Page 36 - AVN Intimate Winter 2020

FLESH AND
FANTASY
What’s new in the sex doll industry?
There’s more than meets the thighs.
≥ BY KIM AIRS
Dream Girl Southern California–based manufacturer Real Doll will showcase its all-silicone models at the 2020 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo.
made of rubber materials that required softeners such as phthalates, which tend to be stinky
that was neither flesh nor blood, the only
F or decades, when a man wanted a companion
due to “off gassing,” and current research has shown that rubber containing phthalates
option available was the laughter-inducing
may have toxic aftereffects. Research has also suggested that exposure to phthalates has
blow-up doll—usually a petite figure that
been associated with hormone disruption, so the majority of adult products companies
would need to be painstakingly inflated in order to
have shifted over to the use of phthalate-free silicone and TPE, which also does not contain
have a good time. Because of the tiny valve in the
phthalates.
middle of her back, you’d end up hyperventilating
The amazing properties and feel of TPE easily translated into becoming the go-to
while inflating your sex partner, which resulted in
material to duplicate the feel of a woman’s vagina, mouth and anus—not only from a visual
a condition of light-headedness that would distract
standpoint on the outside, but also offering a realistic, comfortable cavity in which to thrust
attention from the fact that you were romancing a
without discomfort. Male penises and butts have also been created using TPE for giving or
bag of vinyl filled with your own hot air. These blow-
receiving pleasure.
up dolls had uncomfortable seams and unrealistic
body parts, but they were the only option available
to satisfy erotic needs without the hassles of dating.
‘Because of the nature and price of the dolls, they seem to require so much interaction, which the customer can experience in real life in a bricks- and-mortar store.’
The evolution of sex dolls has been rocketing
forward ever since the invention of skin-like
materials, most notably TPE (thermoplastic
elastomer), which is a blend of rubber and plastic
that mimics the elasticity and feel of actual skin.
—Rob Phaneuf, Pipedream ProductsAccording to Wikipedia, “Thermoplastic elastomers
Not limited to realistic strokers, TPE is also becoming the go-to material for full-sized,
show advantages typical of both rubbery materials
realistic sex dolls formed around posable metal skeletons. And anyone who’s ever visited the
and plastic materials. The benefit of using
annual AVN Adult Entertainment Expo and the AVN Novelty Expo will know how popular
thermoplastic elastomers is the flexibility to stretch
sex dolls have become—with the 2020 AVN Show being no exception.
and return to its near original shape, creating a
To explore many of the issues related to producing and selling sex dolls, we talked to two
longer life and better physical range than other
U.S. adult novelty manufacturing companies, Pipedream Products and XR Brands, which
materials.”
both offer several models of these dolls in different price ranges. And we also consulted with
It was during a period of cross-pollination and
a pioneer in the field: Real Doll, a Southern California-based manufacturer. Real Doll has
technological advancement that TPE entered the
been credited with raising the bar even further by offering their customers the opportunity to
adult toy market. In the late 1990s, the industry was
customize all-silicone dolls to create the most realistic companion of their dreams.
getting away from latex, which was messy when
But buying the dolls can sometime pose a problem for customers, who may not know
being poured into molds. Sex toys were also being
what kind of doll they want or may want to get familiar with the touch and feel before
36 | INTIMATE | WINTER 2020