Rascal Keeps the Fun in Novelty

The package weighs nearly four-and-a-half pounds. It houses a 12x7-inch dildo, with a big sac to boot. It’s the Big White Cock from Rascal Toys, a statement release to say the least. The complement to the company’s highly successful Black Balled dildo, based on the successful series of films directed by Chi Chi LaRue under the All Worlds Video banner, it’s one of several new releases this year. “I think Rascal has the sexiest toy line in the business,” LaRue says. “With the addition of the glow-in-the-darks, we are moving sex toys into a whole other dimension. Today you have to have an amazing toy line included in your arsenal of sex.” That’s a sentiment echoed by CMO Rob Reimer: “Everyone knows the bottom fell out of the DVD market, but surprisingly we still do quite a large portion of our business with it. Obviously with novelty, it’s much harder to pirate a product than it is with DVD, so we are heavily investing in novelty—but we won’t be getting rid of DVD or VOD anytime soon.” And with the recent launch and popularity of the company’s edgy Boneyard Toys line, the Big White Cock helps differentiate the Rascal Toys brand, contributing to its more playful (and colorful) identity. “Rascal is our classic mainstream gay toy line, which is where our base has always been,” Reimer says. “We aren’t going to change that. Rascal is so well known in the gay community and does really well, so as the saying goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” He notes that all of the Rascal Toys moving forward will be more on the “fun novelty” side but still extremely functional, like their silicone glow-in-the-dark cock rings and dongs (called the Player). “We were the first to market with those products, and it’s the first time we were able to get glow products in colors other than the standard yellow or green TPR (thermoplastic rubber) material. It’s a huge innovation and the future of sex toys. We did a vibrant blue and orange that really knocks your socks off when you see these things glow. I’ve never seen anything like it, and everyone who sees them is blown away. You can see bachelorette parties loving these products, and women buying these for their husbands. Probably not something the Boneyard customer would really be into, but definitely Rascal buyers love—so that’s really the differentiation.” Almost everything with both brands will also be constructed with high-end, soft-touch silicone. “We released several cock rings—the Brawn and the Brawn Cage—under the Rascal brand in a translucent silicone color that is the softest and stretchiest ring, but still incredibly durable. It almost feels like silk, and of course won’t pull out your hair when wearing them, which happens with a lot of TPR rings. As soon as someone touches them, their eyes light up and they can’t believe how soft the material is. We are really excited to have been able to develop this silicone with our factory and will be releasing lots of future products with this material. The Brawn clear in silicone is a beautiful stretchy ring. You usually see these in black only.” Reimer adds that they were also the first to market with its new single and double silicone cock leashes (which come in black, translucent and glow blue and orange). “Most people refer to these as lassos, but we wanted to create a new category with the silicone and call them leashes. What makes this product stand out is that the silicone grabs onto the latch much tighter than a TPR, so they won’t slip, come loose and lose the much-needed restriction while wearing the product. It makes the product much more functional and user friendly.” The biggest change with the Rascal line is the decision to streamline the popular Fleshphallix superstar cocks. “We have done so well with them, but when we took a good look at the line, the packaging was a little too big and bulky and we needed to make room in our warehouse for all of the new products. Ultimately, we decided to repackage the top six sellers in smaller and more modern packaging and discontinue the others for now. Brent Everett and Johnny Hazzard have such a rabid fan base that those were at the top of the list, and we also kept four other bestsellers. Since women make up 55 percent of the customer base for these realistics, we also added six repacked in our For Her line in a more woman-friendly package. Both lines have three vibrating versions also that feature six-speed button operation and DuoTouch soft dual-layer TPR.” With all of the advances, Reimer stresses it is as important as ever that every manufacturer have a brand ambassador that travels and educates people about their product line. “Every store owner knows you have to have an educated staff to sell your products, so between (CEO and co-founder) Rob Novinger and I, we try to do that as much as possible. We understand the importance of being out there, so if anyone is interested in bringing someone in for a training session, just give us a call and we will try to accommodate the best we can.” Above, the Rascal/Boneyard team at ANME in July 2017; photo by Chris King/@ReelSeduction