Mr. Hankey Toys is an adult lifestyle company who design phallic dildos that are available in all shapes and sizes. Their product’s are made with the finest selection of 100% platinum silicone which is phthalate free, odourless and completely body safe, they are literary made to last you a life time. Mr. Hankey Toys products are designed to be compatible with the Vac-U-Lock system so that can be used with harnesses, suction cups, handles, hand grips and so much more. This is a VIP Interview With Mr. Hankey himself who is a partner of the company.
Tell me about yourself
I go by the name Mr. Hankey and am a partner in the Company, I am 40 years old. I choose to remain anonymous because I am involved with other types of businesses and services in the community that would not be very accepting of my current position at Mr. Hankey’s Toys. I appear pretty normal from the outside but have a pretty twisted mind, talking to me you would never guess though. At work I am all business and in “work mode”, outside of work I am rarely ever very serious about anything.
What inspired you to begin your business Mr Hankey Toys?
There are really not very many manufacturer’s that produce large, platinum silicone toys. I was disappointed in the (lack of) customer service with some, wait times with others and (lack of) new ideas and creativity with the rest. I never really meant for this to grow as quickly as it has, I started off with one toy, the “Mr. Hankey” and sold it. People bought it and liked it so I made more and more. I have always had other means to support myself financially so doing this on the side was just a hobby. It took a long time and a lot of money before it turned a profit. You have to buy silicone in 55 gallon drum kits (110 gallons) to be able to turn a profit, we purchase about 3-4 drum kits at a time now and convert them into pails that are loaded into our machine. I remember when I released the Mr. Hankey, I used to purchase 1 gallon kits. I was happy if I sold 1 a week. Now we can barely keep up.
What character traits do you feel you needed to create your own company?
I am extremely disciplined and understand the importance of long term outlook and strategy. I also understand that I sell to a niche market and not one that might do particularly well in your typical run-of-the-mill adult store so I am very picky about the retailers we sell to and we reject almost all retail sellers that approach us except for a select few. I am very honest and run a very tight, clean and efficient business. We understand that customers want a high quality product at a low price so that’s what I offer. Silicone is never cheap but if you compare our price (by weight) we are lower than everyone else out there. Our customer service is flawless; all emails go directly to me and I answer each and every one, sometimes instantly but usually no later than within a couple hours. Our shipping time is nearly next day, we manufacture and ship as quickly as possible. If a customer has a special request, we always try to accommodate. We treat each customer like they were the only customer we have and will ever have.
What are your favourite quote/s that inspire you?
I can’t think of any quotes off the top of my head. I don’t hang pictures in my shop that say “Success” or “Goals” or anything cheesy like that. What inspires me is treating it like a game and trying to grow it and make it something that I can retire doing, I really love what I do and find the whole process of building the Company to be extremely satisfying and fun. I have a GED so you have to realize that getting this far has far exceeded my own personal expectations (and the expectations of others as well), I guess I have been pretty good at self-educating myself between high school and now. I have a son that is probably my greatest reason to succeed with the Company. No matter what, I have decided that the money will be there if he chooses to go to college, that was not something that was available for me at any point. He will have a much different upbringing than I had and I hope he does not take that for granted.
How long does it take to design a Mr Hankey Toy?
It used to take about a week to design and release a toy, now it takes about 6-8 weeks typically. Most of the process is proprietary, that’s why our toys look different and have so much detail and unique properties. I can say that I send a basic idea with dimensions to our designer in San Francisco and they take if from their, it comes back for final approval and there may be some changes made then it starts to go into production mode. Once it’s ready it goes to the photographer then we list it on the site. It has become an extremely costly process to develop a toy from start to finish but with the added costs also comes constantly better toys so I believe the added cost has been well worth it. I do have to give much credit to our designer, he never compromises on quality and is excellent at what he does, we are very lucky to have him working with us.
All your toys are made with 100% platinum silicone, though not all platinum silicone is the same. What types of platinum silicone do you use and what are their benefits?
What people should actually understand is that there are no toys that are made of medical grade platinum silicone. If a company says they are using medical grade silicone they are probably not. You cannot take one of our toys and have a surgeon implant it in your chest. Most plat silicone is not ISO rated skin safe either although I will say that other formulations of silicone may very well be skin safe, they have just not undergone the rigorous testing needed to earn that certification. All in all, if you buy a platinum silicone product, I would not be too concerned about it’s safety, even if it’s a lower quality platinum silicone. The toys you want to avoid are the mass produced, stinky stuff that’s sold at most adult stores. That stuff is nasty. We use a USA produced ISO 10993-10 certified skin safe silicone although I would not say that it is generally any safer than any of our competitors that don’t use an ISO rated skin safe USA manufactured platinum silicone. Platinum silicone is generally safe whether it comes with certification or not. Let me add a note that I do not and would not trust that any product that is labelled platinum silicone that originates from outside the US, especially China, is actually platinum silicone, the ability to confirm and QC any raw material that comes from outside the US is almost impossible. In general, you also don’t want to buy tin-cure silicone. If the toy is simply labelled “silicone” then you really don’t know what it is and it is probably not platinum silicone. If you are looking for a silicone toy, you want to buy “Platinum-cure Silicone or Platinum Silicone” both are the same thing and it’s the absolute best material you can choose when buying a sex toy.
Your toys can be used with a removable testicle attachment named the “Mr Hankey’s Remove-O-Balls” so people can experience the natural feeling of testicles slapping or smacking your body during penetrative play. Do you find that people enjoy the feeling and sound of natural sex which adds to the experience?
The Remove O Balls are great on any sex machine or when used in a motion that will get them swinging and smacking. It’s pretty hard to find toys that have balls that will actually move and smack. Yes, to answer the question, when used in a particular way I do believe that the ROB’s add to the experience.
All your toys can be used with sex machine and strap-ons due to their compatibility with the Vac-U-Lock system. This adds incredibly functionality, does a customer needs to purchase it at check out in order for it to work or are they able to use the toy and then buy one later?
The vac-u-lock option is just a hole. You add your own attachment. I always suggest buying the toy with the hole just in case you do ever want to use it with any type of attachment such as a sex machine or strap-on. The holes cannot be added later, they are cast into the toy. If you try to drill or cut a hole into the back of the toy it will most likely cause your toy to split over time.
What other features would you recommend that you can add to a Mr Hankey Toy? (For example, suctions cups, handles, cock rings etc)
There have not been too many new additions to vac-u-lock attachments that I have seen. There is a suction cup that is readily available online along with a handle I have seen. People need to get creative sometimes and invent their own stuff, like a handle. The mass marketed stuff out there is just not that great and very unimaginative. Really, for the people using my toys, I would recommend a machine (Orgasm Alley) or/and a strap-on (Unisex – Corey Jay harness by Mr. S). Well worth the money and will spice up your sex life quite a bit.
Can Mr Hankey Toys be used for temperature play? Can I place it in cold water with ice cubes or in some warm water?
Sure, you can toss them in a freezer or put them in a microwave. Silicone will retain heat for quite a while. 2 minutes in the microwave and see how you like it. Add more time if you want it hotter. Silicone won’t melt like rubber or plastic, you can heat up hotter than you can ever want or should (don’t blame me if you get burnt).
What types of people would you recommend use the Medium Firm and the 75% Soft Level Firm?
There’s not a huge difference between the two but enough that I would consider the 75% (the softer formula) to be preferred by those that like their toys on the softer side or are trying to get a toy to fit a little easier, the softer formula will squish and bend and form to your body a bit easier. The Med-Firm (firm formula) is for those that like their toys on the firmer side and may be a bit more experienced or want to “feel” bumps and texture a bit more. Most people buy the 75% formula and that’s what I would recommend unless you know that you like your toys on the firm side.
What are your best sellers?
The Hogg has always done well, that one has a very unique shape that people like. We are currently resizing the Hogg and will be offering it in a total of 5 sizes, it’s currently only offered in 1 size. They all sell relatively well, some better than others but overall they all still do well, even our first toy, Mr. Hankey. The shape and size are going to be what makes a person really like their toy or not, people need to think about what they like when they are buying a toy. Do they want it to get wider at the base? A small head, a giant head? Lots of texture or smooth? Fat or skinny? Long or short? Those are the questions people need to ask when they are shopping, we have something for almost everyone and offer a lot of different shapes.
If you would like to learn more information read our guide on silicone and sex toy materials.
Meet Sexpert, our full-time sex blogger! With a background in women’s lifestyle blogs, she brings expertise to Adultsmart and runs Good Girl Guide too.