HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Sportsheets International, a company that for 22 years has been a leader in the BDSM and fetish toy market, made a splash in mainstream media in the weeks leading up to the release of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie.
USA Today published an article entitled “Your Definitive ‘Fifty Shades’ V-Day Gift Guide is here!” The gift guide features an array of products showcasing how far the movie’s reach has gone. The list features everything from Baby Onesies to Vermont Teddy Bears to Nail Polish. USA Today also featured the Purple Feather Tickler from Sportsheets’ Sex & Mischief range.
Another major media outlet that covered the impending rush for BDSM Toys was the New York Times. In an article entitled “Sex Toy Shops Prepare for Tie-Ins to Fifty Shades of Grey” the article covered a number of reactions from industry insiders and explained how the book which has to date sold more than 100,000,000 copies according to The Daily Telegraph. The article featured a photo from one of Babeland’s locations of a number of Sportsheets Products displayed in the store including Leather Cuffs, Paddles and Ticklers.
Iconic women’s magazine Cosmopolitan featured Sportsheets President Julie Stewart in the article titled “Why Is Kink So Freaking Sexy” and the magazine referred to the Sportsheets executive as a “kink veteran.” The article included a three-page spread with product recommendations for beginners, intermediates, and advanced users. The advanced guide featured the Sex & Mischief Red and Black Stripe Flogger. Dubbed by Cosmo as “The Stroke of Genius,” the magazine added a blurb to the flogger saying “Give him a hard smack on the butt or gently run the strands over his bare back like he’s a delicious human car wash.”
“January 2015 was the company’s second highest shipping month in company history and the movie hadn’t even hit theaters yet,” Stewart said. “We can only imagine what sales will be like once people actually go see the movie and decide to try something new in the bedroom.”
Sportsheets held a private screening last Friday in Huntington Beach for Sportsheets staff, customers and press. All attendees received a “thank you” gift from Sportsheets containing black cuffs, black leash and a black whip, logo’d in Sportsheets fashion with a clapboard thanking everyone for being their guest.
