What the Hell Happened with Hitachi?

Making Magic

Despite the Magic Wand’s decades of success, the Hitachi corporation nearly pulled the plug on it altogether, due to concerns about how such a high-profile sex toy could reflect on their brand. This episode tells the surprisingly dramatic story of how American distributor Vibratex saved the Wand from extinction, and also does a deep dive on how the Wand itself has changed over the years.

Guests this episode:

• Independent researcher & geek Pet Emily (she/they)
• Vibratex owner Shay Martin (she/her)
• Vibratex general manager Dan Martin (he/him)
• Vibratex CEO Ken Herskovitz (he/him)
• Sex toy historian & author Hallie Lieberman (she/her)
• Author & professor of gender & sexuality studies Lynn Comella (she/her)

Making Magic is hosted and created by Kate Sloan, edited and co-produced by Jamie Pityinger, and made possible by the generous support of Vibratex. Our podcast art is by Addison Finch.