page_title: Hitachi Magic Wand
section_title: Rebranding
hierarchical_section_title: Hitachi Magic Wand / History / Rebranding
caption_attribution_description: Packaging for the "Magic Wand Original", manufactured by Hitachi and sold by Vibratex in the United States.
context_page_description: The Hitachi Magic Wand is an AC-powered wand vibrator. It was originally manufactured for relieving tension and relaxing sore muscles, but is most famous for its use as a sex toy. Japanese company Hitachi listed the device for business in the United States in 1968. Sex educator Betty Dodson popularized its use as a vibrator and masturbation aid for women during the sex-positive movement in the late 1960s. It functions effectively as a clitoral vibrator and is able to bring many people to orgasm. The wand is 12 inches long and weighs 1.2 pounds with stimulation provided by its rubberized 2.5-inch head.
  Hitachi executives assisted financing the production of chocolates in the shape of the massager in 1992, in honor of the 15-year anniversary of the sex shop Good Vibrations. The company asserted in 1999 that its sole intended use was for health care purposes. Hitachi had a conflict with its U.S. distributor in 2000 and briefly stopped selling the device until it reached a new deal with distributor Vibratex. The Magic Wand sold out after being featured in a 2002 episode of Sex and the City.
context_section_description: Because of its concerns about having its notable technology brand name attached to a popular sex toy, Hitachi decided to cease production of the Magic Wand in 2013. Vibratex director of operations Eddie Romero told Engadget that Hitachi is an extremely staid company and was uncomfortable being associated with the best-selling masturbation aid. Vibratex persuaded Hitachi to continue manufacturing the device, to rename it the "Original Magic Wand", to use lighter, more durable materials, and to omit any reference to Hitachi. The newly named device returned to the market on 25 June 2013, with improved engineering and modified graphic design on its accompanying box. It was sold as the "Original Magic Wand Vibrator" by Good Vibrations.
  In January 2014 the device's name was "Magic Wand Original" according to Shape Magazine, with information provided at the associated website magicwandoriginal.com. Hitachi did not market the device for sexual purposes until recently, as of October 2016, but still only referring to one of its uses as an "intimate" massager. Betty Dodson told Engadget in 2014 that the device was still her preferred vibrator. On 5 May 2014, the device was featured in a comedy segment of the television program Louie on FX. In 2014, 250,000 Magic Wands were sold in the U.S. by Vibratex. In November 2014, Stanford School of Medicine assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology Leah Millheiser recommended the Magic Wand. She commented to Yahoo! Health that it was effective for helping women with orgasm after menopause, and improving sexual ability and self-esteem.
caption: The device was rebranded as "Magic Wand Original" after Hitachi dropped its name from marketing in 2013.[3]
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