Page 54 - AVN October 2017

GAYVN
A GLOWING REVIEW
With glow-in-the-dark toys and more, Rascal keeps the fun in novelty
COMPANY PROFILE | By Brady Jansen
Rob Reimer and Rob Novinger at ANME in July, where they showcased Rascal’s
line of pleasure toys for men.
to say the least. The complement to the company’s
highly successful Black Balled dildo, based on the
successful series of films directed by Chi Chi LaRue
new releases this year.
T
The package weighs nearly four-and-a-half pounds. It
houses a 12x7-inch dildo, with a big sac to boot. It’s the
Big White Cock from Rascal Toys, a statement release
under the All Worlds Video banner, it’s one of several
“I think Rascal has the sexiest toy line in the
business,” LaRue says. “With the addition of the glow-
in-the-darks, we are moving sex toys into a whole other
dimension. Today you have to have an amazing toy line
included in your arsenal of sex.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by CMO Rob Reimer:
“Everyone knows the bottom fell out of the DVD
market, but surprisingly we still do quite a large
portion of our business with it. Obviously with novelty,
it’s much harder to pirate a product than it is with
DVD, so we are heavily investing in novelty—but we
won’t be getting rid of DVD or VOD anytime soon.”
And with the recent launch and popularity of the
company’s edgy Boneyard Toys line, the Big White
Cock helps differentiate the Rascal Toys brand,
contributing to its more playful (and colorful) identity.
“Rascal is our classic mainstream gay toy line, which
is where our base has always been,” Reimer says. “We
aren’t going to change that. Rascal is so well known
in the gay community and does really well, so as the
saying goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
He notes that all of the Rascal Toys moving forward
will be more on the “fun novelty” side but still
extremely functional, like their silicone glow-in-the-
dark cock rings and dongs (called the Player). “We
were the first to market with those products, and it’s the first time we were able to get glow products in
colors other than the standard yellow or green TPR (thermoplastic rubber) material. It’s a huge innovation
and the future of sex toys. We did a vibrant blue and orange that really knocks your socks off when you
see these things glow. I’ve never seen anything like it, and everyone who sees them is blown away. You can
see bachelorette parties loving these products, and women buying these for their husbands. Probably not
something the Boneyard customer would really be into, but definitely Rascal buyers love—so that’s really the
differentiation.”
Almost everything with both brands will also be constructed with high-end, soft-touch silicone. “We
released several cock rings—the Brawn and the Brawn Cage—under the Rascal brand in a translucent silicone
color that is the softest and stretchiest ring, but still incredibly durable. It almost feels like silk, and of course
won’t pull out your hair when wearing them, which happens with a lot of TPR rings. As soon as someone
touches them, their eyes light up and they can’t believe how soft the material is. We are really excited to
have been able to develop this silicone with our factory and will be releasing lots of future products with this
material. The Brawn clear in silicone is a beautiful stretchy ring. You usually see these in black only.”
Reimer adds that they were also the first to market with its new single and double silicone cock leashes
(which come in black, translucent and glow blue and orange). “Most people refer to these as lassos, but we
wanted to create a new category with the silicone and call them leashes. What makes this product stand out
is that the silicone grabs onto the latch much tighter than a TPR, so they won’t slip, come loose and lose the
much-needed restriction while wearing the product. It makes the product much more functional and user
friendly.”
The biggest change with the Rascal line is the decision to streamline the popular Fleshphallix superstar
cocks. “We have done so well with them, but when we took a good look at the line, the packaging was a little
too big and bulky and we needed to make room in our warehouse for all of the new products. Ultimately, we
decided to repackage the top six sellers in smaller and more modern packaging and discontinue the others for
now. Brent Everett and Johnny Hazzard have such a rabid fan base that those were at the top of the list, and
we also kept four other bestsellers. Since women make up 55 percent of the customer base for these realistics,
we also added six repacked in our For Her line in a more woman-friendly package. Both lines have three
vibrating versions also that feature six-speed button operation and DuoTouch soft dual-layer TPR.”
With all of the advances, Reimer stresses it is as important as ever for manufacturers to have a brand
ambassador who travels and educates people. “Every store owner knows you have to have an educated staff
to sell your products, so between (CEO and co-founder) Rob Novinger and I, we try to do that as much as
possible. We understand the importance of being out there, so if anyone is interested in bringing someone in
for a training session, just give us a call and we will try to accommodate the best we can.”
54 | AVN.com | 10.17