Scanner : babeland

Babeland Offers Tax Relief in the Form of Free Vibrators

Emily Farris — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:29:00 GMT

When we were impressionable youths, our curfew wasn't so much a time we needed to be home as a time we needed to call and negotiate the rest of our evening. Would we be sleeping on the couch of that 20-something guy who always hosted high school parties or crashing with a girlfriend? Did Mom need to come pick us up from the Quick Trip parking lot? Or would we be home in 20—no, make that 30—minutes?

Perhaps this lax upbringing is what caused us to be so bad at turning anything in on time and what made us, well, bad Americans. For April 15 is not the day on which we file our taxes—no, it is the day that we file an extension (or have our accountant do it for us). Yes, yes, we know that all we're really doing is putting off the inevitable: paying taxes on the money paid to us for those stories we turned in so very late. Also, it turns out that this year we're missing out on free vibrators.

Tomorrow—yes, tomorrow is Tax Day, slacker!—Babeland is giving out free Gold Digger vibrators (pictured above) to the first 100 people to go into any of the three locations and tell the sales associates you've filed a tax return (we assume they're going on the honor system) and they're giving out the same gift for the first 100 web orders of the day.

But we haven't missed out completely with our tax FAIL. Babeland is picking up the sales tax on all purchases made in the stores or online tomorrow. So at least we can take that hard-earned money we should be using to pay our taxes and buy some tax-free sex toys. Score!

Babeland Online

Three locations in NYC:
Babeland SoHo, 43 Mercer Street
Babeland LES, 94 Rivington Street
Babeland Brooklyn, 462 Bergen Street

In Seattle:
Babeland Seattle, 707 E. Pike Street

Related:

Did You Vote? Then Babeland Would Like To Give You A Free Sex Toy...

Babeland Staff: The MacGyvers of Dildos?

R.E.M. Shot New Video in NYC Sex Shop

Video of the Day: Toys in Babeland Now on YouTube

The Best Sex Toys For Your Weekend

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:16:00 GMT

Seeing as how your weekend is about to get very, very sexy (assuming you did Smiths Speed Dating or are having dinner with Judah Friedlander or have a significant other that knows romance always ends with great, sex-toy-involved sex), we present you with a few more sex toys for you to check out in time for tomorrow.

Yes, yes, we know we've done about 85 of these V-Day sex (toy) stories, but there can never be enough...

1) The Acuvibe, seen above.

Seen on Oprah Winfrey, the Acuvibe is a strong, user-friendly vibrator, perfect for women just starting to explore self-stimulation. Many women prefer the contoured shape of the Human Touch Acuvibe to the Magic Wand, but both vibrators are of equal quality.

Another website claims its webmaster(bator) was able to reach orgasm in under a minute using the old standby. Hey, you can get off while your fiancee is having a pee in the bathroom down the hall and he'll never know...

2) The Babeland Odyssey Tickler, a vibrator from Babeland, is for the couple that likes to joke around as much as fool around. Or, of course, you can have with it on your own time...

3) Big Daddy's Cock Ring. We laughed when we saw this advertised on Love Honey as being one of their most popular items, but the reviews are stellar, with the customers approaching euphoria or, um, orgasm in their recommendations.

Oh my god a cock ring that works !!!, 01 Dec 2008

Reviewer: Poseiden99, a Married Straight Male

Not being someone who would normally write a review but having used the other reviews to decide which cock ring to buy I thought I would add one to this fantastic cock ring.
I purchased this recently while shopping for a new toy for my wife, having tried a few cock rings that were all failures I was reluctant to waste money on a new one.
This cock ring is excellent and yes it really does work, yes it does make your erection stronger and harder, and yes it does make your cock more sensitive.

4) The Remote Butterfly. Despite somewhat disappointed reviews, this awesome vibrating panty is averaging four out of five stars. Perhaps it's easy to thrill customers who purchase a vibrating panty that can be operated via remote control-- something this ridiculous is bound to please whoever is nutty (or daring) enough to plunk down $100 on this toy...

Check it out at Babeland, where many of the above products are sold.

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Some of Our Lovers Could've Done Used the Love Trainer Device...

Calling All Vintage Vibrators

Colleen Kane — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:54:00 GMT

Meet Super Douglas, labeled both as a "heavy duty massager" and "vibrator," 120 volts, 30 watts, manufactured in good old Jersey City and purchased at one of my favorite NJ rummage sales for a few bucks. (The old man running the electronics section didn't seem to understand why I was so enthused to find SD...?)

Super Douglas is here today for show and tell because Babeland is looking for your antique vibrators, for possible inclusion in a TV segment about the history of sex toys.

Here's how to submit.

If you have old or antique sex toys that we could borrow, or that you might want to bring on the show, please send us a description of the toy and attach an image to be considered (.jpg preferred). Thanks for your help!
Please email your photo and description to funstuff@babeland.com by Wednesday, February 18.

Best,
Rachel + Claire
Babeland Co-Founders

Related:

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Scanner Survey: Vibrators

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Via Feministing

Will You Be Our Sexy Valentine?

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:26:00 GMT

Prepare yourself... Valentine's Day is coming, which means you'll be subjected to 10,824 posts about it between now and the weekend.

You can bribe us into near silence, though, by buying and sending us one of these sexy V-Day gifts...

The old cliche/joke here at Scanner is that we're all secret lesbians, so it's only natural we would turn to GO Magazine, the monthly publication for gay ladies in various American cities. This month, they've published a multi-page portfolio of the greatest of this year's V-Day sex toys and other treats we've been too naughty not to receive:

1) The Forever Yours Vibe

2) The Pink Kink Kit. Says Babeland:

Bondage beginner? You’ll find sugar and spice and everything naughty in our super-sexy, non-intimidating Pink Kink Kit, making bondage affordable, fashionable and very appealing. An innocent pink mesh bag holds a heart-emblazoned, comfortable leather blindfold, an adorable pink leather 11” whip with a teasing sting, and a snap-to-fit leather collar that reads SEXY (as if it weren’t obvious!).

3) Two-Person Home Sauna. Ever had sex in a sauna? We're not sure if that one time was a daydream or the real thing, but either way, it wasn't worth this $3,000 price tag. Although, hey, if you're buyin'...

4) Dirty Dolls Lingerie

Check out all 23 pages of selections from GO Magazine.

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Stuff Your Stocking With Fleshbot's Top Sex Toys of 2008

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:33:00 GMT

There's the Bo, the We-Vibe, the Curve, and something called the Babeland Nubby G.

These and six other sex toys round out Fleshbot's list of the Top 10 Sex Toys of 2008...

The full list includes: 10) The We-Vibe, a vibrating cock ring; 9) The Bo, a silicone cock ring, seen in the above-right photo; 8) The Babeland Nubby G, which had some problems back with toxic chemicals, is reborn in a bang-for-buck model; 7) The Curve, which Fleshbot calls one of the best dildos ever; 6) The Mia, seen in the above left photo, "could pass for a USB device" and is therefore recommended for air travel; 5) The Vibe, despite its imperfect "navigation system"; 4) The Jollie, a dildo of massive girth, and not to be confused with the Jolly Ol' Saint Nick or Angelina Plus 400 Pounds; 3) The Eleven, the $300 dildo for those of you not hit by the economy in any meaningful way; 2) We dated a Gigi in high school-- let's just say we'll order one of these for ourselves. And... #1...

The Sasi. You may recall we announced its release in terrified tones just four short months ago:

SaSi (pronounced "sassy"), is smart-ass vibrator, and does the following:
1) remembers what you like and knows how to repeat itself
2) weilds a "smooth round massage head" like the tip of a tongue, "creating a soft kneading" of varying speeds, in an apparent attempt to replicate some hot oral sex. According to the website.

See the full list here.

Related:

Babeland Launches The Erratic, Dangerous, Man-Eliminating Vibrator

Did You Vote? Then Babeland Would Like To Give You A Free Sex Toy...

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The Giant Penis Is Watching Over You

The 10 Best Things About Vibrators

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:45:00 GMT

Our substitute blogger, Byron Dafoe, writes in: "Scanner Brian's tongue-in-cheek post about 'fearing' a partner-eliminating vibrator may have given the mistaken impression that we are anti-vibrator. Quite the contrary. In order to celebrate Babeland's new ROBORUB 3000 (or whatever it is) we present our top 10 reasons why we love the vibrator."

10. You can lean back and enjoy the beauty of a woman’s orgasm with the same studied intensity you bring to your crazy friend's gallery opening.

9. Norwegian Dildo Parties?

8. Tag ‘em in and take a break: it’s sandwich time!

7. An ample substitute for bachelor parties too poor to hire a stripper (?!)

6. Remote Control Torture Fun

5. Enjoy double-penetration without the awkward run-ins at the next party.

4. Eggs. Need we say more?

3. As much as you may not want to admit it, everyone’s ass is just loaded with nerve endings. Male or female, you too can enjoy every single one of them.

2. Orgasm. Times 10.

1. See #2 again, and again, and again.

-by Byron Dafoe, whose work has appeared in Playboy and many other publications and is filling in for Verena this week

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Babeland Launches The Erratic, Dangerous, Man-Eliminating Vibrator

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:16:00 GMT

Truth be told, our title was written in retaliation-- in fear, really, since if this thing actually works, it would mean the virtual end of the need for females to have sexual partners...

SaSi (pronounced "sassy"), is smart-ass vibrator, and does the following:

1) remembers what you like and knows how to repeat itself

2) weilds a "smooth round massage head" like the tip of a tongue, "creating a soft kneading" of varying speeds, in an apparent attempt to replicate some hot oral sex. According to the website:

The SaSi is the closest (and we mean very close) you’ll get to cunnilingus from a vibrator, thanks to the undulating nub under the vibrator’s skin.

3) pleases the eye with its "iPod inspired interface."

It's availabe exclusively (in North America, at least) from Babeland. This NSFW video will perhaps tempt the ladies some more... and possibly lead to dismissive remarks from their lovers in the comments section...

Via Babeland.

American Apparel Now Officially Wants to Sex You Up... All Night

Emily Farris — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:16:00 GMT

American Apparel has been not - so- subtly selling sex for the past few years, going so far as to use porn stars as models (see Sasha Grey, right). But really, when it came down to it, the company was using sex to sell clothes.

Apparently they've given up on all that cotton-polyester blend bullshit and are now, officially, selling sex.

But not just sex — vintage, old-school sex.

That's right, kids. American Apparel is now selling the Hitachi Magic Wand, lovingly known as "the Cadillac of Vibrators."

Yeah, if this thing wore clothes it would be a grey V-neck and brown track shorts, with a big, gold chain, of course.

And surprisingly, American Apparel is selling it cheaper than Babeland.

We just called our local American Apparel and, unfortunately, they don't yet carry the Magic Wand in the store. Too bad, we were hoping to snap a shot of hipsters with Hitachis. Maybe we can still get a hipster hand job?

[Street Carnage: AMERICAN APPAREL NOW SELLING THE HITACHI MAGIC WAND, THE CADILLAC OF VIBRATORS]

(Thanks, Emily M!)

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American Apparel Trades Sex For Politics

D-Day For Dov Charney

Hey Everybody, I Just Pummeled My Vagina!

Scanner Highs and Lows: The Week That Was All About The Ladies

Emily Farris — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:03:00 GMT

Well, it was about all of the ladies but one, and we were pretty okay with that. But seriously, if you like ladies, you'll love this week's Highs and Lows.

Highs:

Scanner Emily finally met and then got a booty call from ~~Scanner~~ Salon Sarah.

We finally understand what trust is.

Bob Dylan commented on a presidential election for probably the first time in our lifetime.

We found a new TV show about sex to obsess over.

Babeland is one step closer to Scanner Nicole, one giant step closer to a bunch of babies.

We watched a totally fucking hot Dita Von Teese striptease. A Dita Von Tease?

We agreed to show Jon Lajoie our girl parts.

2 Girls, 1 Cup birthday cake. Need we say more? Except we'd be totally down for 2 Girls, 1 Cake.

The "Sex and the City" movie made a pretty penny.

We clicked for boobies, but you should continue to do so.

We learned Scanner readers have big hearts: as of Friday afternoon, 53% of you wanted to comfort Lily Allen by sporking her.

We also learned that Scanner readers have not only a good knowledge of viruses and their plural forms but that you have good taste as well: as of Friday afternoon 88% of you would rather have chicken pox in your vagina than a Rachael Ray tattoo on your back (whew.)

Scanner Brian was really nice to Hillary Clinton.

And we saluted her.

Lows:

In the end, Clinton lost the Democratic nomination. Probably a high for the party, but a low for the Clintons (though we bet Bill is a little secretly relieved).

But we celebrated the women's vote.

Scanner Bryan left us for an Island.

We were a little saddened to hear a woman say that women can't cook and fuck well.

But this made us even sadder for women.

We asked you to help us figure out what the hell is up with all the springtime break-ups. But we still don't really know.

The man who put women in sexy pants died in France.

Babies at Babeland: Wrong for So Many Reasons

Nicole Pasulka — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:17:00 GMT

Babeland, for those not familiar with bi-costal, female friendly sex shops, is a bi-costal, female friendly sex shop we must give its proper respect (pictured is their Lower East Side store). You can pick up a very effective and reasonably priced Archer Wand and no one will perv on you at the check out.

But Babeland may have taken tolerance and warm fuzzies too far with the opening of their new "baby friendly" Park Slope, Brooklyn store. Park Slope, for those not familiar, is often accused of being run by a stroller mafia, and the new Babeland is hell bent on cornering the sex toys for sexy mamas market. According to the owner Claire Cavanah “Strollers will be welcome in the store and we are putting a changing table in the bathroom in case the little one needs a diaper change while you're shopping."

Maybe we’re in denial, but when shopping for lube and Ben Wah Balls the last thing we want to do is be reminded that sex=babies as we trip over a stroller. But perhaps it's just a genius plot to sell moreo Kimono microthins.

Top 10 "Happy Earth Day" Sex Toys

Katie Halper — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:51:00 GMT

Nobody wants to celebrate Earth Day by getting down with sex toys that are bad for the earth or bad for your body. A wise woman named Cher Horowitz (from Clueless) once explained that she was still a virgin becuase "You see how picky I am about my shoes and they only go on my feet." So be picky about penises AND your sex toys with the following sex toys which let you celebrate the earth and your body. Many sex toys contain phthalates, a plastic softener, which is so hazardous the European Union banned its use in children's toys. Ironically, since phlatates have been linked to cancer and damaging sperm, we are putting things in our nether regions, that may be bad for our nether regions. Luckily, many sex toys stores are phasing phthalates-containing products. But until the war against phthalates is won, and until phthalates are stamped out around the world, you can use this top ten list of phthalate-free toys.

1. The Laya Spot vibrator is water proof, has 3 buzz strengths, and is made out of Elastomer, which is phthalate-free and hypo-allergenic. Like all good lovers, Laya is eager to reciprocate: she gives buzz and gets great buzz from customers who "Love love love love LOVE!" her, for being "fantastic, reliable and silent" and durable even after "heavy, heavy use." You can buy her from Babeland (the sex toys empire formerly known as Toys in Babeland) for $48.

2. we all know and love the Rabbit Habit vibrator that was immortalized on Sex in the City. So we were heartbroken when we thought we were going to have take the old phlatate-containing rabbit out back and put him down. But we are thrilled to announce the new and improved and phthalate-free version of the Classic Rabbit Habit: The Elastomer Rabbit Habit vibrator. So you can say goodbye to phlatates and hello to the rotating pearls, glitter twirls and fluttering rabbit ears. If you want the rabbit, grab it for $90 at Babeland. And if any readers already have a pet rabbit at home, or have traded in the old one for an elastomer one, tell us if you think the vibrator is worth all the buzz.

3. For an extra $9, you can splurge on the Bunny Love Kit, which includes batteries, Babeland Toy Cleaner, two Crown condoms, and a 4-ounce bottle of BabeLube.

4. The Big O Vibrating Ring is made of elastomer and doesn't contain any phthalates, which could give off unhealthy vibes. It's available for $18 at Good Vibrations.

5. The quiet Berry Delight vibrator has with seven programmable vibration modes and, thanks to its splash-proof exterior, can be taken into the shower (but not the tub.) Get it on sale for $24.50 at Babeland.

6. More of a bather than a showerer? No woes hoes. You can bring the I Rub My Duckie vibrator into the tub with you. And he's pretty adorable. Get him for $25.00 at Babeland (I'm not being sexist. I checked and am pretty sure it's a him.)

7. Treat yourself to a gift with Babeland's $59 Eco-Sexy Kit, which includes the Laya Spot vibrator, a Babeland Massage Candle made of skin-safe soy, Emerita Natural Lube , and Mamba Condoms, produced by a well-regarded Swedish non-profit whose testing process is 15 times more stringent than any other condom company in the world.

8. Boys, you may enjoy the $80 Fleshlight vulva, the vagina-impersonating penis sleeve which goes undercover as a flashlight when closed. It's made of phthalate-free "Reel Feel Super Skin." I can't believe it's not a vagina!

9. More of a mouth man? (If you are, you're a statistical oddity.) Then check out the Fleshlight Mouth.

10. More of a neo-Luddite? Then you'll love this non buzzing good old fashioned Love Ring which is so green it's VEGAN. For real.

Previously(Green) Sex (Toys) In The City , How Green Was My Dildo: Are Your Sex Toys Safe?

Babeland Staff: The MacGyvers of Dildos?

Emily Farris — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:07:00 GMT

We've been told we're "the MacGyver's of" many things: make-up, finding things to wipe with when the toilet paper runs out, rigging a variety of items that need to be structurally stabilized, and most importantly "the MacGyver of the kitchen" (though we're pretty sure someone called us the Mrs. MacGyver of the kitchen"). But never, ever, have we been called "The MacGyver of dildos." Maybe we're not fully exploring our potential.

Scenario: you work in a sex shop. A woman comes in looking for a dildo that:

a) holds up in the bath.

b) suctions to the tub floor (and stays there).

c) vibrates.

You don't have this particular item in stock, because it doesn't exist. So what do you do? You fucking slip a vibrating cock ring over the Stallion suction dildo.

Our hats are off to you. For we are not worthy.

[Babeland's Blog: Tales from the Floor: The MacGyvers of Dildos]

How Green Was My Dildo: Are Your Sex Toys Safe?

Katie Halper — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:20:00 GMT

Sex Toys should be fun, not dangerous (unless you're into that.) Two years ago, Greenpeace warned us that many sex toys contain phthalates, a plastic softener, which is so hazardous the European Union banned its use in children's toys. Sex toys, however, remain chock full of these endocrine disruptors, which have been linked to birth defects, cancer and obesity. So do yourself a favor and go green where it matters the most. Here's a green gadget you can knock really yourself out with:

The Laya Spot vibrator is water proof, has 3 buzz strengths, and is made out of Elastomer, which is phthalate-free and hypo-allergenic. Like all good lovers, Laya is eager to reciprocate: she gives buzz and gets great buzz from customers who "Love love love love LOVE!" her, for being "fantastic, reliable and silent" and durable even after "heavy, heavy use." You can buy her from Babeland (the sex toys empire formerly known as Toys in Babeland) for $48.

Scanner readers, we want to hear from you. Whether you're old friends with Laya, are just getting to know her, or are inspired to get to know her now, let us know what you think of her.

And check back next week for the next eco-sex toy of the week!

Seattle Sex Shop Robbed

Emily Farris — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:14:00 GMT

Of all the places to rob, a sex shop isn't the first that comes to mind. Sure, vibrators are a little over priced, but if we were going to pull off a robbery (which we're not), we'd probably choose a different kind-of business. Anyway, someone apparently really wanted sex toys and ripped off a Babeland in Seattle, but the joke is on the thieves.

The sex toys they stole—the ones on display—were mostly broken. From Babeland's blog:

Also, I hope they have fun with the sex toys they stole because I’ll let you in on a little secret: they’re mostly broken! The sex toys used in the window displays are old toys that have seen better days. We recycle them by putting silly hats on them or doll clothes or sunglasses. Unless the person who stole them has the most unusual doll-house collection I’ve ever seen, they’re not going to get much use out of their purloined goods.

It's also possible that someone raided the store in an act of protest, or that it was a drunk person from the pub next door, but we'd like to think some stupid robber is sitting at home wondering why her vibrator won't vibrate and wishing she'd held up a McDonald's for some cash instead.

[Babeland's Blog: Vandalism and Theft at Seattle Babeland]

R.E.M. Shot New Video in NYC Sex Shop

Emily Farris — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:02:00 GMT

Hey remember R.E.M? We sure do. Even though they kind-of fell off the face of the Earth for a while, it looks like they're planning to re-appear with a bang (pardon the terrible pun; we couldn't help ourselves). The rockers stopped into Babeland, a sex shop on New York City's Lower East Side, earlier this week to shoot part of the video for their new song "Supernatural Serious."

From Babeland's blog:

It all started yesterday afternoon, when I got a call from a location scout asking if Babeland would be interested in (possibly) being part of a video shoot for R.E.M. Call me easy, but the obvious answer was hell, yes! I was then told that it wasn’t definite, but if R.E.M. came into Babeland to play, it was going to happen that night, as in mere hours from then. We spent some time straightening up and pondering if indeed R.E.M. would really stop by, and several hours later we got the answer we’d been hoping for. As we eagerly anticipated their arrival, we watched the crowd gathering outside. Basically, as part of their video shoot, R.E.M. was playing the first single off their soon-to-be released album in a number of different locations on the LES (that’s Lower East Side for you non-NY types), and the first stop was our next door neighbor, the restaurant Inoteca.

With bated breath we waited for Michael and the R.E.M. gang to make their grand entrance. And that they did. Two cameras, some lighting and a gaggle of other important behind-the-scenes folk piled into our store, picked out a prime location towards the front by the books, and began to play. It was our own private serenade and it was so cool. When they were done we gave the band shirts and asked them to play our 15th anniversary party (sadly, they said they were busy).

[Babeland's Blog: R.E.M. comes to Babeland!]

[Image via]

Video of the Day: Toys in Babeland Now on YouTube

Emily Farris — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:49:00 GMT

Toys in Babeland, your one stop shop for all your sexytime needs is taking their show on the road. Sort of. They're now posting video sales pitches of their inventory. Here, Jayme Waxman, a sex toy educator describes the how the cold, hard metal of the Jupiter wand feels when it's all up inside you. For anyone looking for a cheap thrill: this video is about as un-sexy as it gets, but you just might be tempted to buy a Jupiter Wand. We are. And it's for boys and girls.