When William S. Burroughs referred to a plastic penis as “Steely Dan” in his 1959 novel “Naked Lunch” and 15 years later when Donald Fagen and Walter Becker used the term to name their musical band, it’s doubtful they ever imagined a $10,000, diamondembedded vibrator would be marketed to the public in 2013.
But that is what Sherman Oaks, Calif.- based Impulse Novelties has been doing since January, when Lorraine Weinberg started a sex toy business designed to appeal to mostly female consumers in the same way women cherish their shoe collection.
We will be bringing in new items, and we want to keep growing and growing, we are having very good response to our toys. -Lorraine Weinberg, Impulse Novelties
Impulse Novelties (theclosetcollectiontoys.com) offers a modest selection of vibrators, plus a couple of items in the Egg and Ben Wa Balls category. It currently carries 10 individual models of vibrators that are available in different colors.
Barely six months old, the company has seen consistent growth and does have aspirations of expanding.
“We will be bringing in new items, and we want to keep growing and growing,” Weinberg said. “We are having very good response to our toys. It’s been very exciting for everyone. It has done very well, and we didn’t expect the response. [At first] we sold out immediately. As a new company, you try to do it slow and be positive. So, we hope to continue to keep everyone’s interest. Also, we will have a couple new toys at the upcoming shows. We go to all of the shows.”
The company’s crown jewel product, valued at $10,000, is a model appropriately named the “Carrie B. Diamond.” The Impulse website describes the piece as an “opulent pleasure item” with “a two-carat total weight, diamond bezel set into white gold and a one-carat stone at the massaging tip.
“Valued at $10,000 and knowing ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend,’ this is the ultimate luxury adult toy.”
The vibe has 12 escalating functions and comes in a discreet carrying bag.
But for consumers on a more conservative budget, Impulse offers the “Carrie B. Twister,” which has a twisted head and is the Diamond model without the elaborate jewelry. There are also several vibes that have curved tips, designed for G-Spot stimulation.
Out of the entire vibrator collection, two of the top sellers are the “Dulce Bunny” and the “Carrie B. Slim G.” The “Dulce Bunny” (dulce originating from the Latin word for “sweet”) tickles in multiple speeds and functions, is somewhat compact, and colored in either pink or turquoise. The “Carrie B. Slim G,” described on the company’s website as “where classic design and sensory pleasure meet,” is one of the rounded G-Spot models. It has 12 functions, and like all of the company’s products, comes in attractive packaging that includes a discreet, silky carrying bag.
Weinberg said she finds the Gspot models are growing in popularity and “they sell very well.”
But Weinberg noted that her top-selling item is her lone Egg/Bullet item, the “Stellah Obsession.” This 10-function massager has a remote control which works from as far as 25 feet away. It comes in two colors and is phthalate-free, as are all of the products. Phthalates are an early ingredient of plastics development that have recently been phased out in many plastic products due to health concerns.
Rather than utilize phthalate-related materials, ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene materials, and silicone are used in production. ABS materials are much safer, softer and durable, and can bend without snapping, according to Weinberg.
She added, “They are mostly silicone and they are just very lovely, soft feeling toys. And we’re getting a lot of attention because, of course, the packaging. Our boxes are very, very nice—very feminine.
“In every box, there is a silk bag to put the toy in. And on each box, there is a take-off of a fashion shoe designer, so they’re named like the shoes.”
Other models of their vibrator/massagers have names such as “Emili Oh!,” “Donatella,” “Jimmee,” “Lorenzee,” and “Roberta.” For example, the “Jimmee Lightening Rod” is quite interesting as a multitasking massager with a “dazzling light show” in the toy.
All of the Impulse products come with a one-year warranty. Rather than taking an unusable product back to the retailer, customers can deal directly with the company for a replacement.
“The customer can send the toy to us and we will replace it so the store doesn’t have to be bothered,” Weinberg said.
Distributors and retailers can contact Impulse Novelties at their website TheClosetCollectionToys.com or by calling the office toll-free at (888) 923-9224.
