Material World

Attitudes toward the sex toy industry have changed dramatically thanks to the Internet, making what was once a taboo subject pervasive in popular culture. In this episode, Lindsey and Jenny take a closer look at the $15 billion "adult product" market, with guests including Phil Harvey, who founded the adult store chain Adam & Eve in 1970 and explains to them how the industry has blossomed during the past 40 years. Challenges persist, however. As Babeland founder Claire Cavanah says, sometimes it's tough just to do basic banking. And Dame Products founders Alexandra Fine and Janet Lieberman tell our hosts that they used crowdfunding to make a new toy, but faced hurdles trying to advertise it.