Toy Review – the Hello Kitty Vibrator

Sanrio has licensed some really cool products over the years: ice cube trays, computer mice, insect repellent, pancake pans, microwave rice-cookers, shaved ice machines, even fans!  Sanrio also licensed a cute vibrating back massager about 10 years ago, but took it off the market when they realized where else naughty young women were using the massagers.  It was a tragedy!

Lucky for me the Hello Kitty back massagers vibrators are back in production and my friends at Babeland were kind enough to send me one of my very own!  My model is black (emo hello kitty?) and came in a nice little clear plastic box (perfect for display purposes).  As you can see above, the toy is designed sort of like a pocket rocket - with Hello Kitty sitting at the top.  Although 99% of the packaging in Japanese, I didn’t find that I was missing any literature: the toy has clearly marked on, off, and open positions – there is only one speed setting.  Mine came with a AA battery inside, ready to go (wee!).

Novelty aside, I was curious to see how this toy would preform (and I’m not talking about as a back massager! ^_~) so I took it out of its box, gave it a light cleaning, and switched it on.  I must admit that I was a little disappointed, I could hear the little motor buzzing away, but I just wasn’t feeling much.  I tried pressing it this way and that way, but nothing really provided enough stimulation to do anything for me.

I was just about to put the toy away in disappointment, thinking to myself “sheesh, it even feels like the handle is vibrating more than the end” – then it hit me: I had been using it upside down!!   I had assumed that Hello Kitty was part of the handle, meant to sit and look cute while you use the business end on your… business end – silly me.

This toy seems to be designed so that Hello Kitty is the one giving you the massage, i.e. you rub HER on whatever bits you want vibrated.   I flipped the toy over and things went MUCH better from there; Hello Kitty is a naughty girl!

What I liked: For some reason I feel so dirty saying this, but I liked the contours of Hello Kitty’s head – once I got the toy flipped around the right way I found that the vibrations traveled well through the plastic (phthalate free).  The ears and bow are nice for focusing the vibrations on a small point (like a clit) or you can use the smooth and broader back of her head to spread the stimulation out a little bit. The vibrations were fairly strong too – not clit melting, but good enough.  I also found the controls easy to use and I liked the grooved handle because that means you can still twist it on or off when your hands are slippery.

What I didn’t like: There wasn’t really anything that I hated about this toy: it’s cute, funky, and works pretty well as a vibe.  I wouldn’t have minded a few other speed/pulse settings though.

This toy would be great for: vibe beginners and lovers of Hello Kitty.  Obviously if you are an adult fan of cuteness (or kawaii) you need to own one of these, but the bonus is that it actually is pretty fun for getting off.  More seasoned vibrator users might get a little bored with this one, but someone new to vibrators could really enjoy it.  Also makes a cute gift for an adorable sensualist.

As a sex toy, the Hello Kitty vibe gets a 7.5 out of 10:

P.S.  At the time of this review, Babeland is shipping their Hello Kitty Vibes with a free massge bar

P.P.S. Babeland is also running a fun Hello Kitty Vibe Photo Contest!