I was recently provided with the Doc Johnson Animal Instincts Vibrator for review and I have to say that despite my initial misgivings (I've never been a real fan of the Doc Johnson brand) I was pleasantly surprised by the versatility and power of this small toy.

The Animal Instincts Vibrator is a small opalescent pink bullet vibe with 7 different functions that can be used with or without it's rabbit-shaped sleeve. I believe the best use for it would be as a clitoral stimulator or for sensory play and teasing on other external erogenous zones.

This toy is perfect for beginners to advanced users and is travel friendly because of its small size (though the sleeve tends to be a magnet for things like lint and hair. This toy is also marketed as 'waterproof,' though I'd probably only go so far as to call it splash proof--so it's a great choice for playtime in the shower, bath, pool or rain.

This toy is also tolerably quiet, which means it's good for use in the dorm or in households where you want to be a bit more discreet.

The Animal Instincts Vibrator has two main parts: the bullet and the sheath. The bullet is a harder plastic while the rabbit sheath is made of a plush non-toxic TPR plastic. It scores a 7 on Eden Fantasys' safety scale because it is less porous than cyberskin but more porous than silicone. It's recommended that you should use caution or protection when sharing this sort of toy. Fortunately, this toy is also hypo-allergenic and latex-free.

The sheath itself is a clear baby-pink and very squishy and jelly-like in texture. The rabbit is flexible but strong and you can really stretch the heck out of it without any worries. The vibrations from the bullet travel nicely through to the ears to give a 'tickling' or 'teasing' sensation. However, if you prefer something a bit more intense in terms of vibrations, you can always take the sheath off and just use the bullet, which is fairly powerful on its own. It should also be noted that the rabbit sheath is a HUGE lint magnet and, just after having taken it out of the package and toyed with it for five minutes, I find it already looks quite unclean. The good news is it rinses off rather easily, the bad news is that 'stickiness' doesn't go away.

This toy does have a bit of an odor but you really have to be stuffing it up your nostrils to get a whiff of it. It's certainly not what I'd call a noticeable or bad smell. Both parts of this vibrator have no taste.

Normally, I try to avoid toys that look like adorable little animals. Call me crazy, but something about having a happy little creature of the wood smiling at me while I masturbate is off-putting. That said, if you love pink and you love adorable, fluffy forest creatures, this toy is the one for you. Heck, even if you're like me and you're not fond of cutesy things, you can always take the sheath off and just use the bullet.

If you can bite-the-bullet and use the sheath (like I did) you'll find that the design is well thought-out. The vibrations go through the head and into the ears rather well without overstimulating and the texture is rather soft and pleasant on the clitoris.

At about 3 inches long or approximately the size of my thumb, this toy is also rather convenient and it can be tucked easily into a pocket just as well as it would be a purse (though I recommend putting it in a baggie or something to cut down on the lint and fuzzies.) And, much to my pleasant surprise, the bullet fits perfectly into my Joque Spare-parts Harness, so if you're looking for a good bullet for your harness or hollow dildo, this might just be for you.

The bullet is controlled by a single black button at the base of the cap and pressing it cycles it through its seven functions which are as follows:

1 - Constant Vibration
2 - Moderately Strong Constant Vibration
3 - Intense Solid Vibration
4 - Waves of Increasing and Decreasing Intensity
5 - Pulsing
6 - Quick Pulsing
7 - Constant Deep and Intense Vibration

The vibrations in this toy are more buzzy than rumbly, but the seventh setting does tend to go a bit deeper than the first three functions so it might satisfy someone who tends to lean toward more rumbly toys. I personally liked switching through the different vibration patterns and enjoyed the toy with and without the sheath.

The toy itself can be heard from under the covers but it cannot be heard through a closed door which makes it great for dorms and room-mate situations. It's also 'waterproof' according to the packaging but I'd be wary of submerging this toy completely underwater. It seemed to perform well when I held it submerged in my sink but it's more splash proof than anything else. You'll also want to make sure that the cap is securely screwed on before playing with this toy in a moist environment.

The toy is powered by three cell batteries which are a little difficult to find but fortunately Doc Johnson includes some in the packaging so you can just open the toy and play right away.

This toy is very easy to care for. Since it's made of TPR plastic it is a bit porous so you'll want to wash it with antibacterial soap and warm water (or toy cleaner) before and after using the toy. Do not boil this toy and try to use a condom or dam if you plan on sharing this toy because bodily fluids and bacteria can become trapped in the material.

You can use either silicone or water-based lubricants with this toy.

In order to prevent some of the crazy lint that this toy tends to collect, I recommend putting it in a Ziploc bag or something similar when you go to store it.

The packaging was tolerable. It wasn't covered with bodacious 80's bikini babes like with some of the other Doc Johnson toys I've gotten. It was actually pretty tasteful, cute and modern for what it is. You can see a picture of it yourself in the listing here on Eden Fantasys.

The only thing that seemed a bit cheesey to me was on the back of the packaging in which this toy is 'GUARANTEED TO PUT A SMILE ON ANY VAGINA!' I'm not entirely sure how the physical mechanics of that would work, but on second thought, I'd rather not know.