New York Mayor Bloomberg’s office shut down the Trojan Company’s “Pleasure Carts” recently, just as the company started distributing 10,000 free vibrators to promote its new product lines.
The shutdown occurred, the city said, because the sex-toy giveaway carts lacked city permits and attracted too many people.
Trojan, best known for its condoms, was set to distribute its new sex toys using hot-dog-style carts. Distribution began from carts in two locations, and lines of 300 people–mostly women but some men–quickly formed at each cart. The activities were “prematurely interrupted” by the city, according to the New York Post. “The decision to nix the giveaway clearly caused the mayor’s voter satisfaction ratings to plummet among the empty-handed thrill seekers,” the Post said.
One woman claimed the right to a vibrator. “I’m 57 years old. I should be able to get a vibrator!” she fumed. Another blamed a nanny-state attitude. “Bloomberg doesn’t want anyone to have fun,” she said. “You can’t have a giant soda; you can’t have a vibrator.”
Source: Amber Sutherland, Jennifer Bain and Todd Venezia, “City officials pull the plug on vibrator giveaway, leaving thousands dissatisfied,” New York Post, August 9, 2012
Maureen Martin, a former legal fellow at The Heartland Institute, passed away on February 5, 2013.
