BURBANK, Calif. — Not even 100-degree weather could stop the large crowds of enthusiastic buyers and sellers from attending the Adult Novelty Manufacturers Expo (ANME), which kicked off Saturday evening with the XBIZ-sponsored “Welcome Black & White Party.”
Party-goers were encouraged to dazzle fellow colleagues with their finest white and black threads, while simultaneously enjoying complimentary drinks and food. To view the photo gallery, click here.
The official ANME show floor, however, opened its doors Sunday morning at 9 a.m., offering both domestic and international buyers a first-hand look at some of the industry’s newest innovations.
Right next to the entrance of ANME’s tent area, U.K.-based Lovehoney prominently showcased its new line of Happy Rabbits.
“We have our classic rechargeable vibrators, which include the Happy Rabbit Realistic, Happy Rabbit G-Spot and Happy Rabbit Curve,” Lovehoney’s sales manager Sabrina Earnshaw explained, “And now we’ve got our triple vibrator, thrusting vibrator and beaded. Our slim Happy Rabbit lines are also very popular. It’s really nice merchandise, we’ve got the point-of-sale materials. We’re going to have a big consumer marketing push in September. That’s what we’re working on!”
Also displayed at the Lovehoney booth was its Uprize collection of dildos, which features patented technology and made its debut at January’s ANME. The collection, Earnshaw said, was doing very well.
“We sold out of two big deliveries,” Earnshaw told XBIZ. “And our next one is projected to go out at the end of the month. It’s very popular, and a very good talking point in stores!”
Also in the tent area, Adventure Industries’ display — which featured tiny plush pink kangaroos littered all around the floor — was a hit with attendees.
When asked about the Kangaroos, the Adventure Industries’ Kenyon Bruckner smiled and handed XBIZ a toy Kangaroo “for keeps.”
“So, these are not available on the market yet,” Bruckner commented. “We’re showing them here first! Our mainstay, Kangaroo sexual enhancement pills for men and women, has new packaging, new color and new flavors. Kangaroo is where we started, so you have to have Kangaroos! It’s a must.”
Also debuted at ANME was Adventure Industries’ Hemp Bombs, a collection of premium CBD products.
“We’re the exclusive U.S. distributor of Hemp Bombs,” Bruckner added. “We’ve got the gummies, the vape cartridges and the pain relief bomb! Our gummies now come in a larger bottle, too!”
Southern California-based Oxballs had several eye-popping new additions at ANME, such as its rainbow line of hand-made puptails, steel-colored cock sheaths and its brand new OxSling.
“So, what’s new at Oxballs is that we’re trying to continue to push our ‘Plus+Silicone’,” Oxballs Ryan Fraga demonstrated, holding an item in his hand to showcase its stretch. “It’s really soft. And it’s got all the elasticity of our TPR, but it’s silicone safe as well. Big Ox is our new release, which is a big thick, donut fattie ring. But, it’s still got a nice stretch to it.
“Another thing that’s really blown up is our OxSling,” he continued. “It’s a new cocksling in our brand, but it’s also in our new ‘Plus+Silicone’ material. Again, really soft and super stretchy. Also, our Butch cock sheath is popular. We know cock sheaths very well. We’ve got it down so that it locks, and becomes an extension of your body. They’re soft enough where they feel real, but firm enough in the tip that they really become an actual extension. What you do to wear one of these, is drop your balls through the sling and fix your head at the entrance and ease out the air so it suctions into your body. And, if you don’t have enough length to fill it, we’ve included stopper caps to help.
“Lastly, we do a lot of puptails,” Fraga said. “What we’ve been asked for has been a rainbow tail, but we’re calling ours tie dye, since they’re always going to have a different core. Because these are handmade, colors are always different. No two puptails are alike. We also have one that’s red, black and blue to represent the leather community’s colors.”
At this year’s ANME, Clone-A-Willy introduced an entirely new product — its Clone-A-Pussy sleeve kit.
“It’s the most personalized male masturbator on the planet,” Jamie from EmpireLabs said. “Really, it comes with everything that someone needs to clone their … best partner’s …”
Jamie laughed as he tried not to be crude.
“It’s fully functional and fuckable,” he concluded. “It’s brand new! We plan on shipping in September.”
Patrick Trematerra of Kama Sutra told XBIZ its newest offering was its 1-ounce, travel-sized Honey Dust Body Powder.
“Travel-sized is important,” he explained. “People are absolutely loving that. Our playsets have also been popular. We recently launched four different styles of playsets — all with a unique erotic experience. Those are doing really, really great for us. And, we also introduced our erotic accessories into two of our popular toy lines. So now our Rhythm toys each come with two erotic accessories and a love liquid.”
A Maia Toys representative explained that a big hit at ANME this year had been its Jesse supercharged bullet vibrator, and its Monroe/Max thrusters.
“It has 10 functions,” the representative explained. “It comes with two different attachments. We also have our new bendable rabbit. It comes in a mint green color, and it bends both ways and stays in its position. You can bend it anyway you want. We’re really excited about that in the upcoming days.
“We also have The Max, which is also named The Monroe, as it comes in two colors — purple and black,” he said. “They’re both thrusters. They have nine inches of extension, five inches of insertable length. It has 10 different functions, too. It’s splash proof and remote control operated up until 30 feet away.”
The design of Rock Candy’s booth, President Keith Caggiano said, had been its top-selling point for the Summer edition of ANME.
“We’ve got our gummy bear vibes, our sugar sticks are very popular,” he explained, “but it’s our candy shop theme that’s gotten the most attraction. It’s more than just a product, you know? It’s our whole theme that people are responding to. For stores, we don’t just sell a product, we give them a whole way to market. Now, stores can have a whole candy shop right inside. We’re trying to create a better consumer experience. People are starting to realize it’s not just the product we’re selling, but this whole consumer experience.”
Other vendors inside the tent area included XR Brands, which showcased its Adjustable Cage With Padded Board to many curious attendees.
An ANME first-timer, Clandestine Devices’ Kimberly Faubel talked about the company’s new Mimic Plus.
“The larger size and more powerful motor was specially crafted with the intention of giving our less sensitive users a stronger sensation for overall satisfaction,” Faubel said. “Plus, it comes with a new magnetic charger. It’s been great. Our first time has been really great, we’ve already got some sales!”
An Icon Brands representative mentioned that the company’s biggest hit, both this year and at ANME, had been its 17-pound Kim Kardashian Assturbator, and Black Chyna Assturbator.
Spartacus Leathers told XBIZ its most sought-after product at ANME had been its new bondage ropes, and bondage outfits.
Located in the City Ballroom, companies such as Creative Conceptions, Baci Lingerie, NS Novelties, Hott Products, LELO and Wicked Sensuals showed off their latest additions.
NS Novelties’ Janet Rini explained that the company had brought out its brand new Crystal premium glass butt plugs.
Hott Products brought out the sweets. This year, the company unveiled a multitude of novelty candy, such as squirting dick pops, single boobie lollipops and more. As for toys, Hott Products said it elongated the Tongue Vibe.
“It’s pretty much like a mouthguard, but doesn’t vibrate your teeth.” A representative explained. “That’s been our really big item in the market, too! Our new version, called the Deep Diver … you can put it in your favorite deep places, you know?!”
Creative Conceptions’ Casey Doyle walked XBIZ through its four new products: “Sexy 6” a dice game that was “perfect for travel,” its gender-inclusive “Our Sex Game,” which specifically removed any mentions of gender to make the game all-inclusive, as well as its “Fifty Days of Play Deluxe” and “Fifty Nights of Naughtiness Deluxe.”
Once the show doors had closed, several attendees made their way to North Hollywood for the launch of Womanizer’s latest product — Womanizer Premium, and to celebrate the We-Vibe merger.
On the second floor of the cozy Federal Bar, patrons listened on as Sexpert Emily Morse talked about her obsession with sex toys, and why she encourages all women to add a “little lube” to their sex life.
After Morse, Womanizer displayed a slideshow that explained the toy’s features: smart silence, autopilot, 12 intensity levels and, of course, its pleasure air technology.
The night’s tagline, “The Future is Wow," was featured all over the Federal Bar.
ANME’s festivities are currently underway and will continue until tomorrow. For more information and a full list of exhibitors, visit ANMEFounders.com.
