The Hitachi Magic Wand (renamed Magic Wand Original and Original Magic Wand) is an AC-powered wand vibrator. It was originally manufactured for relieving tension and relaxing sore muscles, however, it is most known for its use as a sex toy. Japanese company Hitachi listed the device for business in the United States in 1968. Sex educator Betty Dodson popularized its use as a vibrator and masturbation aid for women during the sex-positive movement in the late 1960s. It functions effectively as a clitoral vibrator, to bring women to orgasm. The wand is long and weighs with stimulation provided by its rubberized head.
Hitachi asserts that its sole intended use is for health care purposes. Hitachi's national sales manager said "we approach the massagers as personal care items... the people we hire know what it's for without our having to say it". Hitachi had a conflict with its U.S. distributor in 2000 and briefly stopped selling the device, until it reached a new deal with distributor Vibratex. The Magic Wand sold out after being featured in a 2002 episode of Sex and the City. Hitachi ceased production of the device in 2013 because of concerns about having the company name attached to a sex toy. Vibratex persuaded the company to continue manufacturing it under the name "Original Magic Wand", omitting the Hitachi name. In 2014, the company used the name "Magic Wand Original".
Academics have researched its use for treatment of female sexual arousal disorder and chronic anorgasmia—a sexual dysfunction in which a person cannot achieve orgasm. The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology published a 1979 study which found self-administered treatment and use of the Magic Wand to be the best method to achieve orgasm. In 2008, The Scientific World Journal published research finding over 93% of a group of 500 chronic anorgasmic women could reach orgasm using the Magic Wand and the Betty Dodson Method. The device was used in studies in many applications, including articles published in Dermatology Online Journal, Journal of Applied Physiology, Experimental Brain Research, Neuroscience Letters, and Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing.
The Magic Wand has alternatively been referred to as the Cadillac or Rolls-Royce of vibrators, as well as the mother of all vibrators. Counselors Bettina Arndt, Laura Berman, Gloria Brame, and Ruth Westheimer (Dr. Ruth) recommended the device to women, and Cosmopolitan magazine reported the Magic Wand was the vibrator most often suggested by sex therapists. Mobile Magazine readers in 2005 voted the Magic Wand "the No. 1 greatest gadget of all time". Tanya Wexler's film Hysteria featured the device while showing the evolution of the vibrator. Engadget called the Magic Wand "the most recognizable sex toy on Earth".
Design and features
The device is long and it weighs . Muscle and nerve stimulation is provided by the device's rubberised, head, which is attached to the main body of the massager via a flexible neck. A cord is attached to the device to provide power from mains electricity with alternating current, and requires 120 volts. It does not take batteries. The massager provides two vibration rates5,000 and 6,000 rpm, which are equivalent to 83 Hz and 100 Hzthat are controlled by a switch on its body. Specifically, research published in the journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy determined that the Magic Wand operated on its low setting at a frequency of 89 Hz and at 101 Hz on its high setting. Its displacement was measured as , with an acceleration of . Because the device was not originally designed as a sexual stimulation aid, it exhibits some deficiencies when used for this purpose. Apart from its size, bulk, and its reliance on a mains power supply that limits its portability, it is not waterproof or water-resistant, and it overheats when used for more than 25 minutes. It does not work well in electrical outlets in all countries internationally.