Page 40 - AVN April 2017

GAYVN
A BONE TO PICK
Channel 1 Releasing complements its Rascal Toys with an edgier brother
“Lots of guys—and girls—have been in that
predicament when traveling or visiting a friend
when an unexpected situation pops us, and you
forgot to bring your douche/enema kit. So you
try and find the closest thing that resembles a
douche, and lots of us have tried the old water
bottle trick. Well, that works to a point, but you
can’t really get that deep clean you really need
before anal sex,” Reimer says.
“So I talked to [CEO and co-founder] Rob
Novinger about it and he loved the concept, so
he helped source the factories and researched
the different thread types around the world. That
actually was the most difficult part because there
are so many different thread types. So we found
the two most common, and then we had to figure
out how to use these with a silicone nozzle. So
we worked with the factory and came up with
a plastic rib lock neck that you can interchange
with the silicone nozzle, and it works perfectly …
it also saves space, and you also don’t have a huge
douche bulb in your suitcase in case TSA does an
unexpected bag check.”
Reimer notes they will be doing different things
with the product, possibly expanding the line and
introducing new features. “There are so many
possibilities, we are really excited. Sales so far
have been through the roof … the common theme
I hear from customers at trade shows is, ‘We want
something different.’ Skwert is very different. It
hasn’t been done before, and it serves a functional
while to find the perfect snap.”
They showed the prototypes to the experts
at Mr S in San Francisco, who suggested using
black snaps instead of silver to give an updated,
modern look. “Especially with the yellow and red,
we think it’s a home run. The silicone also has
no sharp edges or seams, and it has the perfect
amount of stretch that makes them extremely
comfortable. Obviously, the silicone makes for a
much more durable and hygienic product versus
neoprene and leather.”
As for branding, Reimer says that a lot of
other male-specific lines have their own mascots,
whether it’s a pig, dog or an ox, “which they all
market brilliantly. Obviously, we weren’t going
to use one of those, and I had never seen the
skull as the brand mascot, so we went with that.”
They supply headers for stores that want to create
their own Boneyard section, but other stores
merchandise by category—so especially with the
LAST YEAR, ROB REIMER was on an airplane flipping through the
strip signs displayed.
it to be.” (Above, Reimer at the expo in 2017.)
L
in-flight magazine. He came across an article about the Neon
Boneyard in Las Vegas—a museum that has all the classic Vegas
“It’s so retro, uninhibited, in your face, and it just clicked:
Boneyard. Of course, I went to visit the ‘motherland’ when I was
in Vegas for the AVN Novelty Expo in January. It was over-the-
top fantastic: Fuck you, look at me now. Exactly how I envisioned
The epiphany for the name led to Channel 1 Releasing’s
Boneyard Toys, which Chi Chi LaRue calls “Rascal’s dirty little
brother … I love the edginess!” Reimer previously worked with
the company as its marketing manager, and returned as its CMO
last year.
“I had been chatting with my former employer Channel 1
Releasing about eventually doing something with them, and the
timing was just right. I’m a huge rock-n-roll fan and musician, I
EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER SO
play drums, so I always had a thing for that style: skulls, tattoos,
leather, chains. So I thought, ‘Why not incorporate that into the
QUICKLY, AND THE RECEPTION HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING. BETTER THAN
branding of the new line?’”
Reimer stresses that he didn’t want to do a gay-specific brand,
instead offering something that appeals to every guy (or girl) no
I EVER IMAGINED IT TO BE.
matter their preference, “and the guys at Channel 1 agreed. And
—ROB REIMER, CMO, CHANNEL 1 RELEASING
skulls are so popular now, so it kind of just came together.”
They started off with a standard silicone cock ring in five
sizes—but branded them with metric system sizing instead of
the imperial system. “We wanted to do something different
… our customers in Europe, Australia and Canada are really
appreciating that we are not only acknowledging them, but
thinking about them in the actual design of the product.” They
are sold individually or in a five-ring pack.
COMPANY PROFILE | By Brady Jansen
“Everything came together so quickly, and the reception has
been outstanding. Better than I ever imagined it to be. Anyone
can sell a cock ring—there are so many out there—but I think
the branding of a product is what really makes something stand
out from the thousands of other options available. People really
have had a genuinely positive reaction to our packaging, and the
tagline ‘Bone for Life,’ which is this funny line that came out of
nowhere. But people really love it.”
The line has grown to feature a collection of dildos and plugs
(most in black), ball and cock straps and more. And this year,
the Skwert won the 2017 AVN Novelty Expo “O” Award for
Outstanding Accessory. The patented “anytime-anywhere”
douche has a five-hole silicone nozzle and features two different
threaded adapters that fit most water/beverage bottles. The kit
also comes with a hose adapter, so it can be used with a shower
hose nozzle.
purpose that makes life easier for the user.”
Reimer says that the most successful products
provide a solution to an everyday problem that
people are experiencing around the world. “So
when coming up with new concept for a product,
rather than just coming up with, say, a better butt
plug, I think it’s best to think of a problem and
come up with a solution to that problem. That’s
exactly how I approached Skwert, and people are
relating to it.”
The newest items in the Boneyard family are
the silicone cock and ball straps. “As far as we
know, we are first to market with this concept.
We knew we wanted to do some kind of snap
ring, and most of them are leather or neoprene,
which are great—but we wanted to do something
different. Rob Novinger actually came up with
the idea and said, ‘Why can’t we do this with
silicone?’ It was a no-brainer. The hard part
was finding the correct snaps that were durable
enough to stay in place without pulling through
when you were unsnapping them. So that took a
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Skwert, “we are encouraging stores to have a
few water bottles with the nozzle attached at
the point of sale, which really clicks when the
consumer sees it.”
And it will be clicking across the globe. C1R
attended the ARExpo road show in October and
exhibited in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
“We decided to sign an exclusive with
LonBrook, who is more of a boutique distributor,
which for a new brand like Boneyard, I think, is
essential. I’ve known [founder] Michael Bassett
for years when he was with CalVista and I was
with Perfect Fit. I’ve made about five trips to
Adultex and their road shows, and it was a great
learning experience. I think that for a new brand,
you can get lost in the shuffle a little bit with the
big boys. So with LonBrook, we really are able
to work together much more closely and develop
and grow both of our brands together. He is an
expert in the Australian market and has so much
valuable knowledge about the industry, it’s really
a perfect marriage for both of us.”