A rabbit vibrator (also known as a Jack Rabbit vibrator or Jessica Rabbit vibrator) is a vibrating

sex toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrating ...

, usually made in the shape of a

phallic A phallus is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically—or, more precisely ...

shaft for

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

l stimulation with a

clitoral The clitoris ( or ) is a female sex organ present in mammals, ostriches and a limited number of other animals. In humans, the visible portion – the glans – is at the front junction of the labia minora (inner lips), above the open ...

stimulator attached to the shaft. The name of the device is derived from the fact that the clitoral stimulator looks like a pair of

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

ears. The first rabbit vibrator appeared on the market in 1984 and, along with the magic wand vibrator, is considered by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine to be one of the classic sex toys. Their popularity was boosted in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

after an episode of

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

's ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (newspaper column), newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the ...

'' ("The Turtle and the Hare") featured

Vibratex Vibratex is a manufacturer of sex toys, headquartered in Napa, California. Founded in the early 1980s, Vibratex has since been covered by '' Glamour'' magazine and ''O, The Oprah Magazine''. Vibratex produces the Rabbit Pearl vibrator, which is ...

's Rabbit Pearl. The rabbit was chosen for the show because it was a

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

at a store in New York. Rabbit vibrators are designed to give more intense sensations than the more traditional

dildo A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos can be made from a number of materials and shaped like an erect human penis ...

or clitoral stimulator, by providing simultaneous vaginal and clitoral stimulation. The Rabbit Pearl, the original device, also had a rotating section. Since then the rabbit vibrator has evolved and become a whole genre of sex toys with many different brands and variations in design including ones with a less phallic shape or without the rotating beads section. The device can be used in a variety of ways and for both solo sexual play and during partnered sex.

History

Company owner Shay Martin says

was the first company to import dual-action vibrators to the United States in 1983. These vibrators were imported from Japan and were manufactured in bright colours and shaped to look like beavers, kangaroos and turtles to get around the country’s obscenity laws, unlike previous imports from China that had been designed to resemble a realistic

phallus A phallus is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically—or, more precisel ...

. Martin credits their colouring and cuteness as making them more appealing to women and leading to the market success of the Rabbit. Designers at Vibratex had been working on a new version that added rotating pearls to the base of the shaft of the dual-action vibrators. In 1984 the Rabbit Pearl was released. From 1985 onwards Rabbit Pearl imitators flooded the market including Susan Colvin’s Jack Rabbit for adult magazine company CPLC and the Rampant Rabbit for the UK

sex toy party A sex toy party is usually female-only gathering where participants learn about and buy sex toys. It is a type of party plan, similar to Tupperware parties. The party may start with an icebreaker game, then a sex toy representative, or 'facilitato ...

company

Ann Summers Ann Summers is a British multinational retailer company specialising in sex toys and lingerie, with 80 high street stores in the UK, Ireland, and the Channel Islands. In 2000, Ann Summers acquired the Knickerbox brand, a label with an emphas ...

Materials

Normally rabbit vibrators are made out of a jelly-like substance ( polyvinyl chloride),

silicone A silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (−R2Si−O−SiR2−, where R = organic group). They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cooking ...

(semi-organic polymer),

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

(elastic hydrocarbon polymer) or

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

(natural rubber) materials. Silicone vibrators are easier to clean and care for, since this material is not porous; therefore no bacteria or foreign matter is absorbed by the toy. Silicone retains heat and has no odour. Jelly material is porous and cannot be sterilised in boiling water and has a scent of rubber that some find unappealing. In order to escape this smell some producers aromatise the products with more pleasurable scents. Rabbit vibrators made from

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, and

elastomer An elastomer is a polymer with viscoelasticity (i.e. both viscosity and elasticity) and with weak intermolecular forces, generally low Young's modulus and high failure strain compared with other materials. The term, a portmanteau of ''elastic p ...

materials can be also found. They are much less porous than jelly, or entirely non-porous, but the texture is smooth and firm.

Use and pleasure

Rabbit vibrators are designed for simultaneous internal (vaginal) and external (clitoral) stimulation. The rabbit-shaped stimulator is held near the clitoris, while the shaft is taken into the vagina, offering deep, "all around" stimulation. Most models offer a choice of shaft rotation speeds and patterns of clitoral stimulation. While using a rabbit vibrator, users may benefit from using additional

lubrication Lubrication is the process or technique of using a lubricant to reduce friction and wear and tear in a contact between two surfaces. The study of lubrication is a discipline in the field of tribology. Lubrication mechanisms such as fluid-lubric ...

, as jelly can absorb the body's natural lubrication, and both jelly and silicone create friction against skin. Lack of moisture may cause irritation, discomfort or pain.

Commentary

The rabbit vibrator has been described as "one of the most visible contemporary signs of active female sexuality". The appeal of the rabbit vibrator is its ability to give clitoral and vaginal stimulation at the same time.Pelling, R. (2006, Sep 24). Adventures with my rampant rabbit ; believe me, a vibrator is no substitute for a husband. but it's great if he's not around.

The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

References

External links

''Rabbit Fever'' (film about the vibrator) at IMDB database
* {{cite book , last=Perks , first=Marcelle , title=The user's guide to the Rabbit , publisher=Infinite Ideas , location=

St Giles', Oxford St Giles' is a wide boulevard leading north from the centre of Oxford, England. At its northern end, the road divides into Woodstock Road to the left and Banbury Road to the right, both major roads through North Oxford. At the southern end, ...