sundance

The pocket rocket… literally

Pocket rocket vibrators have been around forever — since before sex toys got all fancy and high tech and, you know, effective. But there’s a reason the pocket rocket-style vibe has stood the test of time — it’s small and unassuming, but not so small that you wonder why you bothered. It fits easily in your nightstand or, yes, your pocketbook, and it’s not likely to give any guy a complex.

Want to go to Palm Springs?

One of our favorite toy creators, Jimmyjane, has just teamed up with Ace Hotels (in their NYC and Palm Springs locations) to offer guests a room upgrade that includes a Jimmyjane-curated selection of sexy goods, which can be purchased online, at check-in or from Ace’s late-night room service menu. No travel plans to NYC or Palm Springs? Jimmyjane.com is offering several packages that allow you to bring the Ace experience home with you (for example, the $89 “Voyeur” package includes TCHO Drinking Chocolate, a blindfold and cuffs, the French softcore Emmanuelle Collection, a bullet vibe, a feather tickler, Sir Richards condoms, and Good Clean Love lubricant — kind of an awesome Valentine’s Gift, hotel stay or not).

Nice holiday-themed toys for the naughty adult in your life

When it comes to giving your significant O a holiday gift, slippers are great, but sex toys are better. As long as you make quality, beauty and safety your main priorities, you can’t go wrong with a pleasure object (unless you’re in a relationship with a religious neo-con, i.e. one of the few ones who don’t have a secret gimp suit hidden under their bed). Here are some suggestions that are particularly festive:

When sex and merchandise don’t mix

The only thing worse than sex being used to sell products that have nothing to do with sex is when sex is actually put into a product in some way when it shouldn’t be. Below are four sex product fails – don’t even think about them as potential holiday gifts, not even stocking stuffers. You’ve been warned:

• Bacon Lube: J&D’s wants the world to taste like bacon, so they made bacon salt, and baconnaise, bacon ranch and even bacon lip balm. So we guess it was only a matter of time before they made bacon lube. They say it started out as an April Fool’s prank but then got so many requests that they had to follow through with bacon-flavored personal lubricant and massage oil. Fortunately, it’s only available for a limited time.
  
  
• Erotic Energy Drinks: As if Red Bull weren’t bad enough – Big Cock cola and Little Pussy passion fruit drink are now available in Las Vegas. Of course they are.
  
  

A new sex toy for men, the REV1000

When it comes to sex toys, men get the short end of the stick. Besides butt plugs (a.k.a. the short end of the stick, ba dum ching!), there’s just not that many innovative options – a few massage sleeves, a couple of love rings and some blow-up dolls (and, if you ask us, blow up dolls are not really a viable option). So when something new in the world of men’s sex toys hits the market, it’s BIG news (at least in our world).

Introducing the REV1000. While it gives the unfortunate impression of sticking one’s dick in a blender, with 7 speeds and 7 functions for a total of 49 different sensation combinations, the REV1000 has the potential to threaten straight women’s vaginal egos as much as The Rabbit Habit vibrator pummeled straight men’s penile ones…

How to defeat zombies using sex toys

One of our favorite sex toy retailers across the pond, Love Honey, really knows how to have fun with holidays. A few Halloweens ago they sent us a bunch of “Death by Orgasm” bullet vibes packaged in cute little coffins that we gave out to our Halloween Haiku contest winners (Lo also awarded one to the best costume winner at her annual Halloween party). This Halloween, they’re doing it again with a video series entitled “How to Defeat Zombies Using Sex Toys.” The production value is almost as good as…

Three new “SenseMotion” Vibes from Lelo

It’s always fun when something truly innovative comes along in the sex toy industry. Remember the first vibrating egg women could use internally? Or the first vibrating love ring worn by men during intercourse? Or the more recent We-Vibe worn by women during intercourse? Those all had a pretty high wow-factor when they first appeared on the scene.

Now our friends over at Lelo, one of our favorite “pleasure object” producers, have taken those three designs and given them a new twist with motion-sensor technology (the kind of thing in smartphones and video game consoles) that allows their vibrations to be controlled by the movement of a wireless remote control that works up to 39 feet away!

Green (and quirky) pet products

We pet people can be particular about the products we purchase for our furry (or feathered or scaly) friends. We not only want products that work, but that also make our pets happy and comfortable. So, when the team at Quirky works with a concept for a better retractable dog leash tonight, dog owners might want to take a look – and keep an eye out for the Kosoku leash at your favorite pet supply store.

Love Your Vagina the green way

Mooncup, the UK-based (but internationally distributed) menstrual cup, just released an old-fashioned song on YouTube called “Love Your Vagina.” They asked women to submit nicknames for their genitalia and have amassed an overwhelming list, from which the best terms were taken to make this catchy song. (Get the sheet music and lyrics here; and if you buy the song on iTunes, proceeds will go to a charity chosen by their Facebook fans). Of course the song includes many nicknames for body parts other than the vagina (a.k.a. “bouncing baby escape hatch”), like the clitoris (“little man in a canoe”), the labia (“peachy lips”), the vulva (“downtown dining and entertainment district”). As long as people know the difference, then we guess we can get behind the casual mixing and matching of terms of endearment for various anatomical parts in the same genital neighborhood if that mixing and matching ultimately encourages positive body image. So yay for secret little honey pots everywhere!

Green pet beds as artwork

Got a dog? If so, there’s a good chance you’ve also got a bed for the pooch… that’s purely functional. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s probably a bit of an eyesore… especially if you keep it in a public area of your home.

When William Chen and his wife Deb got their new pug puppy Momo, they decided they weren’t going to settle for the status quo on dog beds… and set out to design something that worked for the puppy as well as their aesthetic and green sensibilities. The end result: P.L.A.Y. (Pet Lifestyle and You), a company focused on making stylish, eco-friendly pet beds.

Incentive to do your Kegels

Here”s a cool new toy: vibrating dual balls that you can control the incremental speeds of via your PC muscles! It’s basically a “squeeze me” toy you control from the inside (you can manipulate it manually too, if you’re a lazy twat). The Vanity Vr1 by Jopen, part of their whole cool Vanity series, is an external bullet toy and internal kegelcisor in-one that has all the key features of quality toys we like to recommend:

A blue Xmas without Mojowijo

It was supposed to be available in time for the holidays but, alas, Mojowijo won’t be out until the new year — to the great disappointment, we imagine, of sexually frustrated tech geeks who don’t get much sunshine in their basements. If you haven’t figured it out by now, Mojowijo is a teledildonics device. It transforms your Nintendo Wii remote control into a body stimulator (i.e. vibrator) that’s operated by someone remotely, whether in the same room or across the world. The peeps at Mojowijo have told us, rather vaguely, that the product will be available in retail stores throughout the world as well as online. We’d tell you to hold your breath, but we don’t want any other body parts turning blue.

Lelo’s new line of pretty waterproof vibes

Just in time for the holidays, one of our favorite manufacturers has launched a new line of fancy-schmancy vibes: Lelo’s Insignia collection. It’s their first line of completely waterproof products, which makes for easier cleaning and fun in the shower. There’s the oval-shaped external massager, Alia (around $119); the traditional mid-size vibrator, Isla ($159); and [...]

Green gifts from Skymall? Really?

‘Tis the season and all that… the holiday shopping insanity is about to begin in earnest. If you’re looking for gifts with a lighter environmental footprint, Skymall may be at the bottom of your list of vendors — it’s hard to see how a business designed for shopping on planes could be any less green. And then there are the products… how many items do you really need designed only for cooking hot dogs?

The Body Deli

Out in Palm Desert, California, there’s a body-product shop called the Body Deli that’s set up like a real deli. Refrigerated cases hold many the fresh scrubs, masques, and hair products. The “cosmetic chef” mixes all the products in the store in small batches — using lots of local, organic ingredients like fresh fruits, veggies, [...]

A new vibe to save the ta-tas

Remember all that pink last month? October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t keep supporting the cause now that it’s November. Evolved manufactured a new little powerful vibe that’s waterproof and multi-speed called Faith, and a portion of all sales go to the Save the Ta-Ta’s Foundation. [...]

Kids embrace green design and invention

Green innovation from a major manufacturer or established design house? Hardly news these days, right… everyone in the research and development space seems to be thinking about environmental impact. But the 18 and under demographic is getting in on the fun… and coming up with some intriguing ideas. A couple of items passed through the RSS reader this week that demonstrate kids thinking green… not just in terms of getting the family to recycle, but in the context of creating solutions to challenges both children and adults face.

Check your mate with this vibrator chess set

Aruliden, the NY-based product design consultancy, has created a super luxe sex-toy chess set for New York City’s high-end sex accouterments shop, Kiki de Montparnasse. According to Fast Company’s Co.Design site, the 32-piece set made of medical-grade silicone and ABS with gold-plated detailing will be available late November/early December, just in time for the holidays for the filthy rich. Because the most obscene thing about the item is its price tag: a cool 7000 cucumbers!

Jimmyjane’s new Form 3

First there was Form 6, a waterproof rechargeable body-safe vibe in the shape of a slim, melting pin-ball created by JimmyJane. Then came Form 2, a waterproof rechargeable body-safe vibe in the shape of little, minimal bunny ears. Now there’s Form 3, a waterproof rechargeable body-safe vibe with a malleable shape. Don’t ask us to [...]

Lelo’s siriously powerful new toy, the Siri

Lelo’s new vibe, Siri

A few weeks ago we mentioned that one of our favorite conscientious toy manufacturers, Lelo, came out with a new line of sophisticated sensual accessories. Well, we can’t keep up with them, because they’ve got another new product out, the Siri — and it’s got a lot going for it.

Lelo’s new line of sensual accessories

Lelo’s Etherea Silk Cuffs

One of our favorite toy creators, Lelo, just launched a line of sensual accessories for glamorous bondage experimentation, i.e. cosmopolitan kink, tantalizing teasing, filthy rich restraint, etc. The high-quality materials (which come in cherry red, deep purple, or black) and even higher price tags will make your dabbling in BDSM seem less, um, unseemly. But if you’re gonna get tied up and be forced to moan like a dying cow, might as well do it in style.

Perverse “Twilight” merch

From the “why didn’t we think of that?” department: Salon recently put together a slide show of the strangest “Twilight Saga” merchandise out there — most of it disturbingly sexual, especially considering how little sex there is in the series (and what sex there is, as you probably know, is utterly disappointing). There are condoms [...]

Best condom tagline ever: “You can’t wait to get it on”

Trojan Fire & Ice – Kinda Like a Thrill Ride from Raymond Forbes on Vimeo. We just saw this awesome condom TV commercial from Trojan the other day. We’re not necessarily endorsing the product, just the ad. First of all, the tagline “You can’t wait to get it on”? Genius. How has this not been [...]

The best period commercial, period

We saw this fantastic ad for a new line of period products called U from Kotex while we were watching American Idol the other day. (We can admit this viewing habit without shame because in the same week we watched the 13-and-a-half-hour, black-and-white German film “White Ribbon,” which pretty much balances things out.) Anyway, the commercial makes fun of all the stupid things most period product ads employ — beach scenes, slo mo, white spandex, blue liquid. So we did some more investigative work, and found two other awesome spots (heh heh) from U: in one, respondents taking a Rorschach Test do everything in their power to avoid saying “vulva” or “vagina”; in the other, a clueless boyfriend tries to get help in the feminine protection aisle (the lady who says “It’s a man’s world” is our new hero!). We’re not convinced the hip packaging will make menstrual products seem cool, but we’re sold on U’s marketing mission: helping girls (and society) get over their embarrassment and squeamishness about something so normal and natural — and that’s not just periods, but anatomy too.

Mad Men Barbies

Mattel is set to release four new Barbies ($75 each!) based on characters from Mad Men this coming July to coincide with the start of the show’s fourth season. There’s main character Don Drapper and his soulless wife Betty, company head Roger Sterling and his one-time mistress and office manager extraordinaire, Joan Holloway. While Mattel chose to leave out the “inappropriate,” sinful accessories like martinis, packs of Lucky Strike, and silk panties in suit pockets that are ever-present on the show, it’s still a bold choice for the company to celebrate such a debauched group of alcoholic adulterers. But then again, Barbie was created in 1959, right around the time Mad Men takes place — a time when women were expected to simply look pretty and shut up, make a nice home, and expect their husbands to cheat. So maybe this licensing agreement is not so bold, maybe it’s just eerily perfect.