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Podcasts The Frame
Sex toy makers and retailers get 'Fifty Shades of Grey' bump
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The Frame Tile
Feb 12, 2015
Listen • 3:31
Sex toy makers and retailers get 'Fifty Shades of Grey' bump
We're used to Happy Meal movie tie-ins, but with the "Fifty Shades" film opening Friday, some retailers — even Target — are stocking their shelves with sex toys.
Desiree Duffy of California Exotic Novelties shows off some of their merchandise fitting for "Fifty Shades of Grey" fans
Desiree Duffy of California Exotic Novelties shows off some merchandise for "Fifty Shades of Grey" fans at A Touch of Romance in Culver City.
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Robert Garrova
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California Exotic Novelties' Desiree Duffy shows off handcuffs from their Scandal line
California Exotic Novelties' Desiree Duffy shows off handcuffs from the company's Scandal line of products.
(
Robert Garrova
)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 06: Actors Jamie Dornan (L) and Dakota Johnson attend the "Fifty Shades Of Grey" New York Fan First screening at Ziegfeld Theatre on February 6, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Actors Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson attend the "Fifty Shades Of Grey" Fan First screening in New York City.
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Mike Coppola/Getty Images
)

We're used to Happy Meal movie tie-ins, but with the "Fifty Shades" film opening Friday, some retailers — even Target — are stocking their shelves with sex toys.

We're used to Happy Meal movie tie-ins, but now with "Fifty Shades of Grey" opening on Friday, some adult toy makers are stocking their shelves to coincide with the film's release. Given that "Fifty Shades of Grey" author E.L. James has her very own selection of bedroom gear tied to her books, the film merchandise seems preordained.

Katy Zvolerin of online retailer Adam and Eve says she's definitely seen a "Fifty Shades" bump.

"I was recently in Las Vegas at the Adult Entertainment Expo and we had a sales booth there," Zvolerin says. "And we sold a lot of handcuffs and blindfolds ... People are definitely curious." 

Adam and Eve isn't the only retailer carrying "Fifty Shades" gear. Next time you're buying shampoo and paper towels, look down the aisle. 

"The items are also available at Target, or a select number of them are," Zvolerin says. 

What's Adam and Eve's most popular "50 Shades"-related toy? 

According to Zvolerin, "No one could keep Ben Wa balls in stock." 

Desiree Duffy of California Exotic Novelties says that's the case for her company too. 

"They're called Ben Wa balls by a lot of people, or orgasm balls, love balls," Duffy says. "But we noticed that anything in that category we're just selling amazingly. So much so that we started to run out of stock on items where we were never running out of items before."  

Duffy says "Fifty Shades" isn't the first piece of entertainment to get people interested in sex toys. 

"We had the rabbit episode in 'Sex and the City,' which you may remember," she says. 

Duffy met E.L. James once and taught her a thing or two about sex toys.

"I was actually showing her, we have a product called the Body and Soul Remote Vibe ... And she was like, 'Oh my god, if I had seen that before I would have put that in the book,'" Duffy says. 

Ultimately, Duffy says James and her "Fifty Shades" novels are good for her industry. 

"I think that one of the things that she has kind of accidentally done is expose the world to a lot of these pleasure toys," Duffy says. "Because her understanding of them is probably on keel with what the average person's is."