With the upcoming release of Hysteria from Sony Pictures Classics, everyone is all in a tizzy – or should we say “In hysterics” – about where the vibrator came from, why it was invented, and how it came to be the lovely little masterpiece it is today.

As the official partner for the release of Hysteria, we thought we’d help out Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Darcy with a little Vibrator History 101.

You can read more about it on our Hysteria page (where you can also enter to our Hysteria contest to win $500 gift card or one of our Hysteria Collection Pleasure Sets).

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE VIBRATOR

Victorian Era

1869 – George Taylor, M.D. is credited with patenting one of the first vibrators, a steam-powered invention, the “Manipulator.”

1880 – Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville patents the first electromechanical vibrator.

1902 – The American company Hamilton Beach patents the first electric vibrator available for retail sale.

Turn of the Century

1902-1920’s – Vibrators are sold in women’s health and fashion as “home-health” devices.

1920 – The appearance of vibrators in “stag films” lifts the veil on their sexual uses, driving the market underground.

Sexual Revolution

1960’s – Vibrators reemerge as pleasure accessories during the sexual revolution.

1977 – Good Vibrations opens its doors, marking the beginning of the clean, well lit “Sex Positive” retail movement.

The HBO Era

1998 – Sex and the City puts the ICONIC RABBIT in the spotlight, mainstreaming the conversation of the product.

The Age of Jimmyjane

2004 – Jimmyjane launches its Premiere Collection into premium lingerie stores, department stores and design concept shops

2006– Jimmyjane introduces FORM 6, the first truly waterproof vibrator with cordless charging

2009-2011 – Jimmyjane launches the Pleasure to the People Series, expanding the reach and possibilities of the FORM line.

2012 – Sony Pictures Classics releases Hysteria, a film about the invention of the vibrator.