JB: The Jollie (renamed at GV as the Angelina) has received a lot of attention here due to its unusual and unique shape. Can you talk a little about how the shape came to be and how you took the shape of a woman’s body into account (ie, the three pleasure points)?

LC: With over 20 years experience in designing silicone products for the medical industry, our Creative Director knows how to develop an endocavity apparatus. To do so we started with some sound patient matching techniques where you design the product based on the actual anatomy. So we took some impressions of the vagina. This was a very interesting process. It makes you wonder why ‘men’ think we were made to fit them. The forms created from this process dictated the shape of our first toy, the Jollie. It was clear that a typical dildo or even a penis was functional only due to how pliable the vagina is, not the fit of the member. We designed the Jollie to fit the vagina not relying on the vagina to form around the toy. The fitting of the design to the vagina creates the wonderful shape of the Jollie. Thats why the cervix, g-spot, and clit stimulation are part of the Jollie design that’s what the female anatomy is made of.

JB: Can you tell us a little about your company, Jollies? What did you do prior to starting the company and what made you decide to change direction/careers?

LC: My background was actually teaching. I was an elementary teacher for quite a few years. Then I started a holistic healing shop and taught people about health and herbs. I was actually working in sales and marketing for the insurance business. That’s actually how I met my Creative Director, I was trying to sell him insurance. We started talking, and matching our individual skills came up with JOLLIES, LLC.

JB: Was the Jollie the first product you designed? Which product came next?

LC: The Jollie is the first sex toy we designed. Bubbles was the second. We wanted to try utilizing Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology so we came up with the Bubbles design and created the masters for the molds via Rapid Prototyping. This was to understand the limitations and advantages of incorporating the state-of-the-art in product design of sex toys. Since then we have designed Luna, Jollett, Wave, and Jack. Jack is the only product that we did not integrate the high tech product design techniques since it was molded from an actual penis. Although the high tech approach is beneficial both in time and some design aspects, our Creative Director loves the intimate hands on approach to form studies. This is where the ergonomics of the design are influenced by feel and look rather than engineered to a specification. We really like to design a toy based on a desired outcome and then test shapes to fulfill that outcome rather than just duplicate neat shapes.

JB: You mention soft and hard Jollie products on your web site…are all of your products available in either consistency?

LC: Actually no. When we started Jollies we were unsure as to what durometer the public would like since the Jollie was such a unique shape. So we marketed both soft and firm. We found that the firm was a bit too firm and really didn’t sell so we have moved to offer only the soft silicone.

JB: Your web site says that you can customize the Jollie and put objects inside the silicone mold. What’s the most unusual request you’ve had from a customer?

LC: We’ve had requests like; putting the first rose a boyfriend (now husband) gave his girlfriend. Cherries, pictures of a departed husband, Chicago skyline, and the list goes on.

JB: Will the Jollie ever be available in a harnessable version? And if so, would the shape change much?

LC: The Jollie works very well because of its shape, not necessarily the action of the user. The large G-spot section of the toy kind of makes full in-and-out thrusting difficult. Jollet shares the Jollie shape but was designed to be a more typical and to accommodate vibrators. Even then the shape of Jollet creates a unique action. We found that twisting the Jollet back and forth provides the most stimulation rather than a thrusting motion. That’s why the handle part of the toy has a non-slip-grip design. The double Jollie, Las Chicas, is in the works and will incorporate a thrusting insertable design. This may end up as a harnessable product also. Our first harnessable design is the Wave. The Wave is a great harness starter toy for couples play (oops I gave the new toy away). Not too big to scare but shaped for optimum stimulation, and its long enough for it to work!

JB: What can we expect from you in the future? Are there added vibrations on the way?

LC: We have a large number of products we are currently working on. This includes a line of boy toys too. Just out of development and into production is Luna, a blast proof anal toy designed around actual impressions of a female rectum, Las Chicas, our double Jollie design, the Ergoring, a ergonomic cock ring designed to be less stressful on the scrotum
yet fully functional, and our new line of Jack Keys. Jack Keys are cock rings with anal and vaginal \ insertables molded on the ring for incredible masturbation stimulation and, or partnered sex.

There’s something about wood—the smooth surface, the beautiful grain, the beauty only found in nature….
When our Senior Toy Buyer came across the NobEssence line, she was immediately struck by both the design and functionality of the stunning wood toys. The product line is diverse, with something for everyone: Tryst is a double-ended toy, perfect for both anal play and G-spot stimulation, Fling is a G-spot specialty with a handy handle, Romp is a wearable prostate toy, and the Rendezvous Rings are a great alternative to metal or rubber cock rings.

All of the NobEssence toys are made of exotic hardwood and feature an odorless, non-porous and hypo-allergenic coating, making them perfect for folks with sensitivities.

I recently sat down (via the internet) with Alicia Yoder, President/CEO of NobEssence, Inc. for this exclusive interview:

How and why did NobEssence come about?

I would like to give you some deeply intellectual story full of lofty ideals, but I am afraid to say that it was mostly to do with the fact that I could not find a toy that I was satisfied with.

With delightful frequency and the enthusiasm of an eager puppy with a morning newspaper, my husband Jason would present me with a new toy – each one guaranteed to please. Unfortunately for him I must be a close relative of Goldie Locks, as everything I tried was too soft, too cold, bumps in the wrong place, pulled my hairs, absorbed the lube, was ugly or smelled bad.

I was pregnant with our fifth child and it was evident that Jason was looking for his pregnancy project. You see, it is common that while a woman is growing a baby, her partner has to use up surplus energy in some manner. This often manifests as decorating the nursery or remodeling a bathroom. When you get to your fifth child and only have one bathroom and no nursery, one has to start getting creative. So, I gave him his task, “we can not find the perfect toy, so make me the perfect toy.” My criterion; firm, smooth, beautiful, with just the right amount of essence of nob (British Slang for Penis)”. I was informed that while he was quite resourceful, he was pretty sure that glassblowing, masonry or steel forging were not going be happening in our garage. Jason however did know wood. Raised in a rural wood-based community he had made furniture, tree houses and some driftwood carving, and was now happy to be able have an outlet for his wood working skills.

As the baby grew, so did the realization that our project was so successful that it had to be shared. After a year and half, we are delighted by the positive response that we are receiving to the NobEssence brand.

NobEssence designs are ergonomic….

Ergonomics is very significant to our designs because as we were developing the sculptures so was my pregnant belly. Thus the “Tryst” was born. Finally, I could comfortably hit the right spots without requiring Yoga warm-ups.

I did not want to have to explain to my prenatal group that my repetitive strain injuries were due to my extensive use of sex toys – even if it was in the name of research. So we enrolled numerous friends and acquaintances to trial our designs. We were blessed with a really wide range of testers from the insightful San Francisco Bay Area Sexologist Danielle Harel who kindly featured an adventurous version of the Tryst in her quarterly podcast, to individuals who had never used a toy before. Each one has their part in our development process and we thank them all.

Noone has a straight vagina or anus – we know, because we researched real anatomy – external and internal. The “Romp’s” design was derived from real impression casts of the inside of some of our more intrepid tester’s bottoms. It is so comfortable that it can be worn for extended periods.

Layered through all of this is Jason’s undeniable artistic gift. It truly amazes me how he can select a piece of wood and instinctively know how to carve it to release its beauty.

Why wood?

Wood has long been associated with luxury and quality. A truly natural material, the whorls, knots, holes, and spectacular grain patterns are to wood as inclusions are to diamonds. We carefully choose all of our exotic hardwoods for their color, shape, texture and grain, so every single toy we make has a different character.

There is great versatility in wood. With access to the world’s diverse woods, we are able to greatly vary texture, color, pattern and weight. Rosewoods and ironwoods sink in water and are great for bottom sculptures and leopardwood has a uniquely bumpy texture. And because wood is a natural insulator, it stays at room temperature and soon warms with your heat and stays warm for a while if set aside briefly. It won’t be the temperature with NobEssence sculptures that makes you gasp!

The first thing people say when they hear wood in the same sentence as dildo is, “Oo! splinters!” But when handed a NobEssence “Fling” with its sensual curves and ergonomic handle, that “Oo” changes to “Mmmmm……” The wood species we use are hard and dense so they are able to be sanded to an incredible smoothness. It is lengthy part of our production process, but one that I won’t compromise. We caress each sculpture innumerable times before it is deemed smooth enough to caress you.

The other question most people ask is about wood being an absorbent material. I have really sensitive skin, have to be very careful with lubes and I am pretty fussy about what gets put in my most sensitive spots. There’s nothing worse than finding that your toy leaves you with a nasty itch. So it was a must that we found a way of finishing our products that made them waterproof and safe even for sensitive skins.

I am happy that we have achieved more than that. Our 16 step finishing process sets our sculptures apart from your standard toy. Not only will our sculptures not soak up your lubrication, but they are scent-free, hypoallergenic, non-porous and bacteria resistant. The slightest spot of lubrication makes them slick and slippery – compatible with all known lubricants – a little goes a long way.

Are all your pieces hand-crafted?

Yes they are. I love the fact that we can provide heirloom quality sculptures at a reasonable price and you can invest knowing that no one will ever have a toy exactly like yours.

Each sculpture is hewn from solid planks, hand-sculpted and finished with great care. As demand for our sculptures is growing we have sought out and trained additional craftspeople to assist us. We have very high standards and have found few artisans who are detail-focused enough to be able to meet our narrow tolerances for sculpture quality.

Unlike plastic, glass, stone and steel, wood is a living material and the only one that continues to develop its own shape and color over time. While this occurs in all of our wood sculptures to some degree, it is particularly pleasingly to observe in our “Rendezvous Rings.” Each ring is perfectly round until seasoned over a period of 2-3 months whereupon it settles into a slightly ovoid shape that delivers long-lasting visual and physical excitement.

While the artistic and organic nature of our products may imply that size and shape does not matter, we personally examine and caliper test every piece to ensure consistent results to within 1/8″ to ¼” of the original reference design.

Are there any special care instructions….?

Our exclusive waterproof finish means you can spend more time enjoying your toy and less time worrying about how to care for and sterilize it. Between uses or between partners you can wash it with warm water and non-abrasive soap, or wipe down with your favorite toy cleaner and finish by wiping down with a soft cloth. You can leave your sculpture out in the open or store it in its premium velvet-lined storage box. Though wood is very durable material, it can be damaged if dropped or impacted against other hard surfaces. If this happens, I recommend a close inspection before re-use.

Not all wood products are alike. Each NobEssence sculpture bears our unique “n” shaped mark meaning that you can trust that it has our hypoallergenic waterproof finish. I am not aware of any other wooden toys that can be cleaned to the same standard of hygiene.

Good Vibrations used to carry wood products years ago…

One of the reasons we have chosen to partner with Good Vibrations is their commitment to selling safe, quality products and educating consumers so that they may avoid materials that may harm their bodies or environment.

The fact that we use woods selected from our own estates or harvested from responsibly managed woodlands (replanting, selective cutting, etc.) is not our only story.

We understand ourselves to be stewards of our environment and therefore practice sustainable business practices that consider the entire lifecycle of our products and the materials we use in our business operations. This encompasses everything from the planting of exotic species for future generations, premium packaging made from renewable wood and paper, paperless office management, and the collection and composting of waste wood and sawdust.

As wood is a naturally occurring raw material, our products require very little energy to create. Oh! And did I mention that they are Phthalate free? No nasty chemicals or petroleum derivatives here!

What can we expect from you in the future?

*Smiles* Why, ‘vibes’ of course. We have developed a way to add buzz to our sculptures and are currently refining those designs. Early 2008 will also see the introduction of some remarkable new shapes and textures as we are very excited to have access to newer organic materials.

While some of our products are already dishwasher-safe, we are refining our finishing process so that we can confidently recommend this method of cleaning for all NobEssence sculptures.

Visit www.nobessence.com.

****

Oh, and by the way, I just heard that Alicia is expecting her 6th child; if baby number 5 brought us NobEssence, I can not wait to see what this baby will bring.

–Simone

An Online Interview with
Judith Glover, founder of Goldfrau Ceramic Dildos

I will be the first to admit.

When I first caught wind that Good Vibrations was carrying ceramic dildos, I thought of my grandmother’s china. But my second thought was—I want to know more about this intriguing material—ceramic sex toys? Okay! Time to investigate!

People may draw similar conclusions when they first see glass dildos in Good Vibrations stores; I’ve seen some responses, like uh-no—glass is not going anywhere near my nether-regions. However, you gotta trust Good Vibrations: do you really think we would carry something that’s going to shatter inside of you? Um, NO.WAY.EVER.

So, Goldfrau’s ceramic dildos are of the same hard variety as glass, and aesthetically designed and manufactured to bring much pleasure, joy, and sexiness to your bedroom, kitchen, hotel room, beach resort, FOREVER. (Or almost forever.) That is, ceramic dildos are developed to last a long, long time, and therefore are better for the environment and in the end, your wallet.

Dildos have been around for ages, in fact, since the Stone Ages, literally—so it’s no coincidence that Australian industrial designer extraordinaire, Judith Glover, continues to successfully wow! us with thoughtfully designed ceramic dildos. It was my pleasure to interview Judith, founder and owner of Goldfrau Ceramic Dildos.

SIMONE: As an industrial design expert and university lecturer in the field, how did you get into designing sex toys?

JUDITH: It’s actually the reason I went and studied Industrial Design in the first place. A decade ago I used to work in another design/craft area, but I noticed that the sex toy industry was quite under-developed—especially at the luxury end. I thought there were a lot of possibilities for new types of products, so I went off to industrial design school and learned product design with the view to eventually do something in this area. It’s been rather a long journey, but I feel it’s important that women start designing the products as well as running the retail and distribution side.

S: I was delighted to read Goldfrau’s products are designed by women for women—a rarity in the adult sex industry. Has this void encouraged Goldfrau’s designs and decision-making? If so, how?

J: This void or lack of females contributing to designing was the original impetus for going into this industry. I don’t want too come over like a rabid feminist but…most of the products in this industry are for women but have not been designed by women—they are men’s ideas of what women want; which is why for so long your typical vibrator or dildo was a fake dick and balls. That’s not to say some women don’t want to consume those products, but there needs to be a greater choice for women—which is starting to happen in the area of vibrators. That’s also not to say that men can’t design good sex toys but I still see time after time very famous male designers putting products out there that look good but to me have very obvious problems with ergonomics or functionality or quality. Part of this is probably that these designers are ‘guns for hire’ so-to-speak; so they only spend the time on the product that they get paid for and then they move onto the next product…glassware or a watch etc. That is their job: they put their famous names to a company’s product.

I believe in specialization. I want to build up a lot of knowledge in a particular area—sex toys—not know a little about a lot of areas. It’s a different way of designing. I believe in designing better products that will last longer and take a holistic approach to juggling aesthetics, materials, ergonomics, functionality, durability, longevity and sustainability. The product looks very simple (and actually it’s quite hard to make) but a lot of thought has been put into all those about areas, and when I thought I had it right I released it on the market. I am quite happy to not produce many types of products but the ones I do I want them to be very well considered and stay in people’s lives for along time.

S: Okay, so let’s talk shop. Goldfrau specializes in designing beautiful and luxurious ceramic dildos. Please teach us: why ceramic?

J: There are a couple of key reasons why ceramic is such a great material for dildos. Aesthetically ceramic is such a sexy material with great graphic possibilities. Ceramic is also a very durable material and when manufactured correctly very, very strong. The biggest hurdle in trying to get women to use this product is they think of very fine bone china and if you drop it—it’s so fragile. Well, china can be that fine because it is so strong, but my products are much thicker than china. Ceramic is an amazing material: car engines are made out of ceramic, knives, and they don’t put it on the outside of space shuttles for looks. I really made this product for myself, or women who were similar in attitude to me I suppose. So I use my own products all the time and so do a vast majority of my female friends and their friends. I am not going to put anything out there that I wouldn’t use myself and the last thing I want to do is compromise the health of any of my friends. So, manufactured in the correct manner, ceramic is a very durable and safe material for dildos.

S: Why is ceramic an excellent material for dildos? What makes it feel good?

J: There are soft and hard dildos and Goldfrau is of the hard variety. Hard, yet smooth; you shouldn’t need any lube if you are excited and pre-menopausal. Ceramic has great low viscosity (i.e. a lack of friction); this is the difference between ceramic and glass. And, of course silicone is a soft, but rougher material. It really depends what you like. The other great advantage with ceramic is the hygienic nature of it and the ease of cleaning.

S: Wait, how much does the Goldfrau weigh? Because G-spots may fall in love with the Goldfrau!!

J: The Goldfrau weighs around 200-300 grams; it’s a good weight for not feeling too heavy or too light. Not just inside you but when you hold it as well. Weight of a product is one of those subliminal things we measure when we pick something up: too heavy and we don’t like to hold it or too light and it doesn’t feel it has quality or safety even though it might. People ask why it is straight and not bent because there are other dildos out there of the hard variety that are bent quite considerably and that would be to get a deeper penetration. What I wanted was a product you could use for quite vigorous fucking—particularly person on person not just with yourself—so you didn’t have to worry about it spinning around inside you and the bend going contrary to the shape of the vagina/ uterus. What I found was that by being straight when inserted it actually rubs on the g-spot area and gives what I thought was a different type of orgasm to one that penetrates deeper. I think it’s a more intense orgasm, but you will have to try yourself. Again its personal preference, but these are specifically designed for not just fucking yourself but somebody else.

S: Now, more than ever, businesses are considering our environment before profit margins, how does Goldfrau put the Earth first?

J: This is becoming an extremely complex area for designers and business, and this is what I specialize in teaching at university and a lot of the times there are no black and white answers, sometimes many different solutions. The important thing as a designer is to consider environmental issues right from the beginning as you start concept work—not try and tack it on at the end—that doesn’t work. Obviously there are always going to be trade offs between materials and processes and you will never make a product that has no impact on the environment, but you have to try and minimize what those impacts are and think as a designer across the whole lifecycle- particularly what happens to these products at the end of their useful life. I saw recently that the makers of the Rabbit vibrators have complied with the European Union’s (EU) new environmental standards on electronic products. It’s great that the industry is starting to take notice of the environmental damage caused by our products, but it was really the legislation that has forced this because you can’t trade in the EU without this. What that legislation won’t solve is how products are disposed of in countries like the United States and Australia under our federal governments, until similar legislation is introduced. One of the biggest criticisms of this industry I have had is that the majority of products have been made quite poorly causing very short life spans.

Think about it girls: if you spend $200 on a kitchen appliance that was ugly, noisy and broke down after 6 months wouldn’t you be a bit cranky? But vibrator consumers have quietly accepted this for years because of the lack of alternatives. And the industry has been quite happy to keep going along because it sells more products, other parts of the industry are happy to keep this taboo because the normal glare of consumers is not on them. Who complains publicly about the crappy standard of vibrators? Start comparing what you pay for your sex toys and what you pay for your other consumer electronics such as kitchen appliances, tools and phones and see if you think the standards are the same for the price. Other designers and companies have started to see this too and are wanting to provide the type of industrial design standards that apply to other product areas and improve the quality and bring it out of the underground/taboo area its been sitting in.

Good Vibes has been one company that is trying to promote the next generation of product with higher standards. I am quietly confident that we are at the start of an evolution in the sex toy industry and you either improve the quality of your product aesthetically, functionally and materially or you will eventually lose your market share.

To answer your original question about what Goldfrau does or doesn’t do: I design with the whole life cycle in mind and consider my materials and processes very carefully. But designing the dildos will have a much different strategy to designing a vibrator because if you choose the right the materials a dildo can last a lifetime so you can really go for durable high quality materials and know they will be in use for many years where as the moving parts in a vibrator are going to break down within a number of years; so you need to be thinking about its end of life phase and how you deal with the materials as well as now complying with things like the EU’s electronics legislation. My personal design philosophy is to simplify—that seems to suit both my aesthetic and environmental philosophies.

S: Goldfrau’s products are 1. so easy to keep clean and 2. have their own leather storage pouch. Is that part of your design aesthetic as well?

J: The pouch is not an add-on or after thought but an integral part of the product. I’ve seen lots of expensive products ruined by tacky velour or polyester bags. The idea is it is the packaging and it keeps the product safe when traveling or not in use. I try and use as minimal other packaging as possible—just a plain cardboard box to get it to the consumer—no other bells or whistles. I have been questioned on my use of leather, and rightly so; it can be a very toxic industry. I have prototyped with other textiles like cotton or hemp or wool and they all have issues at some points in their lifecycles. Textiles are a very problematic area, so I went for the material that would potentially last as long as the dildo; which was leather. The advantage aesthetically is that leather is such a tactile material; it really can be sumptuous.

S: Of course, we are all wondering, Judith—what is sexy design?

J: Good question and it’s subjective really—but you have to ask yourself why do most perfume bottles exude a degree of sensual and sexiness in their forms, textures and materials that most sex toys rarely get close to? And this is where the industry is changing I think. Designers, whether male or female, are realizing women want erotic not pornographic; they want sexy and sensual not sleaze. Western women are becoming increasingly design literate and for a certain demographic they surround themselves with beautiful looking objects: clothes, accessories, shoes, cars, furniture, etc. So why can’t women get it in the sex toys they want to consume?

S: Finally, what clever ceramic innovations can we expect from Goldfrau in the near future?

J: Yes, I’ve got other products on the drawing board but I don’t think they will all be in ceramic. As wonderful a material it is, it won’t be suitable for a lot of products. As far as being anal-safe dildos, it’s a matter of finding reputable stats on the strength of the anus muscles, and comparing them with my engineering tests. So if anybody knows of any research, let me know! I would love to manufacture some vibrators and have some stuff in various stages but at the moment I’m spending more time working with graphic artists on the surface of the dildos, so if you don’t fancy the range so far—new stuff will be coming out all the time. I’ve got an idea for a product I call Miss Martha for domestic goddesses as opposed to desperate hausfraus; I think American ladies could relate to that.

**

Birthday girl Simone loves her new electric water kettle, but wants to know if she can exchange it for a Goldfrau?

Metal is an outstanding material for sex toys for a number of reasons—it’s great for temperature play (warm or cold); precious metals are totally safe (for your insides and out) and non-toxic, and really—let’s face it, shiny metal objects are gorgeous.

Metal has recently made a comeback in the adult toy industry. Sure, there’s always been metal cock rings and Betty’s Barbell, but the adult industry is seeing an influx in premium, innovative items from the likes of Lelo, Elemental Pleasures and Jimmyjane. Jimmyjane designs vibrators made of 24k carat gold, anodized aluminum, satin steel, and platinum. I had the pleasure of talking to Ethan Imboden, founder of Jimmyjane about his passion for design and metal.
SIMONE: How did you get into designing sex toys; what were you doing before Jimmyjane (www.jimmyjane.com)?

ETHAN: I’ve been a designer for many years now, and have always enjoyed the challenge of developing products that are not only aesthetically pleasing and functionally superior, but also culturally relevant. Prior to Jimmyjane, I always worked as a consultant, designing for brands ranging from Nike and Colgate to Herman Miller and Motorola. It’s been a thrill to create my own brand and to apply this design approach to sex accessories.

S: What’s the ultimate mission of Jimmyjane?

E: Jimmyjane joins the ephemera of sex with the substance of design.

We believe that sexuality is as intricate and individual as a fingerprint. Rather than dictate what is sexy, Jimmyjane imbues each product with possibility, leaving room for interpretation and exploration.

If anything should be beautiful and well made, it’s the products engaged in our sexuality. Jimmyjane is committed to providing broad access to innovative products offering efficacy, well-being, and a healthy dose of wit. We create all of our products in-house to ensure that every facet of every design expresses our values.
S: No doubt, the Little Something line (Little Chroma, Little Steel, and Little Gold is visually pleasing; discuss your inspirations for the design of the Little Something line.

E: There are so many bells & whistles promoted in products today, but nobody had really succeeded in delivering the quintessential vibrator – one that actually delivered on being truly waterproof, exceptionally quiet, completely toxin-free, and (of course) simply beautiful. This was the inspiration for LITTLE CHROMA and LITTLE STEEL.

We believe in the beauty and elegance of simplicity. In the words of Antoine de St. Exupery, “You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.”

S: A lot of companies are designing vibrators with rechargeable batteries, however the replaceable motor is certainly a unique and clever attribute. Did the design of the Little Steel and Little Chroma come first and the idea for a replaceable motor come second, or is it more of a chicken and egg story?

E: When we started this project, one of our first realizations was that every vibrator suffers from the same problem – the vibration will eventually destroy the motor. This severely limits the lifespan of the product – a hidden cost to the customer (not to mention the environment).

We believe that whether a vibrator is a gift to one’s self or to a significant other, it should be a lasting token of affection, not a fleeting one. We thought this challenge was a great starting point for a design. In response, we engineered and patented our replaceable motor system – the only in the world – making both the LITTLE STEEL and LITTLE CHROMA “everlasting”. If the motor starts to wear, you can simply replace it with a new one from www.jimmyjane.com.
S: Wait, along with the replaceable motor, the Little Steel and Little Chroma only take 1 AA battery, right? How powerful is the vibration?

E: Correct – LITTLE STEEL and LITTLE CHROMA are extremely efficient, and will run for 16 hours on a single AA battery.

Our research indicates that most people want to vary the intensity of the vibration, not the frequency. Changing the “speed” on a vibrator changes the frequency. The LITTLE STEEL vibrator is designed to offer a powerful, low frequency vibration that varies significantly in intensity along its length – most intense at the tip and dropping off sharply toward the end with the switch. By simply repositioning the vibrator, without altering the pressure against the skin, a user can receive a wide range of stimulation. Strong and penetrating, it’s as close as possible to the resonant frequency of the human body.

S: And why metal? Why are precious metal materials, like silver and gold, terrific for vibrators? That is, what makes metal feel so good?

E: There are many reasons that we chose metal for LITTLE STEEL and LITTLE CHROMA.

Metal is body-safe and hygienic. We use medical-grade materials such as stainless steel and anodized aluminum, and we even use pure 24k gold for LITTLE GOLD so that it’s free of impurities and won’t tarnish. Our metal is non-porous, making it easy to clean – particularly since the vibrators are waterproof.

Metal feels great. It transmits the vibration efficiently, and offers great slip when used on the skin. The metal holds temperature too – it can be warmed up or cooled down, to add another sensation.

Metal is incredibly durable as well. Machined from solid material, LITTLE STEEL and LITTLE CHROMA might last a lifetime – which is why the replaceable motor is so important.

Of course, the metal is beautiful too.
S: All three of Jimmyjane’s vibrators are waterproof, if I regularly take my Little Steel into the bath, will it rust? Oh, and what’s the best way to keep my Little Steel clean!?

E: LITTLE STEEL will not rust or tarnish – so feel free to bring it in the bath or swimming pool. Care is easy – simply clean your vibrator after each use with mild soap and hot water, then dry it with a soft cloth. If you’re extra fastidious, you can even remove the battery and motor, and place the housing and cap in your dishwasher’s top rack. Just make sure the housing is totally dry inside before re-inserting the motor and battery.
S: It’s SO darn quiet!! How do you do that? Is that part of your design aesthetic as well?

E: We achieve silence through intensive engineering, extremely precise manufacturing, and exceptionally strict quality control.

Nothing is more distracting than a rattling vibrator… We seek to enhance experiences, not detract from them. We consider every sense when creating our products – touch and appearance are obvious, but sound and scent are also critical. Discretion was also an important criterion for the design of these vibrators, so we dedicated a great deal of time to sound isolation engineering.

S: Jimmyjane products are sensual, ultra-sexy, and luxurious. As an award-winning designer, in your mind what is sexy design?

E: It’s important to underscore that “design” is not a surface treatment to beautify a product, but rather a development discipline that permeates all aspects of a product’s functionality and meaning. Sexy design brings wit, charm and kink together seamlessly. These three facets – the intellectual, the emotional, and the sexual – all need to be present and in balance.

This is certainly the most engaging work that I’ve ever done. Sexuality is so complex, so intricate – it’s infinitely fascinating.
S: Talk about your newest product, Form 6. What makes Form 6 different from other Jimmyjane designs?

E: FORM 6 is a shower-friendly, rechargeable, vibrating massager. As with all of our other designs, we’ve gone to great lengths to deliver a deeply innovative product. Our proprietary overmolding process allows every contour to be continuous, and every surface to be useable. Unlike other products – where there’s an end that you hold on to, and an opposite end that you use – every surface of FORM 6 is designed for sensation.

FORM 6 features two independently controlled motors and six digital vibration modes, ranging from gentle oscillations to exhilarating pulses. It’s powered by a high capacity Lithium-Ion battery, so it can run for over two hours on a single charge.

As you’d expect from Jimmyjane, FORM 6 is quiet, discrete and travel-ready. It’s body-safe too – made with only the highest quality materials, such as medical grade silicone and stainless steel.

You have to feel it to believe it.
S: Lastly, GQ named Jimmyjane the “brand of the future”; what can we look forward to from Jimmyjane?

E: As GQ noticed, Jimmyjane is focused on innovation. We create all of our products in-house, and have an incredible line up in development right now. Our vision is very broad, so you can look forward to more surprises every season. Jimmyjane already has something for everyone, and yet this is still just the beginning.

*A quick note on kitchen appliances and metal vibes: Some of the vibes mentioned in this article maybe dishwasher safe, but remember metal and microwaves don’t mix!

In the beginning – there was stone!?
Wikipedia’s entry on dildo discusses Upper Paleolithic (think: Stone Age) archaeological finds of long baton stone formations dating back 40,000 to 10,000 years ago. Apparently, some archaeologists choose not to interpret these artifacts as pleasuring devices, yet others have decided that it’s quite obvious these stone batons may be some of the first dildos ever.

Nicholas Conard, a professor of the Early Prehistory and Quatemary Ecology department at Tubingen University, informs us that one of the world’s oldest known dildos dates back 28,000 years ago and is made of siltstone. It was discovered in Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm, Germany. This artifact was reassembled from 14 pieces just a few years ago, measuring approximately 20-centimeters (7.87 inches) in length, and textured with etched rings around one end. Professor Conard agrees, “It’s highly polished; it’s clearly recognizable”. That is, there is no question in his mind the intention of this archaic discovery.

Although, I have to wonder—what did the Paleolithic women call their hefty stone wands? I have a hunch “sex toy” or “dildo” may not apply here. Secondly, considering modern humans have been around a mere 100,000 years—my question is: what did our predecessors use before the stone batons? Surely, they whipped up something!

Fast forward thousands of years, ancient Greek dildo lore depicts “olisbos” (Greek for dildos) in third and fourth century BC art and literature. The first known print reference to dildos or “olisbos” appears in Aristophanes play Lysistrata, circa 411 BC. In fact, double-headed dildos were popularly painted on vases some 2,400 years ago, and may have physically been constructed out of stone, ivory, wood and leather. In the city of Miletus, handcrafted dildos were traded and sold by Miletan traders in and around the Mediterranean and possibly beyond. (Note: olive oil quickly became the lubricant of choice for the ancient Greeks.)

Throughout history, phallic symbols are frequently represented in art and cultural artifacts. The first recording of the actual word “dildo” or “diletto”, meaning “delight” in Italian, occurred in 14 -16th century Renaissance Italy. Although, another theory argues that the word dildo also comes from the Latin word “dilatare” meaning “to open wide”. Is there really any reason to argue? Because “to open wide” = “delight”, right?

Considering sex toys were taboo in Victorian England, the mid-19th century presents even more dildo developments. That’s right, circa 1884; rubber dildos and rubber butt plugs were born! According to a Canadian online magazine, XTRA, “by treating the rubber with sulphur under high temperatures, the material gained both elasticity and strength. The increased flexibility was a great improvement soon applied to dildo manufacturing.”

If it’s one thing the human mind does not lack when it comes to dildos, it is imagination. Unripened bananas were said to be used and depictions found among Arab and Polynesian cultures. Jade and bronze phalli were popular in China. A few sources mention that camel dung dildos, layered with coats of resin, were discovered in ancient Africa. Naturally, a medieval writing mentions “Cantonese Groin”, which is a plant—but, when it’s soaked in hot water, swells and hardens to the likes of a dildo! (The ultimate in vegetarian dildos!)

The town of Dildo, Newfoundland, Canada (I am not kidding), is supposedly named after the town’s 19th century industry of carving dildos from leftover whale parts and whalebones. Not surprisingly, a few Dildo residents have attempted to change the name of their fair town a number of times, but without success. One person said: “It was good enough for our forefathers so it’s good enough for us”.

My girlfriend doesn’t know it yet, but our next vacation destination: Dildo, Newfoundland.

For Dildo’s sake
Just as the materials of dildo vary, so too are the uses. Be it for the sake of pleasure, art, ritual, or health. For example, in ancient Hindu worship, references to dildos relate to religious sexual rituals; in ancient Egyptian culture, women believed fertility improved while masturbating near the stone phallus of Amon-Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun. In 1918, dildos were marketed to relieve “female tension and anxiety” in a Sears-Roebuck advertisement. It should also be mentioned here that dildos were for everyone; not solely intended for women or for men, or for the kinky. This is especially true in ancient Greece – when people were not categorized by sexual orientation; indeed, the dildo served everyone.

Ancient Greece to 21st Century North America: From Miletus to Marilyn
Today, the dildo continues to be intended for everyone, and can be found in all colors, shapes, sizes, textures, materials, and price ranges. No matter what you fancy, you will find a dildo to match: smooth, non-realistic feeling or looking – or a realistic feeling and looking dildo with veins and testicles, harnessable or not, neon shades or realistic skin tones, vibrating or non, long or short, girthy or thumb-size, dildos in the shape of a fist, or bunny or beaver shaped, crystal-laden or suction cup-base, or cast your own!

Modern materials include jelly rubber, softskin, glass, metal, and silicone. Jelly rubber may be on the way out, since most are manufactured using phthalates, which are plasticizers used to soften plastics. Softskin (a.k.a. cyberskin) is a combination of PVC and silicone and feels like real skin and warms to body temperature. Silicone is a nonporous and long-lasting material that is revolutionizing the sex toy industry.

GVTV visited Vixen Creations, a silicone dildo manufacturer in San Francisco, and I was fortunate to interview Marilyn, founder and president of Vixen Creations. In the early 1990’s, while working in the IT department at Good Vibrations, Marilyn saw a “hole” in the sex toy industry – having previously worked at North Face, she knew the basics of manufacturing and started experimenting making silicone dildos in her house. She recalls pulling the dildos from their molds while watching TV on her bedroom floor. In retrospect, Marilyn knew she was taking a big risk, knowing that she had started the business with personal credit cards; however 13 years later—Vixen Creations is now situated in a 7,500 sq. foot warehouse, with 12 employees, handcrafting and shipping dildos as far away as Denmark and Japan. Vixen Creations continues to make dildo history with innovative dildo designs, and new VixSkin™ material, which feels and looks real. Marilyn understands everyone’s tastes are different when it comes to dildos and sexual pleasure, and works to respond to her customer’s feedback and needs, while maintaining Vixen Creations high-class-hand made image.

It makes me so happy to know that my preferred dildos are created locally, with lots of care and thoughtfulness, with lots of pride and positivity—come to think of it, it’s a full circle, thinking back to those hand-made dildos in Miletus…

When archaeologists find Simone’s dildos in 10,000 years, she really hopes there is no doubt in their mind what they were intended for (hint: not bookends.)

Only this time, this librarian got to ask all the questions! You see, librarianship begs curiosity, and this librarian was Cone curious. If you haven’t heard the hype or seen the newest “icon(e)” at Good Vibrations… read on!

The Cone is one of the most innovatively-designed sex toys the adult industry has seen in awhile. Everyone seems to be talking about The Cone — so what’s a librarian to do? Research, of course! I had the honor of conducting an online interview with Nina Naran from Twisted Products Limited.

Simone: It’s just so interesting looking! The Cone, in my opinion, boasts aesthetic pleasure. It’s really pleasing to the eye — among other things! What was the catalyst in creating the unique design of The Cone?

Nina: Why thank you! The Cone actually began life as a wooden S&M chair, which was deemed too comfortable. Twisted Products and a specialist-manufacturing consultant developed The Cone into what you see today. The beauty of The Cone is that anyone and everyone can use it whatever their sexuality, we don’t care as long as you come with The Cone!
S: I think another desirable design feature of The Cone is that it’s HANDSFREE!! Theoretically, I could be doing dishes and talking on my Bluetooth headset while enjoying The Cone, right?

N: Absolutely, the possibilities are endless and it could make those everyday chores more fun if you can concentrate on those once The Cone gets going! The handsfree option is great as it means your hands are free to roam where they wish, making playtime more fun.

S: The Cone can be considered 17 toys-in-one, so-to-speak. I mean, 16 programmed settings, and an ORGASM BUTTON. Tell us a little bit about the programmed settings… and, well, A LOT about the orgasm button!

N: When we were developing The Cone we wanted to create something that was completely different and that had longevity in usage. The 16 programmes allowed us to offer our users a choice and a variety. The variation of sensations includes pulses, vibrations and frequencies as well as combination of all of these so there is something there for everyone. The programmes begin softly and gently then gradually progress to stronger and powerful rhythms. Also, not everyone likes the same thing so it was important to offer a choice and if users get bored of one programme there are another 15 programmes to choose from! In addition, there is the orgasm button (programme 16)… an instant orgasm guaranteed (*please see footnote). This one consists of a powerful combination of pulses and vibrations at various frequencies, which always delivers! It was created in mind for the impatient ones amongst us looking for that instant gratification and with no time to waste.
S: Excellent. So for all of you pressed for time, press the orgasm button! Is the Orgasm button a common design feature on Twisted Products? Or is it unique to The Cone? Tell us how Twisted Products came up with such a brilliant feature.

N: As The Cone is currently our one and only product, the orgasm button is unique to The Cone. We came up with the idea as we realize sometimes we are all a little impatient and time is of essence, so why not have a programme that guarantees that oh so good and instant orgasm!

S: 3,000 rpm Gold Brush Motor… Wait! What does all that mean? How does 3,000 rpm’s compare to my other vibrators? And do I need special batteries?

N: It means The Cone is super powerful and that users are able to enjoy the full impact of each and every programme. The only batteries you need are three C cell Alkaline Batteries (Duracell or similar). They should last you a while depending on how often you use The Cone, of course! We had one going for over 30 hours (we were exhausted!).
S: I love that The Cone is suitable for everyone. And really, The Cone’s website gives a number of “useful” examples. Given the innovative design of this toy, perhaps The Cone will inspire new positions. What are your thoughts on this?

N: We love the idea that everyone can enjoy The Cone and are inspired to try various and new ways they can enjoy it, be it straight or gay, alone or with partners. We always appreciate the feedback and welcome new suggestions. What’s so great about The Cone is that it is great for those who have not used sex toys before and may feel threaten by the more phallic shaped products out there. It’s also popular amongst veteran sex toy users that are looking to try something different. It seems to appeal to absolutely everyone, even Prince William’s girlfriend Kate Middleton was reportedly discovered buying The Cone from a UK store recently.

(Whoa! The Royal Cone!)
S: The Cone is a soft-silicone material, right? So, should I just wash it with soapy water? Or do you have other suggestions?

N: As The Cone is made from high-grade silicone; we recommend it be cleaned using non-silicone based cleaners. The Cone is not waterproof, so you should be careful only to clean the top part of the Cone if using soapy water so as not to damage the electronics. There are a number of handy wipes that can be used for the task!

S: What do you foresee in The Cone’s future? Cone Jr. (or Cone Sr. for that matter?) Or Remote Control-Cone? Or perhaps a “twist” Ice Cream Cone? Just joking with you. But seriously, any new Cone designs or flavors on the horizon?
N: The Twisted Products team is currently working on lots of exciting developments for The Cone, including a range of “conedoms™”. These will be a collection of skins that can be placed over The Cone so that individuals can personalize their Cones, ranging from different colours, various textures and protruding fixtures. In addition, we are working on an Aqua-seal which will be waterproof as well as a small travel sized Cone. We are also working towards creating a Cone that will be operated via remote control, as well as The iCone that will be allow people to connect with other Cone users via the internet amongst many more! Watch this space!
S: Lastly, because The Cone has really filled a contemporary niche in adult products, can you share some of your thoughts on future, forward-thinking designs from Twisted Products?
N: I wish I could, but I am sworn to secrecy! But what I can say is that we are working on new products to add to the Twisted Products range and you will not be disappointed!

Thanks, Nina! No disappointments, I like that! As long as there are more Orgasm Buttons in my future…

Nina helped answer a lot of questions about The Cone, so my research is complete. Still Cone curious? Check out The Virtual Cone.
*Note: Good Vibrations doesn’t guarantee you will experience orgasms with this, or any, of our products.

Simone will forever remain curious…. It’s in her job description.

One aspect about vibrators that peaks my curiosity is the difference between a vibrator that “vibrates” (duh) and an “oscillating” vibrator. So here, in the GV research labs, we probed a few products that boast oscillation. Apparently, some of the main differences lie in the construction and placement of the vibrator’s motor. One of the toys we were most curious about is The Eroscillator, a newcomer to GV.

What’s the REAL difference between these two types of motors?

The researched scientific answer: According to the smart people over at Simon Fraser University, oscillation occurs when a system, body or quantity is set in periodic motion or vibration. They give examples like a swinging pendulum, a vibrating string, or a bobbing buoy. Okay, but is it the same for my oscillating vibrator, professor? (Shucks, even librarians choose to skip taking Physics!)

The Wikipedia answer: Oscillation is the “variation, typically in time, of some measure as seen, for example, in a swinging pendulum.” Right, so now we have some consistency in our definitions of the term oscillation. Consistency is good. So — wait, is oscillation a type or a form of vibration? Wikipedia says NO! Actually, vibration is a narrower form of oscillation. Interesting, huh? For some reason, I imagined vibration as the broader term, and oscillation as the narrower, but it’s the other way around. Perhaps GV should consider a name change? Good Oscillations? (Just kidding). Wikipedia further states that sometimes oscillation and vibration are used synonymously. If I am interpreting this correctly, there may not be that many differences between my oscillating vibrator and all my other vibrators after all.

However, (warning: more Physics talk) let’s think in terms of the motor in the vibrator itself. Benjamin Crowell, author of Vibrations and Waves, writes, “The key to understanding how an object vibrates is to know how the force on the object depends on the object’s position. If an object is vibrating to the right and left, then it must have a leftward force on it when it is on the right side and a rightward force when it is on the left side.”

So, the answer isn’t as easy and straight forward as we may have thought. There are a lot of variables to the physical or mechanical nature of vibration/oscillation (there I go using the words interchangeably as noted earlier). But, what would the manufacturer of the oscillating vibrator have to say about all of this?

The manufacturer’s answer: According to the makers of the Eroscillator, the reason that this is “the best” (their words) vibrator ever, is because of its design and careful oscillating motor construction. But, what does that REALLY mean? First, consider the Eroscillator’s oscillating shaft vs. other vibrator’s stationary shaft. Vibrations are felt through the stationary shaft or the casing of the vibrator; the makers of the Eroscillator understand that the motion of the oscillating shaft can deliver powerful, yet gentle stimulation — without that numb-hand feeling!

Now consider the oscillating motion is more of a “side-to-side” movement versus the “up-and-down” motion. If you’re having trouble visualizing this, think of the way a finger would rub a clitoris (side-to-side, right? or even in a circular motion) and an up-and-down motion is more like a pounding sensation (think… hammer). I may not have taking physics, but now I understand! Finally, the answer we have all been waiting for. So, oscillating motors are more like a gentle finger. I get it! The makers of The Eroscillator (yep, this is the one Dr. Ruth swears by) definitely did their homework; a decent amount of careful research went into crafting an oscillating, err… orgasmic stimulator? Being an avid researcher myself, I like that! If you need even more information, check out this university study conducted among 30 women between the ages of 24 to 47!

But, wait, I have more questions!

Are oscillations less noisy than vibrations?

By virtue, it appears so, but perhaps that’s also for you to decide; considering whether or not you have roommates, live with your parents, have thin walls, or maybe you prefer the loudest rattle-and-hum on the market! But, if we are using my ears, oscillations seem a little tamer. The makers of the Eroscillator think so too. In fact, the results of their study asked the participants which toy they found the quietest to use.

What’s more intense?
Well, I guess it depends on what you consider intense. Again, (here’s my sex educator voice coming out) everyone is different; what might be powerful to you, might not be powerful to me. GV does have a vibrator intensity chart using a 1-5 scale to help you decide.

Now, that I did some of my homework, don’t forget to do YOUR homework! Tell me: what’s the best vibrator?
Simone wonders if Dr. Ruth would star in a film called: The Eros-cillator (insert Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice here.)

I’m talking about the cult of the realistic penis, dildo, or packer. Yes folks, I’m a big ‘ole fan of the kind you buy at the store.

So I decided to take some of our best “realistic” packing, pissing and playing toys into the field for a go. I’ve listed below all of my picks for products we currently offer at Good Vibrations that may address the needs of drag kings, transsexual men, and all others on the FtM spectrum.

For now I want to focus on a couple of my own personal favorites — Mango Packer and Tex. Try these out, and have fun playing!

Mango Packer
I first used the Mango Packer to prepare for a workshop for an FtM conference, for which I was presenting on packers. I was supposed to be the “fun” presenter at the end of the day, so I got pumped and prepped by having some fun of my own with the Mango.

The Mango Packer is a basic softskin packer in the ‘Mini’ size, with a medical-grade latex tube running through it to create a realistic packer that someone with female anatomy can actually whip out and pee through. The Mango has a fabulous design because the tube for pissing is soft, has a small cup at the base to catch the pee, and it can be tucked up against the body in a subtle way so you can pack with one of these just as you would with a plain softpack.

With soft packs, a lot of folks like to use a stocking or a Packy Pocket underneath briefs to keep the bulge in place. With the Mango packer, you probably want to find yourself some underoos tight enough to hold the packer in place without additional support, because it’s much more difficult to pull it out and pee through it if you have to dig through more than two layers just to get to it.

Please believe me when I say you need tight briefs-my first night out with the Mango, it got all sideways in my pants, and then fell down my pant leg and onto my shoe. I had to make a swooping lean-down-and-shove-in-pocket save. Good thing I revel in humiliating situations.

The packer comes with detailed instructions for use and cleaning and I highly recommend that if you get one of these that you read the instructions! It’s not rocket science, but it’s also not entirely obvious how it is used.

Step one with the Mango is to practice. I got started in my bathroom at home, which turned out to be a fantastic move because I definitely peed on myself a bunch. I recommend doing this at home, in boxer shorts or naked, because the first couple tries you are likely to spill. Basically, you want to take the cup-end of the nice, smooth latex tube and create a seal so that the stream of pee from your urethra goes straight into the cup and out the other end. I have pretty strong pissing muscles, and after a couple of drips of pee down my leg I found that I could stand in front of the toilet and shoot a stream of piss out of my new toy with no trouble at all.

Step two with the Mango is to squeeze that tube clean. If you plan to actually pee with it in public places, it’s very important both for your own hygiene and the Mango’s that you squeeze the tube out as thoroughly as possible while still standing in front of the toilet or urinal. If you have some privacy, you might want to grab a little toilet paper and actually wipe off both ends of the tube before you tuck it back into your tightie whities. Trust me ladies and gents and others, it is no fun to discover as you walk out of the bathroom that there’s still a little lingering urine in there, just waiting to drip down your leg!

You will also need to clean the Mango after daily use. It’s recommended that you wash the packy part with soap and water-although if you use it every day, soap every day will degrade the surface, so you should sometimes use just water. The inside of the tube should also be cleaned with a q-tip or some other instrument, rinsed thoroughly, and allowed to dry. Finally, as with any softskin product, you’ll want to cornstarch the surface of the packer to keep it from being sticky when it dries. After all, lint-dick is probably not what you’re going for. As someone that does not use packers on a daily basis, mine has lasted me a year already and I expect it to last more. However, be aware that if packing is part of your everyday regimen, the Mango packer will last about as long as any softskin packer, and then need to be replaced.

The final step is figuring out the Mango’s best and safest public uses. Keep in mind that you probably have to undo your pants, and you definitely have to fumble around in your pants, in order to make use of the Mango. The first few times I used it I dropped my drawers entirely for fear of soiling them — now I can get away with keeping my pants and underwear on. The Mango is best used in public bathrooms with actual stalls, or in a urinal where you have a little space. Of course, we would all be better of pissing in bathrooms that are non-gendered and have separate stalls for all, a political issue that the Mango can undermine, but sadly cannot solve.

After a few public mess-ups, a bad leg-of-the-pants incident, and another couple of go’s in my home and work bathrooms, the Mango packer worked for me like an absolute charm. I was on my way into a club last week, packing so the boys would notice the bulge in my tight jeans, and realized-as I often do entering a long line-that I was going to need to pee desperately within a very few minutes. I was faced with the choice of waiting in the long line outside to get in, and then getting into the long line for the bathroom inside, or finding a spot to piss in an alley before I even got to the club. Then it dawned on me: I don’t even need an alley! To the surprise of my friends, I just turned around into a doorway on Seventh and Howard, unzipped my pants, and peed standing up for the whole world to see. If you’ve ever hated people who do that, while envying them at the same time, the Mango packer is surely for you!

Tex
Listen up people, I’m telling you now so you won’t have to ask again: the hype is real! As a Good Vibrations’ employee, I touch a lot of silicone, rubber and softskin. I don’t just touch it, I handle it. I mean that I take out fresh new dicks from their packaging and smell them, wash them and replace them when they break or tear or get funky. I am intimately familiar with the fascinating topic of sex toy materials and I have never seen anything like the Vixskin™.

Vixskin™ is the solution that Vixen creations, a San Francisco based, women-owned dildo company that makes many of our dildos, came up with for the lack of hypo-allergenic, easy-to-clean, realistic dildo materials. Softskin has a great feel to it, but it is highly porous and therefore both requires condoms, and degrades over time.

Vixskin™ is hard in the center and soft on the surface, fully sterilizable in boiling water, and lasts as long as any silicone dildo (basically, ’til eternity if no accidents happen). Every time I wash my Tex I am astounded by how fresh and new the surface looks and feels.

Tex was the first Vixskin™ product we received, and it’s also the smallest at 5 ¼ x 1 ½ “. I chose to focus on the Tex because in my opinion, the combination of a hard “erect” feel, and a soft, delightful surface is best balanced in Tex. (Size queens, please see the Lonestar). When harnessed, although it lacks balls, it stands up at a nice upward curve for fun with G-spot and prostate stimulation. At the same time, it’s soft and flexible (and small) enough to pack it into tight under-garments and bring it out later for play. If you like to get or give blow jobs or hand jobs with toys, Tex is ideal. The “skin” surface seems to move in your hands or mouth while the center stays firm. Also, it’s an incredible relief to have a “realistic” toy out there that’s not picking up and absorbing bacteria from all of its surroundings. You can slide a clean Tex straight inside of someone’s mouth without having to fear for their health. No strange odor, no rubbery texture-it is truly pliable and lifelike.

The Tex is available in Chocolate and Peach, and hopefully we’ll see more colors and sizes from Vixen soon. Vixskin’s motto is “Worth every inch”. They’re not kidding.

Another Packing Option
Mister Right is Vixskin’s™ silicone packing option. If you pack with any regularity, or have ever had the unpleasant experience of replacing an extremely destroyed softskin packer, you should really just invest in one of these while they’re available. Being able to boil this, and store it in the shapely hard plastic box it comes it, will make your packing experience more hygienic, with noticeably less maintenance.

If you take my advice on the Mister Right, and you have trouble keeping packers in place, the leather and elastic Packing Strap is for you. These two were literally made for each other and they’re the best packing combination on the market.

FtM-Friendly Books and Resources

Non-fiction:
The Ultimate Guide to Strap-on Sex
Body Alchemy
Genderqueer
My Gender Workbook
True Selves
Public Sex
Pomosexuals
Anal Pleasure and Health
The Gender Frontier

Fiction:
Boy in the Middle
Hard Men

Best Gay Erotica 2006
The Leather Daddy & the Femme

*

1 or 2 players, check
Hours of fun, check
Games have different levels and speeds, check
Aesthetically pleasing, check
Comes with cords, check

I take mental notes as I thoroughly look over the box. Will she like it? yes. Is it the perfect gift for my girlfriend? — that I’m not certain of. Not yet. There’s another toy I need to study first, and that’s my next mission. Off to work I go, and ask to see the sample product making its way around the office.

The Le Lynx. Okay, with a name like that I assume already that this is not your typical run-of-the-mill sex toy. And, it isn’t. The Le Lynx is a new titanium vibrator from a company formerly in the aircraft industry. Titanium? you say… Titanium! I say. Aerospace, medical grade titanium is twice as strong as aluminum and about 50% lighter than steel. What does that mean in terms of a sex toy? Strong and beautiful, light and high quality. Screams “GIFT!” like no other sex toy can. Inside its super-cool lockable chrome case, I find the Le Lynx in its bed of velvet — one main body and three attachable heads, each with a different speed and texture. I screw a tip on and feel the cool metal vibrate in my hand. I run the vibe under warm water and feel it heat up in my hand. Titanium, I discover, retains heat even better than my favorite sex-toy material, silicone. Interesting. I start to make my mental notes about the vibe:

1 or 2 players, check
Hours of fun, check
Different speeds and texture, check
Hot packaging, check
Waterproof, check
Dishwater safe, check
Portable, check

I start to think about the Playstation, and compare notes. Okay, the Playstation would be a really great gift. However, I know by my own experience, that video games aren’t very… stress relieving, while the Le Lynx will have more of an, uh, relaxing effect. And that’s a big check to add to my list. Oh, and more likely than not, my girlfriend will choose a game I don’t really want to play (like Basketball, ugg) and I’ll be benched, so to speak, while she plays. Check minus. The Le Lynx, although she can use it by herself, is probably more apt to be something we use together. Check plus. Playstation, Le Lynx, Playstation, Le Lynx… And then I remember something… last Christmas I gave her a DVD player and she gave me a Low Rise harness, and I remember thinking at the time, now this… this is a gift! Check! The Playstation can wait for her birthday — this year, titanium is all the rage.

Charles Gatewood has written a truly wonderful book called Photography for Perverts — a book that covers a topic heretofore ignored in photography books. Photography for Perverts is a fun exploration of Gatewood’s life work and what he’s learned with it, including many sexy photos from the author’s portfolio. A renowned photographer, Charles has now proved that he is also an effective and engaging writer. Photography for Perverts is a quick, fun read and an invaluable guide to getting started taking erotic photographs.

Gatewood’s book is so much fun, in fact, that it finally gave me the impetus to buy a digital camera — or perhaps it was simply the right time in my life to take up a new hobby. Regardless, Photography for Perverts served as a useful guide to the process.

I’ve wanted a decent digital camera for some time, one that would allow me to make photo-quality enlargements. Gatewood’s book focuses almost entirely on film photography, since that’s mostly what he does. There is a brief section on digital photography, but as Gatewood correctly observes, the field of digital photography develops so quickly that any concrete suggestions he offered would quickly be out of date. I chatted with other photographers I know who work in the digital arena, and finally decided on the new Fujifilm Finepix s7000, which seems — after years of using a disposable camera to take mediocre shots — the Cadillac of consumer-grade digital cameras.

I selected the s7000 first and foremost because it offers 6.3 megapixels. A megapixel is a measurement of digital photo resolution. Consumer digital cameras nowadays range from about one to five megapixels, with a few, like the s7000, offering a bit more. For twice the price (about $1,000), you can get a semi-professional or “prosumer” camera like the Canon Digital Rebel, but the s7000 offers the same number of megapixels as that esteemed device. Being a complete beginner when it comes to cameras, I decided a semi-pro camera wasn’t what I needed, and picked up the s7000, a tripod, a remote shutter release and an external flash.

In Photography for Perverts, Gatewood covers such topics as creating a photo studio, shooting on location, and shooting candid photos at public events. He also talks about backgrounds, props, context and “telling a story” with photographs. It’s all fascinating reading, especially for someone like me who’s spent his life working in a different erotic arena. I absorbed as much as I could of Gatewood’s book and prepared to take my first nude photos.

After taking a few candid (non-nude) snapshots of friends to get the feel of the camera, I gave my out-of-town girlfriend Brie, who was due for a visit, fair warning that I wanted to photograph her. This was not news to her, since I’d been looking for a camera for three months — and she agreed graciously, though she doesn’t consider herself an exhibitionist and was more than a little nervous about undressing for my camera.

Given that Brie is my lover, I got started by simply incorporating the camera into our erotic play. While we were fooling around, I seized the camera and snapped some shots of Brie and I in flagrante delicto. This initially put a bit of a damper on our play, since Brie tends to be shy. But soon she’d gotten used to the camera and was enjoying herself while I snapped photographs of her doing exactly that.

However, I discovered upon looking at the photos after the fact that they were what you might expect from snapshots taken while I was doing something else. They might have nostalgic value in 10 years, but they weren’t anything with much artistry.

That fact noted, I convinced Brie to let me spend a little more time photographing her. Arranging her on a white sheet spread across on my bed, I instructed her to pose for the camera as I first shot bed-level photos, then stood on a chair to photograph her from above, Marilyn Monroe style.

Brie has wonderfully creamy, olive-toned skin, but the flash still made her look somewhat washed out. I had purchased an external flash, so I was able to swivel it to bounce the light off the walls and the ceiling, but it definitely took some doing. Though Brie doesn’t really consider herself an exhibitionist, she found herself relaxing into the role of erotic model, and went from lying on the bed staring at me with a blank, bored expression (which can be sexy in its own way) to touching herself with some ease as I snapped photographs of her. Willingly performing for the camera, Brie accessed her inner exhibitionist, and before long I forgot all about the camera. The two of us enjoyed a heated encounter fueled by the thrill of doing something truly naughty.

Which was lovely, but still didn’t teach me much about erotic photography. I had learned that a digital camera can be a great sex toy, and shooting dirty pictures a wonderful form of foreplay. And though Gatewood certainly acknowledges that there is erotic energy between photographer and model, Photography for Perverts isn’t just for perverts — it’s for perverts who want to take good photographs. I found my digital photos of my encounter with Brie to be a wonderful kind of memento, but they weren’t yet the artful nudes I was interested in. In fact, they had a bit of a garish quality, like I would expect to see them on alt.kinky.snapshots or something.

My first photo shoot, coupled with Gatewood’s book, taught me a few important things about how to take erotic photographs.

* Tell the model s/he is gorgeous, breathtaking, sexy, seductive. Who doesn’t love to hear that? The positive strokes they receive (pun intended) will show through in the photos.
* Take your time. Especially with people who are not professional models, it takes quite a bit of time to get relaxed in front of the camera. A relaxed model = better photos.
* Lighting is key. Gatewood touches on these issues throughout his book, and you should pay attention. It is amazing how awful most people look in the glaring light of a flash. Especially with light-skinned people (and especially with naked light-skinned people), a carelessly used flash can make every blemish on the skin look painfully obvious. Invest in an external flash — one that can be tipped toward the ceiling to take the glare off your subject. Better yet, if you can afford it, invest in some professional-grade photofloods so you don’t have to use a flash.

With Brie, to my sadness, on the plane back home, I resolved to put some more energy into taking artful erotic photos. In Part Two, I’ll describe my first shoot with a professional model and let you know what I learned.