Topco Sales' Commitment To Green

By Annalee Wooster

January 2008 marks Topco Sales' 35th anniversary in the adult novelties business. To commemorate this exciting milestone, Topco Sales has announced their "Commitment to Green." RoHS and WEEE compliance, wastewater filtration, recycling and solar energy are a few of the ways Topco Sales is working towards reducing their carbon footprint and demonstrating their ecological awareness.

"As a leader in adult novelty manufacturing for 35 years, we now look ahead to the next 35 years—and beyond. We understand the importance of being environmentally conscious and the responsibility we have as one of the world's largest novelty manufacturers. Topco Sales' 'Commitment to Green' will help shed a positive light on the adult toy industry as a whole. It starts at the top and our efforts will benefit our distributors, online retailers, brick and mortar stores and ultimately the end-user," says Desiree Duffie, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Topco Sales.

Topco Sales prides itself on complying fully with all city, county, state and federal regulations as well as all European Directives. They test every product internally in a state-of-the-art RoHS test facility maintained by the Quality and Engineering Departments to ensure 100% compliance. Products manufactured by Topco Sales are WEEE compliant, meaning that our products meet or exceed the EU hazardous materials disposal requirements for electronics, batteries and electro-mechanical devices. Topco Sales recycles all obsolete and non-functioning electronic equipment, including CRTs. Usable excess materials are made available to secondary markets which recycle them into products such as carpet padding and furniture stuffing.

"We have some excellent opportunities to do our part in reducing our waste stream, and utilizing renewable and non-consumable energy sources," said K.C. McCarthy, Director of Special Projects, Production and Engineering. "The greatest challenge is focusing on the options that produce the best long-term results with the fastest implementation."

The Topco Sales' manufacturing facility is equipped with a fluid waste clarifier which filters water so their sewage meets all local wastewater regulations. They have reduced package sizes and repacked many products into disposable PVC-free clam shells and trays rather than boxes. Embossing clamshells with a plastics recycling rating grade stamp is being considered for the future. Diligently working toward a more paperless office, Topco Sales shreds and properly disposes of all excess office paper and all cardboard is recycled. Switching to florescent light bulbs continues to help Topco Sales save on energy costs.

Looking forward, Topco Sales is evaluating solar photo-voltaic power generation to provide electricity and to heat water for the entire facility. They are also in the process of acquiring a fluorescent tube disposal system which captures hazardous vapors and gases for safe disposal, and allows the glass to be recycled. A line of eco-friendly toys is in the works.

"The Commitment to Green initiative is a natural extension of the other policies and procedures that we have spearheaded," says Scott Tucker, CEO of Topco Sales. "For example, we took the lead on RoHS and WEEE compliance long before they become mandatory. We are proud to be one of the only industry manufacturers to have an FDA registered laboratory. And now we forge the trail in our industry with our 'Commitment to Green.'"

Celebrity Moldings

By Desiree Duffie

Topco Sales® is known as being the makers of the original CyberSkin®, as the manufacturers of the world famous Love Swing®, and for being a true leader in the adult novelty arena. But when people get a chance to ask questions about Topco Sales®, inevitably the conversations turns to the mysterious topic of - celebrity moldings.

How do you pick the people to mold? What is the mixture made of? How do the men stay…ah…up to the challenge? How does it feel to be molded…does it seep into unexpected areas? Is it sticky? How long does it take? How many celebrities has Topco Sales® molded?

As the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Topco Sales®, I've made it my mission to find the answers. A Topco Sales® insider and expert in the field will reveal to us the esoteric realm of molding the private parts of porn stars. His name is Tony Hernandez and he is the Director of Research and Development at Topco Sales®. He has been making molds and replica pieces for seventeen years. His very first celebrity molding was Nina Hartley. Tony confessed to me that Nina did something while being molded that no other celebrity has ever been able to do since…I'll reveal what that is a little later on.

Others molded in those early days include Chasey Lain and Jenna Jameson; they were the second and third celebrities to ever be molded by Topco Sales®. Over the years hundreds of others have had their bits and pieces cast to make a variety of toys. Pussies, asses, penises, breasts, full buttocks, mouths and lips, virtually any and all body parts have been cast to make toys made out of CyberSkin®, silicone, Jel-lee®, Sensafirm™ and other materials.

I asked Tony to explain the first steps of the process.

Tony: We request that they come in pre-shaved. Both men and women need to be totally bare down there. Many of them think that the mixture will stick to them, but it won't and I almost always have to reassure them that it won't be sticky.

Who do you mold, are they all porn stars?

Tony: Not all of them are celebrities. Some of them are regular people we hire. We use them to make a variety of realistic strokers and dildos so that the toys are as realistic as possible. Most of them, though, are either porn stars or models in the adult world. And those people are the most challenging because we strive to make those replica pieces completely true-to-life.

What is the mixture made of?

Tony: I can't tell you exactly what the ingredients are, it is a secret recipe that we developed in-house. I can tell you that it has just the right consistency to capture every nook and cranny to create the most realistic pieces on the market. It is non-toxic and totally safe. We call it 'pancake batter', because that is what it feels like.

I'll never look at a stack of flapjacks the same again! So tell me, what do you do to make sure the 'pancake batter' doesn't seep inside any place that it shouldn't?

Tony: It doesn't do that. It won't go inside the human body. However there was one time that I thought it might. We molded a woman—who out of respect will remain nameless—and she had a surprisingly large opening. It was the largest I ever saw. I was afraid that it was too big and the mixture might enter her, but it didn't. Nothing got inside. The consistency of the batter combined with the body's natural reflex keeps it from seeping in.

How long does it take to mold someone?

Tony: The actual amount of time the batter takes to set is about ten minutes. Considering we have to prep the area, apply the mixture, spread it out, let it set, then carefully remove it, the entire process takes about a half hour.

How do you remove the mold from the body? Does it ever stick?

Tony: We use lubricant to prep the area before the pancake batter is applied. This makes the removal process very easy.

What does the pancake batter feel like?

Tony: It is warm, not tacky or sticky, just sort of gooey. Most people we mold actually describe the feeling as being very pleasant. As a matter of fact, many of them fall asleep while on the molding table. As it sets it cools, going from warm, to lukewarm, to cold.

Where exactly do the moldings take place? What does the facility look like?

Tony: There is a special room at the Topco Sales facility in Chatsworth, California. It is private and unassuming. It has a table similar to one you would find in a doctor's office, but it is padded and comfortable. The room is small, without a lot of distractions. One of the reasons it needs to be small is so we can easily control the temperature.

Why do you need to control the temperature?

Tony: The people being molded are naked, and could easily get cold. For men it is especially important for them not to get chilly as they have to retain their erection throughout the process.

Shrinkage, right?

Tony: Right, we want the men, some of which are known for their big size, to have an authentic replica. It is very important for it to be as hard as possible.

How do they get hard in the first place? Are there fluffers?

Tony: A lot of times they will bring someone with them, a wife, girlfriend, boyfriend; someone to help them. Once in awhile they use magazines or are just able to do it on their own.

So do they have to stay erect for ten minutes until the batter sets?

Tony: If they can stay hard for at least three minutes we can get a good impression. The batter does tend to decrease them a little. To make sure we get the right length and girth we measure them at their maximum and compare those dimensions to the mold. If we have to we can make adjustments to the size of the mold so it is true-to-life.

Have you had any 'super men' that you have molded? Someone who rose to the occasion and stayed that way without any problems?

Tony: We have had a few. Lex Steele comes to mind first. He had no problems getting up and staying that way. It was amazing. And for someone like him who is truly known for being big, it was very important so that his piece would be the right size. Rocco Siffredi also was very impressive. He stayed erect the entire time. Recently Tommy Gunn was molded and he did very well, too.

So the men obviously have-to-do what they have-to-do to prepare to be molded, what about the women? They don't need any fluffing, right?

Tony: Depends upon the woman. We've had some women have sex right before we spread the batter on them. Right there on the table they had sex so that the area becomes engorged. They want their toys to feel just like a real vagina does when you have sex.

Is there anything else you do to make the pieces as realistic as possible?

Tony: Well I said that the mixture is warm when we apply it, but there have been times when we cool it down before application so that the skin forms goose bumps and we get the realism of the skin's texture. Once the toy is made we have skilled artists and craftsmen who paint the individual pieces by hand. They pay attention to every detail and capture the exact skin tones and nuances.

So what is the most memorable molding moment over the past seventeen years?

Tony: There are so many. I remember the time we had six women come in to be molded in one day—that is the all-time record at Topco Sales®—a very busy day. But to tell you the truth, the most memorable has to be the very first molding I ever did for Topco Sales; Nina Hartley. She did something that no other person has ever been able to accomplish while being molded, and I will never forget it. Once the mixture was prepared and spread over her vagina, she laid back and put both feet high in the air and spread her legs. The amazing thing is she stayed that way, spread eagle, for a full half hour while the mixture hardened. She was so relaxed and comfortable…she just kicked back and read a book while she waited. I have never since seen any woman who could hold that pose for that long. Most of them start shaking after just a little bit and sometimes their legs have to be held in place. Nina was just amazing!

As amazing as the molding process is, the real question is: What kind of a market is there for replica sex toys? People often wonder if a celebrity component helps increase the sales of certain sex toys. As the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Topco Sales®, I can tell you that we see a definite benefit to making the replica pieces. Take Lex Steel for example, his massive manhood is famous and women are very interested to see exactly what it is like to be with Lex. One of the best-selling Topco Sales® replica pieces is Carmen Luvana's Pussy and Ass under the Adam & Eve® Signature Toy® Line. Fans of her movies can actually experience what it is like to be with her while watching her movies. But we don't just assume that a celebrity on the packaging will increase sales, we also do research to see what consumer's reactions are to porn star replica toys, and we carefully analyze our return on investment when marketing a celebrity piece as compared to a generic toy.

There are big benefits to brick and mortar stores as they can take advantage of the popularity of celebrities by placing molded toys near the movie section. Offering a stroker as an up-sell item is also advantageous to retailers. If a website is selling DVDs, they should also provide toys that go with them and make product suggestions that compliment specific movie purchases. Replica toys are a great way to increase sales.

In the future you can expect to see many more molded replica pieces from Topco Sales®. Recently several celebrity moldings have been done in preparation for an expansion under the Wildfire® line of products. Coming soon are pieces molded from Tommy Gunn, Marco Banderas and Katie Morgan. For Adam & Eve®'s Signature Toy® Line, replicas of Bree Olson and Roxie Reynolds are being made. The Penthouse® Pet Collection will have new addition from Kimberly Williams. Chi Chi LaRue's Rascal™ Toy line consists of six replica pieces right now and will have Blake Riley added to the mix very soon. Other stars to watch for include Olivia O'Lovely, Brittany Andrews and Kayden Kross.

Celebrity replica pieces are incredibly popular right now and the fascination that the public has for them will never go away. To think that as you hold a CyberSkin® penis molded from Marco Banderas, with that amazingly realistic feel that only CyberSkin® has, that it is exactly what Marco feels like…well that is truly tantalizing.

Topco Sales® and Penthouse® VARIATIONS™ Present Four New Racy Leather Cock Jackets

NovelTease™ from Topco Sales® Tells-It-Like-It-Is with Flirting and Rating Flash Cards