What’s in a name? Evolved came on the scene with a bang, but where did they come from? How did the idea to start Evolved come about? And Why? Where do they get the ideas for what’s next, is Evolved evolving?
What, you may ask, is in a name? If your name is Evolved, the answer is "going big" - Evolved came on the scene with a big bang, delivering powerful, eco-friendly toys in ornately detailed packaging. Domenick, the company's Marketing Director, and Sammy, one of Evolved's Product Designers, are here to answer some of our questions and tell us what they've got in store for the evolution of sex toys.
The competition in the adult industry is fierce and only growing more contested every year. So how does a new company stake their claim? Evolved is fairly new to this game, but they're already making great strides. All of their products are purported to be made from safe, non-toxic, phthalate-free materials, as well as being waterproof - and big on power! They seem to have aesthetic and technological advancements covered, and are certainly masterful when it comes to unique and appealing packaging - but will it be enough to carve out a niche big enough to ensure Evolved's continued evolution?
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Jimbo Jones
28 users seconded this question.
I like that your company has stayed away from phthalates, but what factors determine what materials you use in your toys? Why TPRs and plastics instead of silicones? Was it mainly cost or was market prevalence involved or was it something else entirely?
The fact that TPR is Phthalate Free, Non Toxic and environmentally-friendly was the primary consideration in using it.
With that in mind – I’d have to say that our decision was based on safety and market prevalence. With that said, due to consumer demands, we will also be releasing Silicone-based products in the “not too distant” future. -
Baby Sinead
23 users seconded this question.
Where did the idea for the packaging come from?
Believe it or not – sunglass packaging. Our design team studied a # of packaging options and it was agreed that a tin – similar to one that a pair of sunglasses was packaged in - would be ideal.
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Carrie Ann
20 users seconded this question.
The Fusion vibrators are the only Evolved products I've seen so far that have patterns of vibration on top of multiple speeds. Any chance there will be more toys in the future with these options?
Actually, our Dream Maker Edition offers those same functions. Given the popularity of the Fusion and Dream Maker lines – we will definitely be releasing more items that offer patterns of vibration on top of multiple speeds. -
DreamyLove
15 users seconded this question.
Are you planning on coming out with any 100% silicone products in the future?
We actually have our silicone toys in production now and plan on releasing them around July or August. We are currently trying to nail down a package for them that is competitive with our tins but allows them to stand out on their own. -
Jimbo Jones
13 users seconded this question.
As far as design of a new vibrator is concerned, where do you look for inspiration? In what ways does Evolved try to distinguish themselves from the rest of the market?
Everyday we are looking for new ideas and concepts when creating our vibrators. The biggest thing we do is listen to our customers when they talk about what they are looking for. A lot of the stuff on the market is basically the same toy that has been re-hashed for 20 years. When we started we had a set goal, to create user friendly vibrators that are safe and truly give the end user what they are looking for. -
Oggins
14 users seconded this question.
I really enjoy all of the colors currently available with evolved products but are there any plans to broaden the color scheme to add some really vibrant colors like yellow or orange? On another note, has there been much thought into maybe creating more realistic looking toys in the future?
As of right now, we don’t have any plans of adding bright yellow and orange to our range of massagers. But if there is a want for them, I can’t see why we wouldn’t. I’ll put some feelers out and see what people think, but definitely if we do though I’m thinking neon! One of our Dream Makers set to release next season has a realistic head on it, it also has discs instead of beads running through the shaft, I hope you enjoy it! -
Oggins
12 users seconded this question.
I haven't noticed any anal or male oriented toys in Evolved's lineup. Any plans on expanding into these areas in the future?
We actually have 2 prostate massagers coming out this season. One is 100% silicone without vibration. The second is 100% silicone with a 5 function bullet at the top. Also in development now, we have a dual sided anal toy with a motor at each end that is controlled by wireless remote, that will also be made out of silicone, as well as a wireless vibrating butt plug. -
Carrie Ann
14 users seconded this question.
I'd love to keep up to date with Evolved products. Any idea when the website will be up and complete?
We are looking to go live with www.EvolvedNovelties.com as of June 1 2009 -
~*SurrealisticFantasy*~
14 users seconded this question.
I'm very impressed with the level of quality that Evolved has managed to obtain within the low price range that most all of your toys fall ($20-$40). Do you guys have any plans for a "high end" vibrator, something to compete in the $75+ price range? Of course less expensive is always preferable, but I think that if you guys made a vibrator with a plethora of speeds, vibrational patterns, rechargable battery, rotating shaft, etc. that a lot of people would be very anxious ot get their hands on it! Anything in the works along these lines? If not what does the future of Evolved toys look like?
As a matter of fact we just released our first “Dream Maker”. It is a Gear Box vibrator with a clitoral stimulation attachment. The shaft has rotating beads and the clitoral stimulator has a large bullet. There are a number of things, that separate our gear box vibe from the rest of the herd. For starters when we designed our i.c. chip within the toy, we programmed it so you could control the speed and function of the beads and bullet independently. Giving the end user 625 different combinations of speed and functions between the two. We put raised buttons on the control base to make it very easy to use in the dark, and also put in blue l.e.d.’s which adds to the look. We also have a new line of high end silicone coming out as well as rechargeable massagers. -
Adriana Ravenlust
13 users seconded this question.
Are there any plans for any rechargeable vibrators? Non-vibrating toys? Really uniquely shaped vibrators (like, say, dual stimulators)?
We have 3 rechargeable massagers in production now. They sit on a recharging base, and are very couple friendly. And for next season we have a full line of rechargeable mini massagers coming out that will be completely submersible! I have yet to see anything like that on the market yet. We have a non-vibrating prostate massager coming out this season as well as a dual stimulator. -
Adriana Ravenlust
10 users seconded this question.
Can the Fusion vibrators be swapped our with one another? For instance, can I take one side of the Duality and pair it with the other end from the Companion?
As long as you pair a side with the 2 button controller to a side with the logo you can mix and match! -
removedacnt
12 users seconded this question.
What was it about the current sex toy business that made you think that you had a niche that needed to be filled? What is unique about Evolved compared to other companies?
We felt overall the market was being lead by bigger companies that didn’t really listen to the consumers. Basically putting out what they felt the market needed or wanted and truly wasn’t concerned about what was missing. We take pride on creating and manufacturing what people want, as well as adapting and evolving to people’s individual needs. -
Baby Sinead
11 users seconded this question.
Does being the owner/creator of a sex toy company complicate your personal life?
Only when my wife is screaming at me to come home! But she is a sex toy user as well, so I think the positives outweigh the negatives! -
Baby Sinead
10 users seconded this question.
As men what is it like designing toys for women?
Amazing! We have learned so much about the sensuality of women and what truly gets a woman to her happy place. For once in our lives we actually had to sit there and listen, which is extremely difficult for ALL men to do! But in the long run it has been very satisfying. When we start any new idea, the first thing we do is run the concept by as many women as possible. Then we go to a sketch, run the sketch by as many women as possible, and do the exact same thing for every step of the process. So in actuality, its guys designing women approved toys…. I guess it’s like my home life, I wear the pants, my wife just picks them out! -
Adriana Ravenlust
9 users seconded this question.
Your logo seems to use a stylized version of the Mael font. Is there anything to that or did you just think it looks good?
Actually our logo is created from the font Quid. We wanted an easy read font since we were going to be reversing the first four letters. We felt this font had adequate style but at the same time was easy to read. Mael and Quid are actually close in comparison and we were actually considering it at one point but the look of the “d” steered us towards quid. -
Carrie Ann
10 users seconded this question.
I've been pondering something for awhile now that has to do with quality control. I won't have a better opportunity to ask someone who may know - plus I actually own a few of your toys and can easily compare them so here goes...
What makes one toy that is unbelievably similar to another in the same line be either louder/quieter or less/more strong?
I own both the Desire and the Seduction (as well as the Duality, though that's a different line so I expect differences) and the Seduction is a lot, lot louder than the Desire. Both are velvety hard plastic with the same controls and battery style with the main difference being in their shape. Do you use the same motors in all of the toys in a line? Or is it a different motor that may cause the sound difference? What sort of methods do you use to keep quality of vibration and sound basically the same from toy to toy since those tend to be two of the more important features to most uses?Within any line of our toys, there are strict requirements for sound level and motor strength. When all of our lines are created, we pick out specific motors and gear them to the toy specifically. Once that is done the motor never changes throughout the production of the line. Once in a while there might be different levels of sound coming from 2 different toys within a line due to minor variations of the internal cavity of the toy when the mold is being injected. If there is just a fraction of extra space, it allows the exterior of the motor to vibrate against the interior of the toy creating a slightly higher sound. But the function and strength of the toy do not change. -
Adriana Ravenlust
8 users seconded this question.
I've seen a handful of products in the new Fusion line but is seems like no 1 retailer has all of them. Is this luck of the draw or is there a reason for it?
Clearly luck of the draw and definitely something I’ll be talking to our sales crew about! -
Lithaewyn
9 users seconded this question.
What are your favorite Evolved toys and why?
For right now, my favorite line is the dream maker. For one it took a lot to develop and secondly we have never gotten such a positive response from any of our toys. Every woman that tested it, loved it. That alone has made it my favorite! -
MaxD
7 users seconded this question.
Regarding environmental concerns, I'm just wondering what happens to all of the products that get sent back to you as defective or irregular? Are they recycled?
Every toy we get back we recycle. We also have a plan in the works that will hopefully make us one of the most environmentally conscious novelty companies. We plan on unveiling “Evolved Goes Green” sometime this summer… -
Rockin'
9 users seconded this question.
I was looking at your Dream Maker - Lunar Rabbit vibrator model on an adult outlet store website and read that it has "over 600 combinations of speed and function." That's pretty impressive! How do you decide just how complex a toy's functions will be, and is the sky the limit on the number of speed/function combinations? Do you ask for feedback on prototypes to make sure a significant number/percentage of people can discern between the function combos?
When we developed the Lunar Rabbit, we never had a set number of functions in mind. My main goal was to design the toy so you could independently control the speed and function of both the shaft and the clitoral stimulator. Every woman we asked felt 5 speeds was a nice range of power, and 5 functions was a good amount of choices. Once we put everything together, we realized that the shaft had 25 combinations of speed and function, and the bullet had 25 combinations of speed and function, and between the 2 you had 625 combinations. Overall the toy is very user friendly, it just gives you a lot of options. -
MaxD
7 users seconded this question.
How did Evolved get started? Did it start because there seemed to be a need for better quality products or was it started to satisfy a personal need?
We started Evolved, when we realized none of our wives could ever really get a decent toy that lived up to their standards….. and believe me they expect a lot! So I guess the answer is yes, yes. We felt there was a need for better products and to satisfy our wives personal needs…. -
Rockin'
9 users seconded this question.
Of your toys I've seen so far, all have seemed far from realistic. Is there a particular reason you are staying away from a true-to-life penis design? (Oggins asked a similar question, I'm just curious if/why you are intentionally avoiding realistic-looking vibes)
Also, do you have any plans for remote controlled toys such as eggs or other smaller insertables?There really is no specific reason for it, other than in our test groups most women reached for the non phallic looking shapes first… other than that though, we plan on having a few in the near future… We actually have a few in production, that are wired and wireless, which we plan to release by years end. -
Lithaewyn
8 users seconded this question.
On the packaging the first four letters are often written backwards to spell "love", which is pretty unique. How was the company name thought up?
When we first started, we joked about starting a revolution in the adult novelty world. And we envisioned all these people backing our play, who were tired of dated toys that were not body safe. So we thought about calling our company revolution novelties. Not sexy at all! But we saw love in the letters. So after months and months of staring at revolution, we realized to start a revolution you first need to evolve. It hit us like a ton of bricks, we stuck a “d” on the end, to say the toy in your hand has evolved. Then turned the “love” backwards, so people saw it. Then immediately came up with our slogan “love is back.” The slogan is 2 fold, we were bringing love back to the bedroom, and love was also “back”wards in our logo….. -
Red
9 users seconded this question.
How did you get into this business? Did you wake up one day and think "You know, I should get into the sex toy business"?
I don’t think anyone just wakes up and thinks I should be in the sex toy business, but after buying so many crappy toys for so many years, maybe one night I went to sleep thinking “damn I really need to start a sex toy business” -
Cinnamon Chambers
10 users seconded this question.
I got to review the Dream Maker Lunar Rabbit, and oh my was it ever a dream. Do you plan to make more dual controled rabbit vibrators?
First of all thanks! So happy to hear the positive response, and yes we already have 3 more done behind waiting to release! Each unique in shape, differentiating between discs and beads…. -
Cinnamon Chambers
10 users seconded this question.
What is your most successful design, and which is your favorite. What is your favorite sex toy, and is it from Evolved?
So far our best seller is our purple bliss from our fleur-de-lis line. I think because it works perfectly for men and women. My favorite is definitely the lunar rabbit, and I’m definitely playing favorites! -
Cinnamon Chambers
10 users seconded this question.
What can we expect to see in the future from Evolved? Personally, I love, love, love your designs, tins, colors, and POWER. I hope you do not change too much!!
The power will always stay the same, if not grow! We will venture into different lengths and girths as well as romance enhancers and rechargeables. We will also test different materials such as silicone, as well as blending silicone toys with hard toys. The most important thing for us though, is for us not to take our eyes of the prize, which is making sure everybody gets off! -
Miss Cinnamon
9 users seconded this question.
Which would you say was/is more difficult, coming out with the first product lineup for Evolved, or coming up with new ideas without rehashing old ones?
Definitely coming out with new ideas, and not letting down our trusted consumers is the hardest thing to continually do. That is why it is so important to get positive and negative feedback from everyone. What we are truly starting to realize is that the easier we make it for our users to get to where they wanna go, the happier they are…. -
Miss Cinnamon
8 users seconded this question.
What would you say is Evolved's personal mission in the sexual health world?
Our mission is to deliver consistency to every consumer. By creating powerful, easy to use body safe massagers we feel we can do that. The most important thing for us, is knowing that when our consumer spends their hard earned money, they know they are getting quality. -
Miss Cinnamon
7 users seconded this question.
What is the process you use, from conception of a product to its actual manufacture? How many ideas get scrapped simply because they aren't practical or marketable enough?
Asking as much input as humanly possible, is always the first step. We’ve not only scrapped numerous ideas, but also have scrapped thousands upon thousands of dollars in mold costs, because we feel a toy wasn’t perfect. If it isn’t right we won’t make it, no matter how much we have invested in it. Also we aren’t scared to take risks, even if we think a toy may not be marketable. -
Fred Petrenko
11 users seconded this question.
Domenic and Sammy, thank you for stopping by for the interview. Eden's community is quite fond of your products and we hope for the long lasting first impression!
My questions:
1. Could you give us a sneak peek into what Evolved will present in the upcoming AVN Novelty Expo in July? Will Evolved also visit ANME Founders Expo next door? Would you please comments on those two shows: they seem to be same and held at the same time and same place, but the industry is having them both? Why?
2. Evolved is a successful branch of a major adult studio network. How does the primary business help or influence the novelty side? Any plans on producing anatomically correct molds? How about having a signature star line? What is your vision on how to successfully build and promote both toy and DVD products?
3. Most of our customers who purchased Evolved vibrators are happy. However, some of them express concerns about the vibrator’s control packs, it works only in steps: you have to dial all the steps down, for example, to stop the vibrations completely. Any plans on upgrading the controls? Do you have rechargeable vibrators in the pipeline?
4. What’s the biggest manufacturing challenge in building vibrators? Motors? Wires? Batteries? Materials and coating?
5. The last one: We have a little tradition of asking every one we interview to finish this phrase:
“Sex is__________________________ “ Dominic and Sammy, would you please finish the phrase?
This July we will be releasing a few items that are completely different from what we’ve had. For one we will be coming out with 2 silicone lines. One will be made in china, and one will be made in Europe. Both of the silicones are amazing and I know they will be really accepted well. We will also be debuting our male line, which will have some prostate massagers and cock rings. We also have a very cool 3 button massager coming, that has 2 motors at the same tip which gives the end user an amazing pulsation. As well as some finger vibes, some mini massagers, and what I hope are the best rechargeable massagers on the market. As of right now we are locked into the AVN novelty expo. ANME felt the need to branch out and have their own show, we wish them the best. But felt we only needed to display at the AVN show.
2. The biggest asset is the amount of feedback from all of the stars. We have an immediate outlet to test all of our toys and designs. Which probably led to the reason for all of the power in our massagers. As of right now we have no anatomically correct toys in production, but there seems to be a desire for them, so we might be going to the drawing board. As of right now we don’t have any plans for a signature star line. I think the key to building any company is consistency. You only have one chance to get your product in the consumer’s hand. One bad experience, and you’ve lost them forever.
3.Going forward all of our toys that combine speeds or functions have a master on/off button. Also every new control base we design from here on out will have master on/off buttons. And yes we have rechargeables slated for this summer as well as next year.
4.So far the biggest challenge is making sure it feels good to whomever’s using it. We all know for the motors, power is key, as well as consumers prefer AA and AAA batteries. We’ve also found smooth soft coatings work best. So the biggest challenge every time is making sure the toy does what its supposed to do overall.
5. “Sex is the key to happiness” -
VenusFable
3 users seconded this question.
How long has Evolved been around?
Evolved launch the Summer of 2008, and was in development for 2 hrs prior. -
Johnny Romance
1 user seconded this question.
where do the ideas come from for new models of vibrators and new names?
Most of our new ideas, come from consumer feed back. We are always trying to update our vibrators to be more accommodating to the end user. For the names its usually just a group effort in the building… -
VenusFable
3 users seconded this question.
As well as your company is performing in this fiscal year, how do you plan on raising even more capitol in an ever growing competitive business sector?
Before we started evolved, we had enough capital to get us through the first few years. If we didn’t go in with enough backing, we wouldn’t be able to make the right decisions which are spending adequate money on development and marketing. Hopefully, if we continue to make good product and not take shortcuts, soon enough the toys will be able to pay for themselves. -
the nibbler
4 users seconded this question.
Was there ever a product that the success or popularity of it totally surprised you? And what was it.
Actually the purple bliss from the fleur de lis line took off like a rocket. I’m still not sure why it outsells all of our other toys. I think it might have to do with it being a good blend of male and female toy. Other than that specific one most of our toys end up where we expect them to. -
Delete My Account
4 users seconded this question.
This question is more for Sammy. What is your background in product design are you an idea person who works on inspiration with sketches on cocktail napkins and the back of matchbooks or are you more of technically oriented designer surrounded by CAD programs and engineering plans?
I actually come from a design background. I started out as a graphic designer, creating unique packaging for the film industry. My father is an electrical engineer, and that was what I started to go to college for. But I was always fascinated by packaging! My favorite things to do are walking the aisles of grocery stores and checking out cereal boxes! Then I got into the novelty end of things and really fell in love with the mechanics and design of toys. Ultimately being drawn to the fact of creating something, that another person could actually use and get enjoyment from. I can never turn off my brain from thinking about massagers. It’s usually when im driving or having dinner when I come up with ideas. At that moment I jot down the idea, and go to my sketch book and draw out the look of the toy, with how I want the motor placed, batteries, buttons, power, and materials. I then pass that along to our CAD department and make adjustments from there. As far as design programs, I’m on the other end and design our packaging using photoshop and illustrator. I think in the near future I might pick up a CAD book and teach myself how to use it…. -
Cinnamon Chambers
5 users seconded this question.
How does the production process for Evolved work? Is it in house with a group of Evolved employees, or is it outsourced to other companies?
Every single thing we make is designed in house. We start with an idea and push it through various steps, getting input form as many people as possible. -
Cinnamon Chambers
6 users seconded this question.
Has the current state of the economy changed anything for your company?
I think anybody who says this economy has not effected their business is probably hiding something. For us, the biggest thing the economy has changed is the way we look at the our company as a whole. Like the amount of employees, versus the amount of workload and so on. The good thing for us is a lot of the employees here are family, so everyone naturally steps up and takes on more without ever being asked. -
Cinnamon Chambers
6 users seconded this question.
Who came up with the logo and slogan Love is back. What does it mean to you?
The logo and slogan, was actually a group effort. We felt it really described our efforts in creating an ever evolving novelty company, who’s main purpose was bringing back love to the masses. -
Cinnamon Chambers
6 users seconded this question.
The names of your toys are often romantic and center around the word love, is this intentional to attract the female buyer, or are you all about love and romance in real life?
I think it’s impossible to create romance enhancing toys and not be a romantic yourself. I feel the name of the toy is a reflection of the toy itself… Of course we are always trying to attract our specific markets, but overall I feel it’s a blend of both…. -
Cinnamon Chambers
8 users seconded this question.
Who do you see as your target market? What strategies do you use to reach them? Do you plan to expand the line to include anal toys and cock ring type toys?
I feel our target market is truly anybody who is looking for a high quality, fair priced massager. One of our biggest strategies was pulling them in with a great package, and then letting the massager do the rest. Hopefully if everything went right, we had a customer for life. The season coming up, we have a few different cock rings and anal toys coming up. As well as prostate massagers and romance enhancers. -
Cinnamon Chambers
8 users seconded this question.
What from the company is a direct reflection of each of you if anything?
I feel every product we make, holds a little bit of everyone in it. Before we finalize anything, everyone has had their hand in it one way or another. If I had to pinpoint something I’d say the look and feel of things might be more me, and the back end is a little more dom…. -
Victoria
8 users seconded this question.
How long did it take to get started once your parent company decided to start making/selling toys? Was this process planned out over many months and meticulously implemented? Were either of you there for the very beginning of Evolved and if so, what roles did you play in launching the toy line?
Both of us were here for the beginning. From the first concept to actual street date was about 2 years. We made many mistakes we scrapped, and didn’t put one thing out until we were certain we were in the right direction. Our core roles haven’t changed since inception, I basically create and design the toys and packaging, and domenick is more sales and back end…. -
Gary
9 users seconded this question.
Do you have any plans for doing mainstream marketing with some of your more innocuous looking vibrators (like the Bliss, for example) to big box stores (Walgreens, CVS etc) like some of the other manufacturers out there have been doing? I have seen a major increase of vibrators in these stores over the last year. Do you think that your products and packaging have mainstream appeal?
We are actually looking into every avenue. I hope our packaging has mainstream appeal, but if it doesn’t im not against creating unique packages for every market. As far as the toys themselves, I think some might work and some definitely wont. In the future I plan on creating toys for specific markets and if they spill into each other that’s just an added bonus. -
Ilya
8 users seconded this question.
What difficulties did you face promoting a brand new company? Were you welcomed on the market right away? What was your first marketing step?
Our biggest difficulty was the photos of our products for our website.. We finally found a great one!!
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