In 2016, Motorbunny set out on its mission to “empower personal sexual fulfillment by reducing the financial risks of experimentation.” Since then, the company has stayed true to its commitment of offering affordability combined with a diverse range of attachments, accessories and tech developments that have broadened the appeal of sex machines beyond female riders.
When Motorbunny hopped onto the scene, the company was quick to reject the title of “luxury” — in fact, it’s one of the five core beliefs that the company was founded “hopon.” Admitting that the sex machine cannot be reinvented, Motorbunny has taken it upon itself to shift the category with affordable innovations, including its LINK Bluetooth Controller that allows for long-distance, real-time operation of the machine. The company this year also introduced its thrusting BUCK saddle, which can be controlled via Siri shortcut voice commands using the Motorbunny LINK app. The company also uniquely offers access to an API that allows users and developers to program, tweak and hack their Motorbunny LINK functionality on a variety of platforms.
The riding experience itself is starting to be perceived differently, and that’s something we’re infinitely happy about.
The company takes pride in not taking itself too seriously, and often finds itself going viral with its “Do It on a Bunny” promotional campaign in which popular models attempt creative activities while riding atop the Motorbunny. Recently the company dipped its toe in mobile game development with the introduction of its FappyBunny game.
In this exclusive interview with Motorbunny CMO Craig Mewbourne, he breaks down the company’s principles and shares some more background information.
XBIZ: Tell us about the founder(s) of MB Technologies. What is their background/previous experience that helped shape the brand?
Craig Mewbourne: Caleb Thompson spent a decade in IT and network consulting before deciding that his expertise could be applied in more transformative ways in other industries. Brooks Butler is an archetypal serial entrepreneur and supply chain specialist. Before partnering, they both had strong beliefs that the customer experience should drive any company’s actions, so when they teamed up to form Motorbunny, excellent customer service was a pillar of the new brand. They like to say Motorbunny “cuddles after.”
XBIZ: What inspired the launch of Motorbunny?
Mewbourne: Brooks and Caleb began by researching how to make various medical devices less expensive through streamlined production. They asked themselves, “How can we make a product that increases quality of life, but is less costly to produce?” After a year of research, they expanded their research focus and the sex machine category presented an answer to that question immediately. After two more years of development, Motorbunny was born.
XBIZ: How is Motorbunny shifting the sex machine product category?
Mewbourne: In several ways! First, the category hadn’t changed one bit for 30 years. Now, with Motorbunny LINK technology, the straddle-style machine experience can involve a partner halfway around the globe, and allow a user to integrate their ride with mobile games, alter the functionality of the machine itself, and enjoy vibration and rotation patterns that would be impossible for a human with a manual controller.
Second, Motorbunny has created the world’s first power vibrator/thruster hybrid in Motorbunny BUCK. With two thrusting motions instead of a rotating penetrative attachment, BUCK offers a more lifelike pelvic thrusting experience, and combines the best features of straddle-style machines and thrusting machines. It’s basically in an entirely new category of its own.
Finally, Motorbunny has opened the door for men and nonbinary users with attachments like the Keister Bunny and Jiggle Butt. It made sense to give people permission to use such a powerful and versatile tool to its full potential. Would anyone ever design and build a car, then declare that only women can drive it?
XBIZ: Discuss the tech innovations that Motorbunny offers. Which innovation has been the most well-received? What can we expect in the future?
Mewbourne: Motorbunny LINK technology has been an enormous success with customers looking for more versatile experiences. With a free app, users only have to connect with one click, and a new world of riding options are available to them. The initial reaction was a bit skeptical, but once users began to wrap their heads around the possibilities such as sharing control with someone simply by texting them a link, people became really excited. In the future, Motorbunny will continue to innovate new LINK-enabled experiences, such as Fappy Bunny, a simple, free, iOS game that controls the machine’s intensity as you play in real time. More integrations make the category as a whole more approachable, and are broadening the definition of what a sex machine is and what kinds of roles it can play in users’ lives.
So, expect more applications and platforms to interact with the Motorbunny. Also, expect to see more buzz around the Motorbunny BUCK. The initial response has been “mind-blowing.”
XBIZ: Tell us about Motorbunny’s creative content such as the “Do It on a Bunny” videos, the Art of Sexperimentation online exhibit, and the recent movie, “The Motorbunny Club."
Mewbourne: An early obstacle Motorbunny faced when first going to market was a perception that new products weren’t to be trusted. People needed to see the Motorbunny in action before deciding to try it themselves, so we had to produce some videos to show that it was a high-quality product. And if we were going to make videos, we were going to make them in our own tongue-in-cheek style. We hope they’re informative as well as entertaining. As far as the film “The Motorbunny Club,” that simply happened. We were just thrilled that such a talented author, filmmaker and cast decided Motorbunny was the right co-star for the narrative.
XBIZ: Discuss the company’s tradition of not taking itself too seriously. Why is that important to you?
Mewbourne: When Motorbunny first launched, the default tone of the category was authoritative, prescriptive and generally a little too proud of itself. Arrogant, even. “Luxury” was a term thrown around a lot. It didn’t sit well with Caleb and Brooks who were thinking, “Hey, aren’t we all just making dildos?” As Motorbunny continues to roll out innovations, we might be tempted to mount a higher horse, but that mantra always reminds us that, yes, we are all just making dildos.
XBIZ: What is the most memorable response that you’ve gotten from a customer?
Mewbourne: There have been so many! Every “gushing” response is delightful to hear, and our customer advocates, Jami and Carla, love hearing stories and sharing them with the team. The most memorable, however, was a short, sweet note from a gentleman whose wife had a combination of sensitivity and back problems. His mobility was limited to the range of motion one arm could make from his wheelchair. They were happy but having such barriers to intimacy, it wasn’t allowing them to connect in the ways they wanted. Motorbunny changed all of that in a major way, he told us. This is what he said exactly: “We have been a team for as long as I can remember. We are each other’s limbs and souls. And we’ve never been closer than we are today.” I’m not crying. You’re crying.
XBIZ: What can you tell us about Motorbunny’s customer demographics? Who are the type of people that purchase sex machines in general?
Mewbourne: The gratitude we’ve received from customers with mobility issues surprised us, and is one big reason we focus on accessibility during product development. Our customers all do share one common denominator, though, and that’s the belief that they don’t need to settle for ordinary sexual experiences. They know there are more options out there, and they are confident that they deserve them.
XBIZ: What has been the company’s proudest achievement so far?
Mewbourne: Winning a “Best Manufacturer” industry award this year was a very unexpected validation from the industry. Everyone on Team Motorbunny probably has a different answer to this, though. What makes us all proud is that it seems like we’re making the category more approachable and accessible as a whole. You don’t have to be rich, or a dungeon master, or even a woman to “hop on” anymore. The riding experience itself is starting to be perceived differently, and that’s something we’re infinitely happy about.
XBIZ: What can we expect from Motorbunny in the future?
Mewbourne: More attachments! More integrated digital experiences! Brand-new, never-been-seen-before products! More visibility and availability in retail! More dumb puns and pictures of dildos wearing hats!
