According to Laura Anne Stuart from the Milwaukee Express, despite the Hitachi Magic Wand’s incredible popularity over the past thirty years as a vibrator, Hitachi has become increasingly uncomfortable with their association with the sex industry. As a result, Vibratex, the sole authorized importer of the infamous vibrator, is rebranding the, ahem, “back massager.”
Don’t worry too much, Hitachi hounds! It seems that this change is primarily superficial and has already led to some improvements of the product itself. According to Stuart:
“I held a new Wand in my hand at the show, and it felt just as powerful to me, with the same intensity of vibration. The minor adjustments that Vibratex made cause the toy to be less jerky when turning on and off and will reduce the extremely small number of defective wands to almost zero. The handle has been reinforced to decrease the vibrations that are transmitted to your hand (rather than to the head of the toy), and the switch circuitry has been improved.”
While recreating the product to be better suited to its preferred use does seem like a promising step in the course of this transition, the decision to rebrand seems too little, too late. Just as the Kleenex brand name has become synonymous with tissue paper, the wand vibrator has become known as just “The Hitachi," even when it comes to similarly styled vibrators made by different companies.
I agree with Bacchus from the Eros Blog; this opportunity would be best taken advantage of by fostering the community that has become staunchly dedicated to their product. I can completely empathize with being concerned about the long-term stigma associated with being in the sex industry; sex workers in particular experience the brunt of that stigma. That said, the concern seems to be somewhat overstated in this particular case. In terms of Hitachi’s empire, the Magic Wand is little more than a barely discernable buzz.
Nevertheless, at the Las Vegas International Lingerie Show Vibratex announced that they are looking to expand the brand with retailers and unveiled the wand’s new look along with its new accompanying website (found here).
Although this change has already been set in motion, my most recent visit to Good Vibrations in San Francisco (this very morning!) proved that there are still Hitachi branded vibrators in stock. Perhaps that means it is time to pick one up before the original becomes a relic. After all, you never know: Maybe someday having a Hitachi-branded Magic Wand in a box will sell better than a mint condition Beanie Baby.
