The Decade In Sex Toys: The Evolution Of Marital Aids In The ’00s

In these days of platinum vibrators and rubout robots that sync to porn, it can be hard to remember that things weren't always this great on the sex toy front. In fact, just ten years ago, things were very, very different.

Fortunately, the team at Babeland has a much longer memory that yours truly—and they were very happy to sit us down and school us on exactly what's changed in the adult novelty arena over the past ten years. So how far have we come? Read on to find out.

At left: What a difference a decade makes.

The Best Selling Toys of 1999:
Pocket Rocket
Rabbit Habit
Hitachi Magic Wand
Rabbit Pearl
Silver Bullet
Freshman (a hot pink, phallic, sparkly jelly rubber vibrator)
Slimline
Fukuoku 9000 finger vibe
Leo, a silicone dildo
Nubby G

At left: The Rabbit Habit, the iconic toy of 1999. (Thanks, "Sex and the City"!)

The Best Selling Toys of 2009:
The Rabbit Habit and Magic Wand continue to dominate thanks to their brand loyalty. We saw the Mystic, a battery version of the Wand, debut recently and rival the Hitachi for sales.
We Vibe, a clit/g-spot vibe a woman can wear during intercourse, is a one of a kind vibrator that women and couples continue to purchase in droves.
Gigi, a stylish, strong, nicely packaged toy became a runaway hit, with an excellent ‘word of mouth' reputation. Our staff love this toy so much, they literally hand-sell it. If there is universal staff love for a toy, it'll sell.
SaSi, a high tech toy with an iPod-like interface dominated sales in 2009
Form 6, a sleek, high end, design-centric toy introduced Jimmyjane vibes to customers. The brand is making a name for itself.
Laya Spot, excellent mid-range priced toy, fits nicely in one's hand (it's ergonomic) and travels very well. Great gift vibe.
Pure Wand, a really heavy metal g-spot dildo, did great.
SpareParts Harness was popular among harness-lovers.

At left: Je Joue's SaSi.

What, in your opinion, were the best (meaning highest quality, best user experience) toys on the market back in 1999?
Rabbit Habit and Rabbit Pearl sales skyrocketed thanks to an appearance by the Rabbit Pearl on Sex and the City in 1998. These vibes (one has an attached battery pack, the other holds batteries in base of vibe), which were already popular among fans of g-spot/clit stimulation (hence our reference to them as "Dual action" vibes), received mainstream legitimacy and started surpassing the Hitachi in sales. It's a much sexier vibe; we sometimes joked that the Hitachi was the vibe of choice for first wave feminists (who had so few choices), but the Rabbit won over the 2nd and 3rd waves! And really, who wouldn't be tempted by the promise of little rotating pearls massaging your sensitive bits while rabbit ears tickle your clit?!

The Pocket Rocket was/is a powerful, wonderfully-named mini vibe, and so discreet you could carry it around in your handbag for easy access, which was empowering.

The Fukuoku, a fingertip vibe, was also a fairly recent innovation around then, and the ability to add "vibration" to a hand job, a massage, or for extra oomph during sex, was well-received.

At left: The Fukuoku.

What are some of the best (again, highest quality, etc) toys on the market now?
Gigi, Form 6, SaSi, We Vibe—all innovations that are designed specifically to enhance women's sexual experience in new ways. Fun Factory's silicone toys are a huge improvement, too. And even the beloved Rabbits from Vibratex appeared a few years ago in Elastomer version, in response to the phthalate concern. And not to be overlooked is the Silver Bullet vibe, a low cost vibe with a surprisingly strong vibration, and more durable than cheaper vibes.

At left: Lelo's Gigi.

What's been the biggest change in the sex toy industry over the past decade?
Probably the same changes you see in the rest of the manufacturing world: stronger, smaller motors; more advanced technology (programmable!); and improved materials like silicone and elastomer. Even wood dildos, which were more popular in the ‘70s, are making a comeback thanks to the green movement.

But hands down the biggest recent change is the proliferation of designer, luxury vibes. These toys deliver incredible functionality (think programmable, customizable, rechargeable, etc), plus they're aesthetically pleasing, featuring tasteful, sophisticated designs. Designer toys are typically made of high quality silicone, are often rechargeable, are texturally pleasing, are usually either waterproof or submersible, and are contoured to fit (and more effectively stimulate) a woman's body. They are typically packaged in attractive, satin-lined boxes so opening the box makes you feel the way you would purchasing some coveted piece of jewelry or a new fragrance.

This category makes up the highest increase in Babeland's sales for the past several years. Sales of luxury vibes (average price point is $120) have risen by four times during the recession. Women are investing in pleasure!

At left: JimmyJane's $3250 Little Platinum Eternity.

Has American culture become more accepting of sex toys/masturbation over the past decade?
Absolutely! Sex toys may have had their coming out on Sex and the City, but [now they've] finally moved into the "cool to own one" realm. Stars like Eva Longoria, Madonna, the Beckhams, Rihanna and Britney have all been "caught" shopping or talking about sex toys. Mainstream magazines are much more likely to cover them—just this year, we appeared in a Time Magazine feature on eco-sexy toys. HBO has filmed Babeland three times, most recently during a ‘Kinky crafting' event.

By seeing images of sex toys reflected back by popular culture in ways that are not stereotypical or demeaning (until recently they could just be counted on as the butt of a joke), the rest of the population finally gets the message that there might be something they're missing out on!

At left: Vibrators, one of Oprah's favorite things.

What do you think the sex toy industry will look like in another ten years?
The industry itself will probably not change much, except that the big players will try to capitalize (as they always do) on the innovations of the cutting edge smaller players by introducing their own versions of luxury toys (without the quality). Consumers will finally start to become more brand savvy. It's no accident that Hitachi has been a top-seller for decades. Sure, it's a powerhouse, but it has a brand name for quality behind it, and the toy has always lived up to that. The marketing has just been missing good, reliable brands, and that's what Lelo, JimmyJane, Vibratex, and Fun Factory are delivering.

We'll definitely continue to see the high product sector roll out—with engraved, diamond encrusted vibrators being more available to the general population (at least the wealthy ones). Phthalate toys, which are still fairly common in typical adult stores, will be gone, thanks to the consumer-savviness of the buying population. And we're still waiting for a really good cyber-sex toy.

At left: the Real Touch...the future of toys?