BURBANK, Calif. — ANME got off to a rockin’ start with a Saturday night ‘80s party with a special live performance by Neon Jeans.
At the request of attendees, Electric Novelties National Sales Manager Zachary Goode returned to the stage with his band to perform classic ‘80s hits like Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and Toto’s “Africa.” Attendees came decked out in ‘80s garb, posed for fun photos and caught up with each other as they sipped cocktails and enjoyed appetizers during the two-hour long welcome reception for the first adult retail trade show of 2020. (For photos of XBIZ’s ‘80s party, click here.)
On Sunday morning, the ANME crowd made their way through the show’s three exhibition areas throughout the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport hotel.
In the center ballroom, CalExotics brought a variety of fun, colorful pleasure products catering to a wide demographic of users. CalExotics’ California Dreaming collection gained some additional styles, including the Valley Vamp, which is best described as a textured tongue with a swinging teaser for added stimulation. The Newport Beach Babe is a vibrating massager plus thumping teaser for clit stimulation. Its shaft is uniquely textured and made of a body-safe silicone in a beachy orange color. CalExotics director of marketing Nichole Grossman noted that the company also has a variety of content such as videos to promote the brand.
For those looking for a more glamorous plaything, Jopen’s Starstruck comes in glittery packaging and a matching in-store display. For an even more “elevated experience,” Grossman showed off the new Hidden Pleasure vibe, which is a thin metallic rod that could easily be confused for a pen. It comes with a charging doc that it seamlessly rests on to get powered up. For couples, CalExotics introduced a three-piece collection of Link Up rings — which come in a pair of two, with one non-vibrating ring and one with stimulating functions such as thumping.
CalExotics’ new Shameless collection features the Flirt, Tease and Seducer thrusters — each offering 850 thrusts per minute. “It’s like a sex machine but in a much smaller size,” Grossman said.
In a booth right across from CalExotics, the Private collection of masturbators inspired by the notable producer of adult entertainment was on display. The collection, which includes pussy, ass and mouth orifices of adult stars Tarra White, Alexa Tomas and Shona River, features 15 styles of strokers, which will be available from CalExotics as the line’s newly minted distributor in North America.
Side by side with CalExotics’ booth was fellow ANME founder Nasstoys, which debuted a brand new booth that featured a futuristic look. The update comes after several years with its long-established booth, which company president Elliott Schwartz joked about, telling people he finally spent his bar mitzvah money on the new one. Designed by longtime Nasstoys team member Kathryn Hartman along with Chris from MB Exhibits Las Vegas, the booth features clean lines, high arching beams and eye-catching signage with interactive components all incorporated.
Checking out Nasstoys’ latest assortment of pleasure products, industry vet Kim Airs praised the selection of items on display at ANME.
“This is usually a quieter show with not a whole lot of new products but I’m really stunned and amazed at all of the new and exciting releases,” she said.
ANME founder Doc Johnson exhibited a selection of new items and promoted its new partnership with Motorbunny with the machine on hand to make its ANME debut. Through the new partnership, Motorbunny’s thrusting machine called Buck is getting a rebrand as the Vac-U-Lock Sex Machine Powered by Motorbunny Buck.
“It’s the perfect marriage of the brands,” said Caleb Thompson, co-founder of Motorbunny. “We have always gotten so many requests for different shapes and sizes — and with Vac-U-Lock there are so many options.”
Doc Johnson also introduced attendees to an array of new stars added its range of Main Squeeze and Man Squeeze strokers.
“Chad White is one of the only straight performers to embrace his gay audience with a toy,” Doc Johnson’s Thao Dipolito said, also noting that the Main Squeeze line now is the first to include a mold of a mainstream star with its new addition of “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star Karlie Redd.
Doc Johnson also is tapping into today’s fan favorites such as Leolulu, Pornhub's Most Popular Verified Amateur and fan-voted Favorite Couple — which has been molded into a realistic cock and pussy stroker that are available individually and as a pair for a “couples fantasy” set. The company also offers molds of veteran performers like Jenna Jameson and Julia Ann.
Hopping back and forth from the Liberator booth to the G-Vibe booth, Jay Scheinberg embraced his new role representing the U.K.-based pleasure products brand.
“My focus is on getting [G-Vibe] out there and keeping them relevant,” he said. “I’ll be handling their U.S. sales, supporting their customer base and listening to their needs.”
Among G-Vibe’s newest releases is G-Juice, which Scheinberg described as one of the highest, purest lubricants, and a limited edition item.
Also in the tent, ZALO showcased its newest item, the Amorette Remote-Controlled Vibrating Egg. The vibe offers two-wing vibration to stimulate the clitoris. The petite vibe fits into an included storage case that also doubles as the vibe’s remote control. The ZALO & UPKO Doll Series of high-end BDSM gear also was on display with Peter Ovsonka, CEO and president of ZALO, noting that the items were limited edition. “When it’s gone, it’s gone — it adds more value to the line and people can enjoy their purchase forever; they are made to last,” he said.
WOW Tech took over an expansive space in the main ballroom to showcase each of its premium brands — We-Vibe, Womanizer and pjur with its own dedicated space. This year marks pjur’s 25th anniversary, and the company kicked off its milestone year at ANME with an afternoon happy hour, which will return tomorrow as well. WOW Tech is inviting retailers to stop by for a drink from 5-6 p.m. and spin a wheel to win a variety of swag as well as a grand prize of a free acrylic display complete with product, with a retail value of $300. New releases by pjur included a mini collection that allows users to explore the line of lubes.
WOW Tech also teased the upcoming release of Arc Wave products for men and women and introduced attendees to the Chorus couples vibe that features an intuitive Squeeze Remote with responsive Touch-sense technology. Denny Alexander, WOW Tech’s head of communications, pointed out that the control serves as an anchor for Chorus to allow it to work better with Bluetooth — which could be interrupted by the body’s water content. To celebrate its fifth year on the market, WOW Tech also unveiled the special edition Womanizer Liberty that comes in a pearl white color and comes with a “#IMASTURBATE” garland to hang as decoration for the toy’s birthday party.
Screaming O celebrated its new partnership with contemporary artist James Goldcrown for the company’s new LoveBuzz Positive Angle vibe with a photo booth featuring the artist’s signature hearts as the backdrop.
“It’s perfect because James Goldcrown’s art represents love and so do our products,” Screaming O’s Gideon Perez said, adding that they are currently developing the partnership into a full line of toys.
Screaming O also unveiled its latest iteration of its My Secret Vibrating Panty Set, which has been upgraded to a premium, ergonomic design with a rechargeable remote to power up the vibrating panty’s 20 functions. The company also “stepped up its packaging,” Perez noted, pointing out its elegant box packaging featuring a lace pattern.
At the Xgen booth, company president Andy Green showcased new lingerie styles from the VIP Collection and new male underwear styles as part of the Envy collection. Green said that future plans include for the Envy line to be co-branded with the Zolo line, which also caters to men. New additions from Zolo include the new Heat Stroke, which provides a warming sensation.
“For our new Bodywand display, I was inspired by mainstream,” Green said of the new modular display that can be attached to a slatwall. Featuring an assortment of plugs and international power adapters hidden within the display, the Bodywand massagers can be tethered to the display and charged without them leaving their station.
CBD continues to permeate the pleasure products industry with several manufacturers dabbling in the trendy ingredient for lubes and other topicals. Among them is a CBD lube from System Jo that’s coming soon. System Jo also brought its tasting station to allow ANME attendees to taste the latest flavored lubes from the Gelato line, which includes double chocolate and raspberry truffle. Jared Pomerance noted that System Jo had recently gone through some changes with new CEO Harold Lehon coming onboard, as well as a several new hires and promotions within the company. Pomerance himself received the new title of outreach manager.
Up 24-7, which is participating at ANME for the first time, also has stepped into the CBD arena with its new brand, Green Central USA. The brand offers a CBD massage oil, soft gel pills and a headache and pain reliever roll-on.
“Everyone is jumping on the CBD bandwagon,” Up 24-7 owner Bruno Scandelari said. “It’s a competitive market but it’s expanding. It falls in line with what we currently offer, which is sex enhancement supplements.”
As the day wound down, attendees gathered back in the tent for Casino Night to enjoy food, drinks and casino games well into the evening. ANME returns tomorrow for its second and final day.
