Making Magic

What the Hell Happened with Hitachi?

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Episode notes

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.