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A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrating. The term sex toy can also include BDSM apparatus and sex furniture such as sex swings; however, it is not applied to items such as birth control, pornography, or condoms. Alternative terms for sex toy include adult toy and the dated euphemism marital aid. Marital aid also has a broader meaning and is applied to drugs and herbs marketed to enhance or prolong sex.
Good Vibrations is a sex-positive San Francisco-based corporation selling sex toys and other erotic products. It operates nine retail stores: seven in the San Francisco Bay Area, one in Brookline, Massachusetts, and one in Harvard Square; a mail-order business; an e-commerce website; a wholesale arm; and an erotic-video production company, Good Releasing. Formerly, it operated three publishing companies: Down There Press, Passion Press and Sexpositive Productions.
Fuseproject is an industrial design and branding firm. Founded in 1999 by designer Yves Béhar, the company works across an array of industries including beauty and fashion, furniture and technology and is based in San Francisco and New York City.
A vibrator, sometimes described as a massager, is a sex toy that is used on the body to produce pleasurable sexual stimulation. There are many different shapes and models of vibrators. Most modern vibrators contain an electric-powered device which pulsates or throbs. Vibrators can be used for both solo play and partnered play by one or more people. Devices exist to be used by couples to stimulate the genitals of both partners. They can be applied to erogenous zones, such as the clitoris, the vulva or vagina, penis, scrotum or anus, for sexual stimulation, for the release of sexual frustration and to achieve orgasm. Vibrators may be recommended by sex therapists for women who have difficulty reaching orgasm through masturbation or intercourse.
A G-spot vibrator is a sex toy with female and male varieties. The female version of the device is built to massage the G-spot, described as a bean-shaped area of the vagina. Some women report that it is an erogenous zone which, when stimulated, can lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and female ejaculation. The male version of the G-spot vibrator is used for massaging the prostate for both sexual and health-related reasons.
Clitoral vibrators are vibrators designed to externally stimulate a woman's clitoris for her sexual pleasure and orgasm. They are sex toys created for massaging the clitoris, and are not penetrating sex toys, although the shape of some vibrators allows for penetration and the stimulation of inner erogenous zones for extra sexual pleasure. Regardless of the design, the main function of the clitoral vibrator is to vibrate at varying speeds and intensities. Vibrators are normally driven by batteries and some of them can be used underwater.
The Hitachi Magic Wand is an AC-powered wand vibrator. It was originally manufactured for relieving tension and relaxing sore muscles, however, it is most known for its use as a sex toy. Japanese company Hitachi listed the device for business in the United States in 1968. Sex educator Betty Dodson popularized its use as a vibrator and masturbation aid for women during the sex-positive movement in the late 1960s. It functions effectively as a clitoral vibrator, to bring women to orgasm. The wand is 12 inches (30 cm) long and weighs 1.2 pounds (540 g) with stimulation provided by its rubberized 2.5-inch (64 mm) head.
Vibratex is a manufacturer of sex toys, headquartered in Napa, California. Founded in the early 1980s, Vibratex has since been covered by Glamour magazine and O, The Oprah Magazine.
LELO is a Swedish company that designs, develops and manufactures upmarket sex toys and massage products. With customers in 50 international markets, LELO is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with other offices in Melbourne, San Jose, and Shanghai. According to New York Times LELO currently sells one of the most expensive vibrators in the world, a 24-karat gold plated vibrator that costs $15,000 USD.
Yves Béhar is a Swiss-born American designer, entrepreneur, and educator. He is the founder and principal designer of Fuseproject, an industrial design and brand development firm. Béhar is also the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of August Smart Lock, a smart lock company acquired by Assa Abloy in 2017; and co-founder of Canopy, a co-working space based in San Francisco.
OhMiBod is an American company that manufactures sex toys, based in New Hampshire, United States.
MysteryVibe is a British-American firm that focuses on sexual health devices. In 2023, their laboratory was featured in Popular Science and recognized by The Guardian as the "only facility in vibrator research and development in the UK". According to Femtech Insider, they are the "first pleasure-focused brand to offer FSA & HSA eligible vibrators". They beat Apple Watch at the 2018 Design Week Awards.
Brian Sloan is an American entrepreneur known for creating a number of sex toys and adult-themed beauty contests. He is one of the few entrepreneurs in the adult industry to successfully use crowd funding for his products. He hosted a number of genital beauty contests, including a vaginal beauty contest, a scrotum beauty contest, and an anus beauty contest. He is also the inventor of the first sex toy that uses artificial intelligence to replicate human movements, and appears as a pitchman in infomercial style videos for most of his products and contests.
Lovense is a Singapore-based sex tech company specializing in the development of remotely controlled sex toys and pleasure products, as well as accompanying software.
We-Vibe is a brand of sex toys manufactured by Standard Innovation, a company founded by a Canadian couple in 2003. It is one of Canada's largest producers of adult toys. The company has sold millions of devices since the launch of its first vibrator in 2008. It has been the recipient of over twenty awards including the best couples sex toy at the Sexual Health Expo in Los Angeles.
Unbound Inc. is an American sexual wellness company based in New York. Unbound is better known for manufacturing women sexual accessories such as vibrators and lubricants. In 2018, the company was announced runner-up at the TechCrunch Disrupt - San Francisco.
Jason Johnson is an American technology entrepreneur and investor who has co-founded several organizations including August Home, Founders Den, Rethink Books, and BlueSprig. He also co-founded and chairs the Internet of Things Consortium, a non-profit organization formed by a group of companies in the Internet of things industry. Johnson serves as CEO of August Home, a Bluetooth-enabled smart lock company he co-founded with Swiss industrial designer Yves Béhar, and as managing partner of Founders Den.
The Doxy is a brand of British-made wand vibrators. The Doxy was created in 2013 in response to the unavailability of the Hitachi Magic Wand in the United Kingdom. It has been described as the most powerful wand vibrator on the market.
Womanizer is a German brand that produces intimate stimulation devices. Womanizer is part of the internationally operating WOW Tech Group. In 2021, WOW Tech merged with Lovehoney to create Lovehoney Group. As part of the Lovehoney Group, Womanizer manufactures pleasure products based on patented Pleasure Air Technology.
References
- ↑ "JIMMYJANE's Founder" . Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ↑ "Can a Better Vibrator Inspire an Age of Great American Sex? - The Atlantic". The Atlantic. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ↑ "GQ Magazine". GQ. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- 1 2 Pleasing the Masses The Verge, March 29, 2016
- ↑ "Gift Guide: Jimmyjane Form 6 Massager - TechCrunch". TechCrunch. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ↑ W, Rachel (10 June 2011). "Jimmyjane FORM 3 Wins IDEA Silver 2011". IDSA Award Winners. IDSA.org. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ↑ Walker, Alissa (3 November 2009). "New vibrator from Yves Behar arouses our interest". Fast Company. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- ↑ "Rachael Ray Tries a Jimmyjane Sex Toy on National TV Showing Couples... -- SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ --". 22 May 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ↑ "Amazon Sells 60,000 Sex Toys and Related Products? Welcome to Sex 4.0 - Hedo Swing Lifestylers Blog". Hedo Swing Lifestylers Blog. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
