Homepage Aesthetic ยท 1990s-2000s
Cursor Trails
A comet tail for your mouse.
What it was
Cursor trails followed the pointer with stars, sparkles, letters, or tiny images, turning navigation into decoration.
Quick answer
A comet tail for your mouse. A short exhibit about cursor trails and why it mattered on the old web.
Why people remember it
- They made a page feel interactive before rich web apps were common.
- They were often distracting and delightful.
- They remind us that early web design was full of unnecessary joy.
What replaced it
Usually a platform feature, a private analytics dashboard, a cleaner app pattern, or a feed. The behavior rarely disappears; it gets renamed and absorbed.