I've only ever heard "soap operas" or "soaps" in the Upper Midwest and East Coast.

Let's blame Australia.

I've found that quite a lot of South African slang is mistaken for Australian slang, while a South African accent is often mistaken for a British one[1].

[1] I've actually been asked, once, "You're English, right?", when I was in the states.

I've never heard "soapies" in my part of the US. It's "Soaps" or "soap operas" here.

> I've never heard "soapies" in my part of the US. It's "Soaps" or "soap operas" here.

After reading the other replies, I believe that it's not just your part of the US.

I'm going to put this down in the TIL column - I always thought it was American slang, TIL I learned that it's not.

It’s pretty close even if it’s not actually an Americanism.

"ies" doesn't sound very American.

It may be. It could be a very regional item. Like soda vs pop.

I personally never heard it until this thread. I have heard 'soaps'.