Amazing, mind-blowing facts about sex dolls

Sex dolls are one of the most modern, sophisticated and technologically advanced sex toys you could ever imagine. They intrigue and titillate, and millions of people around the world, straight, gay, bi, single, coupled and otherwise bring a sex doll into their home for mind-blowing, toe-curling sex, love, companionship and experimentation each year.

Even those who own a sex doll, have sex with it regularly and consider themselves something of a connoisseur on the subject of the ultimate in masturbation aids might be surprised to know that even Greek Gods weren’t immune to the lure of inanimate objects. Mythology tells us that the ancient Greek sculptor Pygmalion was so enamoured with his creation that he had sex with a statue he had created before she came to life. It’s a little out there, we know – but the point is that there are many amazing, mind-blowing (and yes, we admit it, downright weird) facts about sex dolls.

We’ve rounded up a few of our favourites here. How many of these did you already know? If you have a quirky, awesome or just plain strange fact we’ve missed, send us a message so we can add it in!

• They’re called Dutch Wives in Japan thanks to some salty sailors

Let’s start our fun trivia session in the Far East. In Japan, you’re likely to come across sex dolls but, they won’t have that name. The Japanese call them Dutch Wives. This moniker has its roots in the 17^th Century, when it is said that Dutch sailors had leather masturbation puppets that kept them warm on cold nights at sea.

This isn’t as farfetched as it sounds – the Dutch were key trading partners of the Japanese in the 1600s, with the Dutch East India Company setting up shop in Hirado, Nagasaki. The Dutch traded items such as spices and silk. There’s no word on whether the hand-sewn leather puppets were ever traded but they obviously made quite the impression as you’ll still here the name used today to refer to sex dolls.

• You can also visit a sex doll brothel in Japan

It’s said to be the world’s oldest profession but prostitution has a very modern competitor in the form of sex doll brothels.

• Barbie isn’t as innocent as you might think

Sure, she’s the poster girl for wholesome, all-American family fun today but Barbie’s origins aren’t quite as sweet and innocent. Long before she was living in her Malibu mansion with Ken, Barbie was actually a German actress who inspired the creation of an erotic doll for men.

• Avant-Garde artists like Salvador Dali were inspired by sex dolls

Avant-garde art perhaps isn’t the first thing that naturally springs to mind when talking about sex dolls, but the aesthetic and appeal of the doll has inspired artists for decades. The Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali for example participated in an exhibition of surrealist art in Bordeaux in 1938.  One of the installations saw a range of artists, including Dali and American-born visual artist May Ray dress a female mannequin. Many of the mannequins were highly sexualised, with May Ray’s contribution being half naked. The controversial artist later went on to claim that some mannequins had been ‘violated’ by the artists themselves.

• It wasn’t legal to buy a sex doll through the mail in the USA until the 1960s

The Comstock Laws, passed in 1873, by President Grant’s administration made it illegal to send items including contraceptives and sex toys through the US mail. This law wasn’t repealed until the decade of free love, the 1960s. In 1968, it finally became legal to send sex dolls through the US Postal Service – something which meant dolls could be freely advertised in porn magazines for the first time.

• Howard Stern had sex with a sex doll live on the radio

Mainstream America got its first real introduction to sex dolls in the 1990s, when US radio host Howard Stern had sex with a doll live on air. Living up to his shock jock persona, Stern broadcast a week’s worth of shows all dedicated to his new toy and declared the doll his best sex ever, saying “This is my best lay ever! I swear to God.”

• Another American married his

If you’re a regular in sex doll circles, you’ll probably need no introduction to Davecat. In real life he’s a data entry specialist who lives in Michigan. Online, he’s a celebrity of the sex doll circuit. After declaring ‘organic women’ too much hassle, Davecat is now the proud owner of three dolls. What makes this particular sex doll user stand out is Davecat has a cult following, all based on the fact he married his first sex doll, calls her his wife and has two new sex doll ‘intimate companions’ who share his spacious Michigan pad.

• Did Adolf Hitler order dolls to be designed?

This rumour is unsubstantiated, but it has been said that as part of his war machine, Adolf Hitler ordered sex dolls to be designed for his troops during World War Two. It’s said that the project was code-named Borghild Project and had been dreamt up in order to stop the spread of syphilis amongst German troops who were fighting on the front line.

• Sex dolls aren’t just toys for boys

It’s fair to say that back in the day, most sex doll owners were men but that doesn’t necessarily hold true today. As a result of the Covid pandemic, more couples and women have started to experiment with sex dolls, either alone or as part of their together time. This is due in part to the growing number of super realistic male sex doll designs that are now available to buy.

• The first sex doll brothel opened its doors in 2017

Prostitution is said to be the world’s oldest profession but, it’s recently been given a futuristic makeover. The world’s first ever sex doll brothel opened its doors in Germany in 2017 with a team of 13 female sex dolls and one male sex doll. Each doll cost around $100 per session, with any one doll working for around 12 sessions per day. Since that first brothel, many others have opened including one building in Barcelona that gives visitors the choice between a sex doll or real-life sex worker.

• A South Korean club replaced spectators with sex dolls in 2020

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, a South Korean soccer team used sex dolls in place of human fans to make its empty football stadium appear fuller during a match. The club was FC Seoul, a top-flight side and they used 28 female dolls and two male sex dolls during their first home game match of the season. Eagle-eyed spectators at home noticed that some of the dolls were subtly advertising X-rated sites on their clothing, leading to complaints.

The club said it had been offered the dolls as ‘mannequins’ and hadn’t realised the ‘very realistic’ dolls were in fact sex dolls. It was fined $81,300 by the K League.

• Many Hollywood movies feature sex dolls

Sex dolls are no stranger to the big screen. In fact, many Hollywood movies have featured a sex doll or two. Perhaps the most well-known is the 2007 Ryan Gosling led Lars and the Real Girl. The sex doll is the star of the show here, with the storyline focusing on Lars’ relationship with his doll. It gets a decent 7.3 out of 10 on IMDB so is well worth checking out if you like a quirkier rom com.

• Future sex dolls will be able to flirt back

We’ve come a long way since those leather Dutch Wives. Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, future sex dolls will be able to walk, talk and flirt, plus they’ll be able to learn what you like and don’t like, making them even more realistic companions.

• In Texas it’s legal to buy a gun in store but not a sex doll

In some American states, including Texas it’s legal to work into a store and buy a firearm but illegal to buy a sex toy, including a sex doll. It’s illegal to openly display sex toys in store, thanks to a 1970 law which states that ‘obscene devices’ (defined as devices that are “primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs”) must not be openly displayed. Coincidently, it’s also illegal to own six or more vibrators. While sex toy retailers successfully sued the state almost a decade ago, the law remains in place.