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Ten CodePen demos worth exploring
The descriptions below are based on Álvaro Montoro’s October 2, 2026 roundup. They are presented as creative examples, not independent compatibility or performance tests.
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Realistic Interactive Pool Water
Temple’s animated water shader aims for the shifting color and movement of a pool. Montoro highlights its color combinations and natural-feeling interaction, while noting that the splash effect may be excessive for some viewers. See the roundup.
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Checkerboard Cylinder Illusion
Jon Kantner turns a checkerboard into an optical illusion: dark cylinders seem to emerge, flip into another checkerboard pattern, and then become colored cylinders. It’s a compact example of how animation can make a flat pattern appear to transform in depth. See the roundup.
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Rise & Steam (sleepy dumplings)
Gemma Croad’s animated dumplings are CSS art with an interactive element. Montoro notes that the Pen uses HTML and CSS and includes keyboard accessibility—an explicit accessibility detail that is not established for the other demos in this list. See the roundup.
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Vintage Circus Tickets
Another CSS-art piece from Gemma Croad, this ticket design stands out for its grid, careful alignment, and aged visual treatment. It is a useful reference for anyone interested in building a convincing vintage look from layout and styling rather than relying on a photograph. See the roundup.
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Circular nav using :scroll-* & animation-timeline:view()
Chris Bolson’s circular navigation experiment combines scroll-snap, scroll pseudo-elements, and scroll-driven animations. Montoro cautions that its experimental browser features mean it will not work in every browser, so treat it as an exploratory technique rather than a dependable navigation pattern for a production site. See the roundup.
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A Donut Chart That’s Actually a Donut
Chathura Jayasanka’s visualization gives a donut chart a literal twist: it has a legend, lets viewers regenerate the data, and offers an option to take a bite. The playful treatment also connects to CodePen’s September charts-and-graphs challenge. See the roundup.
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Pure CSS LED Playboard
Ben Evans’s light board responds to hovering: lights switch on, and the surrounding page reacts to the glow. The roundup describes it as an invitation to create similar experiences, making it an appealing starting point for experimenting with light and interaction in CSS. See the roundup.
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Sliced Gooey Text
Sergey Borovikov combines Three.js and canvas for an interactive text treatment. Clicking changes the text; Montoro warns that adding too much copy can make the effect difficult to read. This one is best approached as a visual experiment rather than a way to present a long message. See the roundup.
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3D Mermaid Diagram
Grant Jenkins takes a Mermaid flowchart and adds 3D interaction through Three.js. The roundup describes the ability to zoom, move elements, and switch between two- and three-dimensional versions. Its diagram format makes it a natural companion to September’s flowchart challenge prompt. See the roundup.
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the core
Stranger in the Q’s animated shader is a colorful, hypnotic piece that Montoro says recalls Granada-inspired arts and crafts. It rounds out the selection with an abstract visual effect rather than a chart, interface, or illustration. See the roundup.
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How the demos fit CodePen’s September theme
CodePen’s official September 2026 challenge was “Charts and Graphs.” Its weekly prompts included flowcharts, pie and donut charts, and lines and bars. The donut visualization and 3D Mermaid flowchart connect directly to that theme; the rest of Montoro’s selection shows a broader mix of CSS art, shaders, navigation, and interactive visual effects. View CodePen’s September 2026 challenge.
What to keep in mind while exploring
- Interactions vary: the descriptions mention hovering, clicking, scroll-based navigation, data regeneration, and zooming or moving diagram elements. Not every Pen has the same kind of interaction.
- Browser support is not universal: the circular navigation experiment relies on features Montoro describes as experimental. The roundup does not establish compatibility for the other demos, so do not assume they have all been tested across browsers.
- Accessibility details are specific: keyboard accessibility is called out for Rise & Steam. The roundup does not make the same claim for the other nine examples.
For more CodePen discoveries, the platform’s CodePen Spark page lists weekly editions, including editions from September 2026.
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