sex

"I never in a million years imagined I would be a dildo designer."

Bonny Hall originally had dreams of becoming an archaeologist.

Now, 14 years on, she is the Product Development Director at Lovehoney, one of the largest online sex toy retailers, and spends her days designing a range of enticing sex toys for customers.

Bonny fell into the unconventional career by accident, but the love for her job has only grown stronger every year.

“I was [Lovehoney’s] first employee and I did everything when I started – picking, packing, customer care, ordering and content. It was all hands on deck,” she told Mamamia.

So, how sexual do you have to be to spend your days designing dildos for men and women all over the world?

Turns out, being sexual is not a prerequisite to being a sex toy designer. Image via iStock.
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Bonny revealed it's less about sexuality and more about being open to new experiences and people.

"I think I'm a very open, honest person and that goes hand in hand with what I'm doing. You have to be the sort of person that completely throws yourself into the industry," she said,

"I'm fascinated by sex but I wouldn't say I'm any more sexual than the next person." (Post continues after gallery.)

The number one rule of designing sex toys? Never judge a book by it's cover.

"Every single person out there is different - one person's kink is another person's pet hate," she said.

That means that inspiration comes in the weirdest and most wonderful of places, with multiple staff members offering up suggestions for names for each product.

"We find inspiration everywhere - from homeware items, to kitchen and bathroom gadgets to beauty products!" she said.

benefits of masturbation
Bonny says inspiration for the toys comes from anywhere and everywhere. Image via iStock.
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That doesn't mean that every product passes the test; Bonny reveals she once developed a product called the "Rockbox Finger" that didn't quite meet quality standards.

"I was involved in the development, but not the design... it was actually based on the technology behind a pumpkin knife that moves up and down incredibly fast," she said.

Madison shares the household items you can use to spice up your sex life. (Post continues after audio.)

"Sadly, the downside of the speed of movement was the sheer volume of noise it made. When we first showed it at a trade show, we marketed it with noise-cancelling headphones. That should have been a sign we were on the wrong track..."

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So how do the products Bonny designs and develops get tested? There's a panel of "secret testers" that are involved at all stages of product development.

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"The identities of the sex toy testers are kept top secret." Image via iStock.

"There identities are top secret...we use code names for them," she said.

"Some are internal staff and others are trusted members of our forums whom we've been working with for many years. During the development time a tester may be asked to try three or four different versions with small tweaks being made each time to shape, size, function and material."

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sex toy
The best part about being a sex to designer? It has nothing to do with sex. Image via iStock.

While many might have their own ideas about the best part of designing sex toys, Bonny revealed hers is a little more...traditional.

"The travel is fascinating," she said.

"We go all over the world, meeting so many different, inspiring people. It's great to work in an industry that never stays the same."