This year, industry stalwart Pipedream Products celebrates its five-decade milestone — and what a long, amazing trip it’s been. Over the years, the company has endured an ever-changing economy, supply chain issues and various other challenges, tackling them all with creativity and determination while achieving seemingly limitless growth.
Founded in Cleveland in 1973 by brothers Bob and David Feldman and their father, Gene, the business started out selling glass pipes — thus the distinctive name, Pipedream Products. Believing the business would thrive better in warmer climes, the brothers, their father and their families moved cross-country and settled the company in Los Angeles.
From our friendly competitors to vendors to customers, I’ve been delighted by the smiles people have when they recall stories over the last 50 years.
The LA authorities were convinced the company was breaking distribution laws by selling smoking paraphernalia, so their downtown warehouse was frequently raided by police. Fortunately, no one was arrested or served time, but the experience became a turning point portending the company’s future direction.
Quickly outgrowing that space, Pipedream moved to less expensive digs in North Hollywood, next door to distributor Holiday Products. Soon adult products were on the company’s radar, and by the late ’70s, Pipedream expanded its offerings to include basic sex toys alongside the variety of smoking accessories the company carried. As the late Larry Garland, founder of distributor Eldorado, whose company shared a similar path to success, often quipped: “We went from selling bongs to dongs!”
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with very few adult toy manufacturers in the U.S. or companies importing products from overseas, Pipedream rapidly became one of the premier companies selling increasingly in-demand pleasure products. This necessitated staffing up — including, by the late ’80s, a young man named Nick Orlandino, who left his native Long Island to join Pipedream. Recognizing Orlandino’s talent for coming up with new products and unquenchable thirst for rapidly growing the company, Bob and David Feldman put him in charge of creative development and sales. From there, Orlandino worked his way up to partner and ultimately CEO.
“Under Nick’s direction, one of the first gag gifts they brought in was ‘The Final Word,’ a plastic box that would exclaim vulgar sayings,” recalls 37-year industry veteran Geoff Aran, who worked at Holiday Products during the period when Pipedream was expanding more and more into adult. “Pipedream was able to import them and, due to their popularity, sell them well above wholesale.”
Sexy gag gifts would become a bestselling product line for Pipedream over the ensuing decades, as the company continued to grow, also expanding its lines to include blow-up dolls and simple vibrators made of hard plastic, vinyl or a material simply called “jelly rubber.” Of course, everything was battery-operated, requiring anything from two AA batteries to several much heavier and bulkier C batteries.
“The first vibrator Pipedream brought in was the hard plastic Slimline, packaged in a plastic box that was always coming apart in shipping,” Aran says. “In fact, Pipedream piggybacked their order onto Holiday’s just so they could reach their importing minimum.”
The company continued to expand, adding both square footage and staff. Moving from a warehouse in Van Nuys to a 175,000-square-foot warehouse and office space on Lassen Street in Chatsworth in 2005 meant Pipedream could also add to its in-house creative and development department, as well its growing sales force.
With more space, Pipedream began manufacturing its own lubricant and enhancer brands in-house. After acquiring small manufacturer Hollywood Novelties, the company began to manufacture its own line of rubber dildos as well, establishing itself as a manufacturer of a complete line of pleasure products. Over time, the company also added an in-house photography studio that handled immediate packaging and promotional needs, and contributed humorous imagery to many Pipedream gag gifts and products.
In 2016, Bob and David Feldman retired and sold the company to investment company Diamond Products, which has continued to build Pipedream. Orlandino stayed with the company another two years, until his own retirement in 2018, after which he moved back to his native Long Island. When Orlandino passed away in January of this year, he was widely lauded for leaving his mark not only on Pipedream Products, but also on the pleasure products industry.
Looking to reduce overhead during the pandemic, the company divided the business, relocating the warehouse to a less expensive and more centrally located fulfillment center in Edwardsville, Illinois. The offices and expansive showroom were moved to an industrial park in the western San Fernando Valley, not far from the old warehouse in Chatsworth.
In September 2022, Diamond hired current CEO Barbara Cook, who brought decades of consumer-focused experience to the company and has made it a goal to continue Pipedream’s tradition of continuously supporting every aspect of the industry, from manufacturing to the end consumer.
A company’s lifeblood is its team, and the team Cook oversees at Pipedream Products includes several dedicated members who have been on staff for many years, drawing upon their experiences with the company to contribute to the continuing history of the storied brand.
One is Sales Account Executive Mona Madrigal, who has been with Pipedream for nine years.
“One of my best memories is hanging out with Nick and the industry family in ‘The Cave,’” Madrigal shares, referring to Orlandino’s custom-made pool house. “But the thing that makes me the happiest is to be able to walk to my desk and know that I am home, because that’s the work environment created here. It’s the same feeling I get when I walk into a retail store. It always feels like you’re around family!”
Senior Director of North American Sales Lori Scott is the longest-serving Pipedream staff member, with over 20 years’ experience with the company. She has done just about everything at Pipedream except, she notes, finance and marketing.
“I’ve worked on all different sides of the company including private label, manufacturing, product development, supply chain management and sales,” she says. “I understand all aspects of PD business because I have to, to sell the products. I’ve seen it all and nothing surprises me. It takes a lot to shock me and I just keep rolling with it!”
Chief Design Officer Kristian Broms has been with the company for 18 years and is considered by many to be the lynchpin in the creation of the majority of Pipedream’s many products. His motto, based on his extensive experience with the company?
“Make every day a good day,” he advises. “I am fortunate to be with this company for as long as I have. I’ve been through good times and bad times, but I feel very fortunate to be part of it and enjoy what I do.”
Another two-decade veteran who has been involved with almost every aspect of the business is Rob Phaneuf. He says it’s tough to cite just one memorable experience at Pipedream.
“This 50-year milestone, seeing how much our industry has grown, how the company has changed for the better, and really the whole culture that we’ve changed here, it’s all been positive and beneficial,” Phaneuf states. “Our industry has gained mainstream acceptance. When I first started, we could barely say the ‘mainstream’ word, but it’s where we are now.”
Throughout those 50 years, Pipedream has continuously increased its offerings of new and creative products. Asked about what lines have remained popular, company insiders reference several lines. Scott and Broms have witnessed the growth of Pipedream’s long-established brands and agree that the Fetish Fantasy, King Cock and PDX Elite lines still top the list.
“In fact, just about anything ‘body parts’ have been great sellers,” Phaneuf observes. “We’ve always been known for the Ultimate Fantasy Dolls and the Fuck Me Silly line and you can’t go to an adult store without seeing them for sale. It seems that the bigger we make these and the more realistic we make them, the more we sell. When we made the first Fuck Me Silly, we ordered only 50 of them. We thought, ‘Who would pay $400-500 for this?’ Fast-forward 10 years, and now they’re our No. 1 item revenue-wise, and immediately come to mind when people think dildos, fetish and realistic masturbators. Actually, our doll website, UFDolls.com, offers five dolls, and they’re all popular. We have lots of products under the PDX brand for penis owners, and that’s our bread and butter.”
As the latest executive to take the lead at Pipedream, Cook says she has been impressed with how much the Pipedream brand is loved throughout the industry.
“From our friendly competitors to vendors to customers,” she marvels. “Everybody! I’ve been delighted by the smiles people have when they recall stories over the last 50 years.”
Five decades is a long time, however, and Pipedream has often had to pivot, letting go of products that bring back fond memories for many staffers. At the top of that list are the many gag products Pipedream was previously known for.
“I miss the blow-up sheep,” admits Madrigal. “A lot of the gag gifts and lighters and boobie items! I miss the hilariousness when we could joke and be offensive. That would put smiles on people’s faces. Laughter is part of our mental health!”
Scott says she misses a lot of the lotions Pipedream created and manufactured, as well as its windup toys. “Including the masturbating cop and famous celebrities we’d poke fun at,” she smiles.
Broms adds, “I had a fun time with our celebrity blow-up dolls! For a time, in the early 2010s, we were releasing a new celebrity doll every month. They were edgy, very tongue-in-cheek.”
Phaneuf takes pride in the company’s broad impact on the whole pleasure products industry.
“When I go to shows and see all those who have come through Pipedream and are now working for other companies, everyone I talk to, no matter what, still has that connection to PD,” he says. “When they walk in the stores, they still see Pipedream Products and get nostalgic. Once you work here, you’ll always have that connection. Nineteen former Pipedream staffers are now currently employed by other companies. It amazes me how impactful we have been and how many people are still in the business!”
Pipedream Products celebrated its 50th anniversary in grand style at the storied Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood on July 8, with an entertaining night of food, drink, socializing and dancing. The celebration welcomed several of the manufacturer’s global retail and distribution partners, who saluted the company’s first half-century.
“The party was such a great way to meet our favorite customers in a fun and casual atmosphere,” Phaneuf says. “Our guests drank, danced and partied in true Hollywood fashion. It was magical to combine this famous location with our 50th anniversary celebration!”
The celebratory weekend continued with a “Sunday Service Open House” at Pipedream’s headquarters, tucked away in a quiet office park in West Hills. The event was held on the same day as the XBIZ-sponsored ANME welcome reception, allowing plenty of out-of-town guests and buyers to see Pipedream’s offices and showroom firsthand.
“We decided that since we had a very small booth at ANME, having our customers come to our large showroom to take in all of our products in a storelike setting would be the easiest way to show them our entire line of products, including the latest releases in the PDX and Body Dock lines,” Phaneuf explains. “It was a steady stream of customers coming through, having appointments with our sales staff and personally meeting our in-house designer, Kristian. It was such a treat to put the faces to the names of our customers!”
Open house attendees had the opportunity to see how Pipedream’s creative process works.
“We showed them our process from top to bottom, starting with our in-house sculpting and prototyping departments to our photography studio, video production department and full-service print room,” Phaneuf says. “During the open house, we showcased our wealth of resources available to help support and grow the partnerships we have with our distributors and retailers together.”
Customers were greeted with a 50th-anniversary montage on the main wall, which included images of the manufacturer’s well-known product lineup, including a very ’70s-looking cover of Pipedream’s first catalog. Attendees mingled with industry friends while enjoying a catered taco lunch, a cocktail bar — and of course, birthday cake.
To commemorate the milestone birthday with the pleasure products industry as a whole, Pipedream released a catalog with 42 new products, timed to coincide with the biannual ANME show. The catalog not only highlights the new releases but also features a collage of hundreds of pictures, collected over the 50 years the company has been in business.
“We had such a good time putting that collection together,” Phaneuf recalls. “There are pictures of our bestselling products over the years, images of many of our mini catalogs and lots of pictures from parties because we know how to party! Best of all, hundreds of pictures of our staff members over the years. The catalog itself is a keepsake item, for sure.”
Here’s to another 50 years of Pipedream Products.
