The Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum offers a glimpse at what women were working with in terms of pleasure toys from the Victorian era to the 1970s. The museum, which touts itself as a “historical sexual treasure," began with Good Vibrations founder Joani Blank’s own personal vibrator collection. That collection was broadened by her customers, who sent in vintage vibrators they stumbled across at flea markets.
Surprisingly, a lot of these so-called toys look more like torture devices than anything remotely enjoyable. Apparently a lot of the items were intended to look like home appliances, for the sake of discretion. However, it’s still super interesting to see how the vibrator evolved – from the 1933 Vibgrosage model to the 1940s Redusaway (that kind of resembles an iron) to today’s high-powered Rabbit. A lot of these models have me scratching my head, but all are worth a look!
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Historical Pleasure Toy Exhibits
- Creating a space to showcase the evolution of sex toys with a focus on providing education and insight.
- Retrocentric Nostalgia Experiences
- Creating experiential pop-ups for the public to explore historical pieces that have emotive ties.
- Vintage Sex Toy Resurgence
- Modernizing popular pleasure toy designs to nostalgic roots as a marketing strategy.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Sex Toy Manufacturing
- Researching historical sex toys as inspiration to design new products for consumers looking for a unique experience.
- Museum and Exhibits
- Building physical spaces where individuals can engage with historical pleasure toys in a safe and educational manner.
- Consumer Products
- Marketing to consumers with nostalgic or educational experiences and products related to sex toy history.
