Hitachi Magic Wand, minus the “Hitachi”

It looks like our old friend the Hitachi Magic Wand is getting a bit of a facelift. Notice anything? Yep, the word “Hitachi” is being dropped from its name.

Don’t panic — it’ll always be the powerhouse we’ve always loved. But, as it turns out, Japanese company Hitachi has grown weary of having its name attached to a device far more well-known for its pleasure-inducing properties than its “intended” purpose of massaging sore muscles (although it does that quite well, too!).

Despite the fact that the Magic Wand has been in production for over 30 years, Hitachi planned to cease production of the product. Thankfully, distributor Vibratex stepped in with a better idea: simply remove the word “Hitachi,” and in turn, prevent all-out pandemonium among the masturbating public.

Laura Anne Stuart, owner of the Tool Shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attended the International Lingerie Show this year and reported back about the changes. Aside from the re-branding, the toy will have stronger construction and updated componentry, making it even more durable than before. Stuart found the new model to be satisfactory indeed:

I held a new Wand in my hand at the show, and it felt just as powerful to me, with the same intensity of vibration. The minor adjustments that Vibratex made cause the toy to be less jerky when turning on and off and will reduce the extremely small number of defective wands to almost zero. The handle has been reinforced to decrease the vibrations that are transmitted to your hand (rather than to the head of the toy), and the switch circuitry has been improved. In my opinion, you can feel these changes when holding the toy, but not when applying the head of the Wand to a body part.

The Hitachi Magic Wand rose to orgasmic fame in the ’70s, when feminist sex educator Betty Dodson featured it in her book, Liberating Masturbation, and talked it up in her workshops. It’s been a cult classic ever since, much loved for its incredibly powerful vibrations and broad, tennis-ball-sized head. It’s so popular that quite a few attachments have been invented for it, and a sex pillow was even designed specifically to hold one.

So sometime in the next few months, our Hitachi Magic Wands will be replaced with updated Magic Wands. And while we’ll miss the box featuring delightful photos of’80s ladies innocently massaging their backs, we’re relieved that Vibratex jumped in and ensured the posterity of the toy that many refer to as “the Cadillac of vibrators.”