who invented vibrator sex toy
Sex toys have been around for hundreds and thousands of years, however, the vibrator sex toy wasn’t invented until much later in history. When I think about the person who invented the vibrator sex toy, I can’t help but feel a great deal of respect for them. Back in the late 1800s, having an “open” conversation about sexual pleasure, and the need for such an invention, would have been unheard of and in some places, possibly illegal.
Who has the guts to start a discussion about something that is considered taboo and immoral in virtually every society known to man? We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave and daring inventor, who pushed the boundaries and took the risk of bringing a revolutionary device into the world.
The inventor of the vibrator sex toy was not actually the first person to try and satisfy the needs of consumers in this space. In the 1700s, French physician, Johann Sigmund Bilgenthal, released a book called “Onania, or the Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution, and Its Frightful Consequences in Both Sexes”. As the title suggests, the book discussed the issues around “self pollution”, dildos which back then was the term given to sexual self gratification.
Bilgenthal even attempted to create a device to alleviate the discomfort of sexless marriages. Unfortunately, his invention failed when he was unable to find any users. He discontinued the discussions and Penis Rings research, but luckily a man by the name of George Taylor was determined to only further Bilgenthal’s work.
In 1869, George Taylor invented the “Manipulator” and filed a patent for the device. This innovative device was described as “a steam driven apparatus invented for the treatment of diseases of the womb”. He was actually quite forward thinking in his attempt to help woman and promote sexual pleasure as an aid to reproduction.
According to the patent, the device was “provided with a box containing percussion vibratory attachments adaptable parts of the body”. In plain English, it was basically a hand-held device with a steam-powered rotor and “vibratory attachments” – what we now know as the vibrator sex toy. However, the device failed in terms of commercial appeal and it was eventually abandoned.
Taylor and his device were, unfortunately, forgotten and it wasn’t until 1880 that Joseph Mortimer Granville, one of the founding fathers of modern neurology, was credited with creating a similar device. This device was better suited to the needs of the customer and was described as “a powerful stimulator for massage purposes”, which was a much more acceptable term to use at the time. He encouraged customers to use it for “muscular debility to nervous exhaustion” and was smiled upon with open arms in the medical community.
Granville’s invention helped the industry progress as it opened up the dialogue to sex, pleasure and pleasure products. Countless inventors and innovators followed in Granville’s footsteps and so began the era of the vibrator sex toy.