Quarantine “O” Awards Celebrate Internal Stimulation

LOS ANGELES—Sex toys become even more important when you’re stuck inside. The 2021 “O” Awards recognized the best of the adult novelty market for a particularly challenging year. “If you do it wrong, it’s just another dick in a box,” noted “O” co-host Kim Airs before introducing the nominees for Best Packaging. “But this one is special.” For the past dozen years, The “O”s have been a high point of the annual Adult Novelty Expo, and Wednesday’s virtual presentation, a streamlined 13-award affair in which Airs shared hosting duties with adult performer Aila Donovan, underlined how tight-knit a community the adult novelty world is. “The sex toy part of the business is like a bunch of cousins in a dysfunctional family,” Airs says. Indeed, many of the winners made a point of thanking Airs, a 27-year industry vet, as well as their competition. That packaging award went to XGEN's Secret Kisses Noire Chic Romance Set, a gift collection that contains a bullet vibe, lacy mask, and pasties to be toted in a velvety lip-shaped clutch. Other awards included both Outstanding External and Outstanding Internal Stimulators (Shots America’s Twitch Innovation and Satisfyer’s Heat Wave, respectively), and Outstanding Body or Skin Care Line, which went to Sliquid’s Soak Luxurious Bubble Bath. The in-person “O” Awards, like all adult awards shows, can be raucous, so the 2021 virtual version, though tame by comparison and clocking in at 28 minutes, offered a couple of innovations. “First off, we’ve never had a co-host that was a porn star,” says Airs, who had “a delightful time” working on bits with Donovan. “It makes perfect sense.” For example, Donovan prefaced the nominees for Best Supplement (which went to SwissNavy Sensual Arousal Lubricant) with, “You don’t need boner pills if you’re with me, but just in case you’re not…” Earlier, before presenting Outstanding Anal Product (which went to Zero Tolerance’s Shape Shifter), Airs grabbed the lithe hips of a willing Donovan to demonstrate. (“When we were planning, I told Aila that I’d bend over,” Airs says, “but she was like, ‘Oh, I’m more than comfortable doing that.’”) Airs accepted a handful of awards on behalf of winners who couldn’t Zoom in. She opened her first Grand Opening female-friendly adult retail store in Brookline, Mass., in 1993. A West Hollywood version opened a decade later. Airs name-dropped most of the personnel of the winning companies because, she says, “everybody knows everybody.” Many of last night’s winners, whether native toy companies such as Nasstoys and Sliquid or the novelty imprints of studios such Wicked and Zero Tolerance, have been industry players for years. Says Airs, who proudly carries dildos on her motorcycle and admits to being amazed that she’ll be turning 63 at the end of the week, “I can’t wait until we can hug each other again.” Click here to see the full broadcast on AVN Stars. ANE, presented by Satisfyer, continues through Friday with a full slate of meetings, presentations and educational seminars. The “O” Awards were part of the all-digital 2021 AVN Show. 2021 "O" Award winners: Outstanding Accessory Product or LineThe Traveler 10 Pieces Restraint & Bondage Play Kit (Nasstoys) Outstanding Anal ProductShape Shifter (Zero Tolerance) Outstanding Body or Skin Care LineSliquid Soak Luxurious Bubble Bath (Sliquid) Outstanding External StimulatorTwitch Innovation (Shots America) Outstanding InnovationWhisperz Voice Activated 10x Vibe Egg & Remote (XR Brands) Outstanding Internal StimulatorHeat Wave (Satisfyer) Outstanding Lingerie Item or CollectionMidnight Mirage (Penthouse Collection) Outstanding Lubricant Product or LineSimply Hybrid Jelle (Wicked Sensual Care) Outstanding Marketing CampaignDucky Doolittle’s Education Series (Blush) Outstanding Non-Powered ProductControl Intimate Therapy Deep Comfort (Pipedream Products) Outstanding PackagingNoire Secret Kisses (XGEN) Outstanding Powered ProductStarstruck Romance (Jopen) Outstanding Supplement or EnhancementSwissNavy Sensual Arousal Lubricant (MD Science Lab)