The Icicles No. 37 is a glass anal toy from Pipedream. It's one of those toys which straddles the line between butt plug and dildo, just by the nature of its design. I've heard people refer to toys in this middle ground as "probes" but I just can't use the phrase "anal probe" without thinking about people who claim to have been abducted by aliens.

In total the toy measures 6" in length, with 3 7/8" insertable, making it a nice, yet modest, size. The tip of the No. 37 is conical and gently tapers out to a maximum circumference of 4 3/8", before narrowing in slightly to meet the straight shaft. The shaft itself is is covered by 15 raised nubs, arranged in 3 rings of 5. These nubs protrude by about 3/16", and are rounded off like small hemispheres. At the bottom of the shaft is a wide 2 1/4" circular base, which is flared enough to guarantee that the toy is anal safe, and attached to the underside of this is big loop through which a finger can be inserted whilst using the toy. All in all it produces a rather attractive design, and it somewhat reminds me of those big candy pacifiers (or dummies as we'd say in the UK) which you can buy at fairgrounds.

The 37 is hand crafted in China from borosilicate glass (Pyrex) and is extremely well made. There are no bubbles or imperfections within the material, nor unsightly scratches on the surface, but there is slight touch of asymmetry to it in places, which confirms its handmade credentials and has its own charm to it. It's made from two different colours of glass, the main body is formed from an opaque black, while the loop at the base is clear, though if you hold the toy up to a light you'll notice that the nubs are also transparent. Borosilicate glass is a great material for a sex toy because it's toughened, so there's no chance of it accidentally shattering, and it can take a fair amount of abuse. The glass can also be subjected to wide changes in temperature without suffering any damage, which makes it great for temperature play. Whether you want to heat in up in hot water, or cool it down in the freezer, the material will respond and stay at that level. The packaging even suggests it can be warmed in the microwave, though I haven't attempted this.

The Icicles No. 37 comes in some very tasteful packaging, and apart from a typo on the front referring to it as a "massger" there's nothing to complain about. It's packed into a thick piece of foam to protect it from impact, and then put inside a simple cardboard box. The box has a monochrome colour scheme to match the toy, and features several attractive photos of the 37 so you know what you're getting. If the photos aren't enough then the front of the box also swings open like a door, allowing you a peek of what's inside through a small plastic viewing window. Usefully the box does have some information printed on it, giving advice on how to clean the toy and heat or cool it.

When you're done playing with the No. 37 you'll want to wash it, and thankfully that couldn't be easier. Glass is a non-porous material so you can toss it in the dishwasher, boil it for a couple of minutes, or wipe it down with a 10% bleach solution, and all will leave it completely sterile. You can also just wash it with plain old anti-bacterial soap and hot water, or use a toy wipe.

The No. 37 is a lovely toy to use, and thanks to the contours of the tip it slides gently and easily into the body. Even though glass is a firm material there's absolutely no discomfort to speak of as is passes through the muscle, and the modest width of it should suit even a relative novice. Once you get past the tip you can feel the slight narrowing as it meets the shaft, but it's not significant enough to produce a pop. As the shaft slowly slips in you'll begin to feel all the firm nubs along it, and if you're a fan of texture then you'll love these. Each little lump and bump adds a new point of interest to stimulate the sphincter and draw your attention. Under ordinary circumstances the amount that you can feel the nubs is at just the right level, but if for any reason you're feeling even the slightest bit tender then I'd avoid using this toy at that point, as the firmness will feel slightly too intense. With the toy all the way in the flared section prevents it from going any further, but I found that because the last ring of nubs is quite close to the base that you didn't always feel them. Due to the relatively short length of the insertable portion, the rigid body of the toy still fells very comfortable inside the body, and you needn't worry about any unwanted poking or prodding going on. The loop at the bottom of the toy it great for manipulating it with, and you can slip a finger through it and use it to move it in and out of your body, or indeed someone else's. One good trick I found is just to slowly rotate the toy while it's in the body, as you really feel the impact of the nubs then. I mentioned earlier that the toy is a cross between a dildo and a plug, and it's much more suited to being used as a dildo. Thrusting back and forth with the 37 is undoubtedly the best way to make use of the texture and enjoy feeling it, rather than just keeping it stationary. Using it as a plug is possible, but does come with a couple of issues. The first is that there's no real neck area to speak of. When the toy's inserted the sphincter rests along the nubs on the shaft, and this doesn't help to hold it inside the body that well, so there's a significant likelihood of slippage over a prolonged period. The other issue is the loop itself. While it's definitely handy for thrusting it also protrudes quite a way, so you definitely can't sit down while wearing it, and it would probably be noticeable through the back of any underwear. In my opinion it's definitely one of those anal toys that's better suited to playing around with.