The Hitachi magic wand is one of the most iconic vibrators. The toy has been around since the ‘60s, and it was not always used as a sex toy; in fact, it was not initially created for that purpose. The Hitachi Magic Wand story first began when Japanese company Hitachi introduced their original personal massager to the American consumer market in 1968 as the 'Hitachi Magic Wand', also known as the 'Hitachi Massager'. It was a vibrator with an electrical power cord that was marketed as a ‘back massager’ that helped combat sore and aching muscles as well as provide all-over body relaxation. Over time, the Hitachi Magic Wand had morphed into a sleeker-looking, extremely sought-after product for women who would use it primarily for personal pleasure as a vibrator. It was touted as a must-have item by numerous well-known and influential sex therapists, recommended by them to women and couples wanting to improve their sex life.
The device most definitely helps to soothe more than just an achy back—the wand is a very functional clitoral vibrator and has been accredited with helping a lot of vulva-owners reach orgasm. Its discreet appearance as a household item is perhaps the reason for much of its early success amongst women-in-the-know, and the fact that it wasn't overly phallic freed it from perpetuating the belief that women needed a dick inside them to feel pleasure. Not only was it easier for women to buy (What if they really just wanted to soothe their sore necks?), but the type of orgasm the toy provided was solely about a woman's pleasure, not the penetrative sex that is unfortunately so often the expected and depicted in most popular culture examples.
The History of the Hitachi Magic Wand
The Hitachi brand did not want its product to be associated with sexual pleasure; they were afraid of the stigma that would come with the brands association with sex and sex toys. In hindsight, we can presume that many companies associated with sexual wellness are supposed to be a positive thing but do acknowledge the presence of negative and often invalid connotations regarding capitalism and sexual wellness. In 2012, Hitachi decided to cease production of the product. The Magic Wand had become beloved by so many, though and its cessation from the market would have been devastated by vulva-owners across the globe. Thankfully, Vibratex Inc, a USA-based manufacturer, and distributor of sex toys, arrived to save the day. The owners of Vibratex had Japanese heritage and understood the predicament that Hitachi faced. After Vibratex approached Hitachi and negotiations were made, it was agreed that Hitachi would continue to manufacture the Magic Wand, but with the Hitachi, the brand was omitted from the product and packaging. In June 2013, the 'Hitachi Magic Wand' would be re-named the 'Magic Wand Original' with updated packaging.
In 2015, the toy underwent its sleekest transformation yet, dropping the cord and making the product rechargeable, naming it the ‘Magic Wand Rechargeable.’ With an upgrade to a smoother silicone massage head and the inclusion of four vibration speeds and five vibration patterns, it became an instant bestseller. In early 2019, the 'Magic Wand Plus' was launched. It's nearly identical to the Magic Wand Rechargeable in looks but is battery powered, featuring a removable power cord for easier storage. The power cord locks into the base of the massager so it can't be pulled out of the socket when in use, and is released using a small button on the wand. It features four vibrating massage speeds up to 6300 rpm but doesn't include vibration patterns as the Magic Wand Rechargeable does. The Magic Wand Plus is a hybrid between the Magic Wand Original and Magic Wand Rechargeable. It's more expensive than the Original, yet cheaper than the Rechargeable. Overall, the history of the construction of the product itself isn't very interesting. If anything, it shows that there was ( and still is) a demand for sex toys in the USA. There is much more history behind the original Hitachi magic wand vibrator, one that is intertwined with women’s sexual health legend and feminist icon Betty Dodson.
Pop culture & Feminism in the History of the Magic Wand
Lynn Comella, author of Vibrator Nation: How Feminist Sex-Toy Stores Changed the Business of Pleasure, explained over email to Carina Hsieh in an article for Cosmopolitan, "perhaps more than any other vibrator, the Magic Wand — formerly known as the Hitachi Magic Wand — has achieved a kind of status as a symbol of female sexual liberation, with a fan base and popularity that has spanned generations." This symbol of female liberation was created in the late 60s to the early 19670s when Betty Dodson introduced magic wands to her body-sex workshop. These women-only workshops focused on teaching women how to masturbate. Dodson developed these workshops “...using the consciousness-raising model of second-wave feminism where women got together and shared their experience first person.” The Bodysex workshops consist of multiple events, including a genital show and tell and an erotic recess. The erotic recess portion is where Dodson chose to implement the orgasmic power of the Magic Wand. Dodson was a pioneer and advocate for the use of vibrators, ever since her lover in the late 1960s introduced her to an electric vibrator originally used for scalp massages. During erotic recess, women in Bodysex workshops use the Magic Wand to ignite their own feminine power through masturbation. While Dodson is widely credited with popularizing the Magic Wand, she received no compensation for her endorsement of the toy. The toy may have helped thousands of women feel sexually liberated with the pro-masturbation nature of the Magic Wand, but the Hitachi brand’s actual relationship with women was not liberating. Dodson ultimately gave the toy a lot of its fame, but she noted the following in the same interview for Cosmopolitan: ‘‘... I promoted it because I liked it. And I was never acknowledged. The company appreciates the free endorsement, but if I had to do it all over again, I'd charge.’’
In this sense, although the Magic Wand has become a sexually liberating feminist symbol, the Hitachi brand never wanted to acknowledge its symbolism. Dodson helped liberate many women with her incorporation of the Magic Wand in her Bodysex workshops but never received any credit or acknowledgment. Feminism definitely has a special place in the history of the magic wand but unfortunately, the product’s history is not entirely feminist or sex-positive for that matter.
Pop culture also has a special place in the history of the Hitachi wand. One of the most notable popular culture references began in 2001 when the Magic Wand was featured in two episodes of Sex and the City. In Season 4's "My Motherboard, Myself" episode, Samantha can be seen trying to "find" her lost orgasm with a Hitachi Magic Wand. You can see a still from the episode below, with a red-faced Samantha clutching her phone in one hand and a Magic Wand in the other. The Magic Wand popped up again in Season 5 when Samantha tries to return a vibrator to a Sharper Image store for failing to get her off. What follows is a particularly memorable scene in which Samantha schools the clueless sales guy about the real reason women are buying his neck massagers. While this episode didn't show a Hitachi Magic Wand specifically, the iconic shape and story behind the wand made it pretty clear, that it was an homage to the Hitachi Magic Wand. In the same episode, Samantha winds up donating her new wand-style vibrator to Miranda's son Brady, as the movement of the wand in his chair keeps him from crying. After the wand’s cameo in SATC, it sold out everywhere as fans wanted to use the same vibrator that helped Samantha find her orgasm.
SATC holds a revolutionary space of popular culture and the history of the Magic Wand would not be complete without including this reference. However, it is important to note that the Magic Wand's presence on SATC is not an entirely positive aspect of its history. Similar to Dodson's relationship with the history of the wand, SATC may have aided women in their sexual liberating journey through masturbation, but the show itself is not entirely sex-positive. Specifically, the original series is not inclusive when it comes to sexuality. SATC features the main cast of four white, straight cis-hetero women and tends to shy away from sexual exploration outside of the heteronormative binary. The character of Samantha is progressive in the sense that she owns her sexuality and even has a relationship with a woman at one point, though this is ultimately brushed off as a phase. In this sense, while SATC may have helped to solidify the Magic Wand as a quintessential aspect of popular culture it would've been nice to see the vibrator used within a more inclusive sex-positive narrative.
For the sexually liberating power that the Magic Wand possesses, its history doesn't quite line up with the magic. The Magic Wand is a must-have sex toy for any vulva owner's orgasm toolbox. If you’re a skeptic, just look to the work of Betty Dodson, her use of the Magic Wand helped so many women reach orgasm and liberate themselves from the confines of patriarchal controlled sexual expression. If you choose to look to SATC to validate the power of the Magic Wand, you’ll be excited to know that the wand did help Samantha to find her lost orgasm! The Magic Wand is just one of many sex toys with a history that doesn’t quite match up to its orgasmic power. Next time we’ll take a look at the history of the Rabbit vibrator—Charlotte’s favorite sex toy on SATC.
By Alyssa Morterud