinted on coins.”

The purported FBI report describes the “BoyLover” symbol as follows:

(U) The BoyLover logo (BLogo) is a small blue spiral-shaped triangle surrounded by a larger triangle, whereby the small triangle represents a small boy and the larger triangle represents an adult man. A variation of the BLogo is the Little Boy Lover logo (LBLogo), which also embodies a small spiral-shaped triangle within a larger triangle; however, the corners of the LBLogo are rounded to resemble a scribbling by a young child. Images of the BLogo and LBLogo symbols are depicted below.

(WikiLeaks)

Any similarities between the symbols in the alleged FBI report and the diapers are entirely coincidental and not a deliberate effort from Huggies to signal to pedophiles. The designs on the diapers also do not exactly match the symbols in the purported FBI report. The FBI has also not verified the authenticity of this report. 

For further reading, Snopes has covered numerous rumors about pedophilia, including a claim that a “vaccine for pedophiles” label was written on an Iranian missile used to strike a U.S. military base.