How to use a rabbit vibrator (& some hare-raising history)

With rabbits known for their frisky nature, the rabbit vibrator is undoubtedly one of the friskiest-inducing sex toys. Famous for its clitoral-stimulating bunny ears and phallic G-spot shaft, this toy has stood the test of time, adapted in a variety of ways for effectively inducing blended orgasms! But do you know where it came from and how to use a rabbit vibrator in all of its variations?

Research shows that only 18.4 percent of people with a vulva can orgasm from penetration alone, and 72.6 percent disclosed that “clitoral stimulation was necessary for orgasm during intercourse” or that their “orgasms feel better if their clitoris is stimulated during intercourse”.

So it’s no wonder this cute little animal-shaped dual-stimulator has been a massive hit for decades. But how did we get here?

The rabbit’s hare-raising history

Just like our trusty Magic Wand, this novelty toy shared a spotlight role on Sex and the City in 1998. In an episode aptly titled The Turtle and the Hare, the character Charlotte becomes “addicted” to her rabbit, forcing Carrie and Miranda to host an intervention – affirming it as a symbol of extreme pleasure and spreading fear of toys ‘replacing’ the real thing.

According to Women’s Health Mag (a 2006 edition), the website rabbitanonymous.com launched – a blog of “rabbit addicts,” further indicating its success as an orgasmic tool, to the point of it possibly causing concern.

[Disclaimer: there is no scientific evidence proving that vibrators are addictive nor can cause permanent desensitization.]

What was so special about it then? Well, the rabbit was the first sex toy with internal and external parts to be brought to the US, back in 1984. This colorful toy was launched the year before in Japan, as part of an animal-inspired set of sex toys created by the same company that brought us the original Magic Wand of the 60s – Vibratex.

The novelty appearance was a result of Japan’s anti-obscenity laws, which mostly unchanged Japanese Penal Code of 1907, Article 175, consider pubic hair and adult genitalia obscene. This meant that toys created in Japan in the 80s weren’t allowed the same level of explicitness as those made in other countries, such as China, where you could find veiny pink dildos.

Not only was there your well-known rabbit, but you could enjoy the turtle, kangaroo, and beaver. Sex Educator, Alix Fox, spoke to the BBC, sharing that one company heavily invested in the Beaver believing that that was a design that would take off, “probably due to the cheeky pun”, but it was the rabbit became the “huge phenomenon” in part because of “the way the ears tickle the outside of the body.”

Cosmopolitan adds that the designers settled on the rabbit as the predominant toy as it is a symbol of luck in Japan, and potentially because the owner Shay Martin was born in the year of the rabbit. So it’s not just a toy for a good f*ck, but also good luck.

Rabbit vibes in the UK

A few years after the US began importing the Vibratex rabbit, in 1991 UK sex toy retailer, Ann Summers, launched its imitation version—the Rampant Rabbit. The store claims it sold one every two minutes, and today approximately 3,800 are sold per week.

Typically retailing at around thirty British Pounds, the British Rampant Rabbit has its own home-grown rivals on the market.

After discovering the Roger Rabbit in an East London Warehouse in 1992, Katherine Hoyle the co-founder of Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium, she updated the male-centric name into the Jessica Rabbit for the female market. And in 2019, renowned British ‘pound store’, Poundland, launched its own imitation, the Bonkin’ Bunny which sells for £5 a pop.

Why is it still so popular?

Thanks to its playful design, it’s likely the rabbit gained popularity for providing something unthreatening in the bedroom. Over the years, we have seen the rabbit go through many different tweaks and changes, while keeping the same basic premise.

The shaft

Of course, while the original design was non-realistic, today you can still choose between more penis-like designs or more abstract and ergonomic designs.

According to the Japanese manufacturer, the rabbit is originally made up of Honda parts, and in 1984, Vibratex created the Rabbit Pearl which had rotating balls inside the shaft to add sensation to the opening of the vagina.

Not only have there been rotating balls but the internal shaft has seen moving designs that thrust like the Lovehoney Dream and stroke such as the Lelo INA Wave, and even a rotating tip like the Evolved Remote Rotating Rabbit.

The ears

The clitoral stimulator was originally shaped with rabbit ears that are designed to hug around the clitoris and vibrate it side to side.

While the ears might have been the original marker of the rabbit, you can now find many rabbits whereby the ears are fused together. Fox suggests that women found that instead of “hugging” the clitoris, it “pinched” it — a sensation one may or may not enjoy depending on their pleasure preferences.

The good thing is that designs these days come in a variety of ergonomic shapes, for example, you may find more pointed stimulators which can feel good for the majority of people (2 out of 3) who enjoy direct clitoral stimulation. While other variations might include a wider flatter thumb-like flexible shape such as Je Joue’s Hera Flex rabbit for the remaining third who prefer more indirect and broader clitoral stimulation.

For an entirely different rabbit experience, you’ll find today many hosting a suction part in the replacement of the rabbit ears, such as Lora DiCarlo’s Osé. The Osé is also a unique rabbit in the sense that it uses a robotic finger to stroke the G-spot. [N.B. Lora DiCarlo files for bankruptcy).

The tech

In 2013, Ann Summers launched a “hands-free” Rampant Rabbit to allow users to sit back and enjoy the sensations. This design came without a handle and fit snugly over the clitoris and inside the vagina. Other hands-free designs also come with an app to remote control the vibrations.

Such as Kiiroo’s OhMiBod collab, the Fuse, which allows your partner to control your vibrator either using a dual-sync mode with their Teledildonic’s vibrator or Fleshlight or via an app.

Not to mention, Anna Lee’s Lioness—taking the animal theme to the next level—is a high-tech rabbit that is designed to measure your orgasms using an app. These are designed to give you feedback and data visualizations to figure out how to improve your orgasms.

Keep Reading

How to choose a rabbit vibrator

Depending on the type of pleasure and orgasm you are after, this will ultimately determine what rabbit vibrator you will want to choose.

First of all, do you know what type of stimulation you enjoy? You can determine this from masturbation, and whether you touch your clitoris directly or stroke around it. It’s important to know because more direct people out there will likely want harder and pinpointed rabbit ears. While indirect people may prefer soft and fluttering sensations or broader ears.

As you are investing in a rabbit, you’ll also want to know what type of G-spot stimulation you like. Are you someone who likes the feeling of being “filled”—then maybe you want a girthier shaft. Or perhaps you like the thrusting sensation—try a thrusting rabbit. Maybe you need strong G-spot stimulation—get one with a curved tip, or a finger-stroking one. If you find your G-spot too sensitive, stick with a straight and petite one. Or you might just need more warming up, in which case, there are also vibrating rabbits that gently warm-up too.

When self-pleasuring, only you will know what you like, so it’s worth exploring before investing. But the beauty of the rabbit is that you can choose whether to add more clitoral vibrations, more G-spot vibrations, or both at the same time to induce a blended orgasm.

How to use a rabbit vibrator

Before playing with any sex toy, it’s ideal that the body and the erotic mind are warmed up. This will allow the experience of penetration and clitoral stimulation to feel much more pleasurable.

Not only that, but it’s also a good idea to explore the different settings before you use it. You can test the strength of the clitoral bunny ears by giving it a “Vibrator Handshake” as Martin calls it. This is where you place your thumb and forefinger over the vibrator and sense the strength. Alternatively, you can touch it to your nose to feel how much it tickles and sense if the frequency is comfortable for you.

You could begin using the ears to warm up various erogenous zones on the body and around the vulva, teasing and getting closer to the clitoris.

Once the clit is engorged and aroused, massage some lubricant over the tip of the shaft and around the entrance of the vagina and begin to penetrate slowly.

Play around with the different settings to find a vibration pattern and strength that suits your needs. You might want a stronger clitoral, stronger G-spot, or both gentle, or both strong.

The motion for the rabbit is also important. Like the hands-free version, you can keep the rabbit still and let the vibrations do all the work. Use your pelvic floor muscles to contract around it and move the toy over your clitoris.

If you want more G-spot action, try rocking the toy backward and forwards, thrusting it with your hand, or using a thrusting version. If you want more clit action, try rolling the toy clockwise and anti-clockwise to allow the ears to rub over the clitoris intentionally. If you want some anal action, either grab a triple-threat rabbit or simply flip the ears from the clitoris (12 o’clock) to the anus (6 o’clock). Just be sure to clean the ears afterward to avoid cross-contamination from the anus to the vagina that may cause bacterial infections.

Settings and motions can change depending on your mood, the time of the month, or your level of arousal, so come to your self-pleasure with a curious mind each time. You might also want to bring a rabbit into the bedroom with a partner, so it’s important to know how to explain which setting and motions you like.

Nevertheless, whether you’re an animal lover or you simply want to try blended orgasms, there is clearly a whole warren of rabbits to choose from to suit your frisky needs.