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Sex toy: International success story for an Ottawa couple

The We Vibe 4 Plus which can be found at Sensual Flix in Ottawa is a hot selling sex toy with PG-rated roots.In 2003, Bruce Murison, was laid off from his high-tech job at the now bankrupt Nortel. Instead of looking for a new career, he focused his attention on something he had been quietly tinkering with in his basement in Ottawa.

He was working on his prototype of a vibrator couples can use together. The concept of the We Vibe was born one day when he and wife Melody, also a former Nortel employee, were coming up with possible inventions.

They joked about creating a vibrator and the idea somehow stuck. Melody says they then asked themselves the question, “Is there anything out there that a couple can share?”

Believing they found an un-tapped market, the Murisons did their research. That included visiting adult novelty stores in the Ottawa area including Sensual Flix.

“I remember the first sex toy store Sensual Flix in Ottawa that I dragged Melody into. We had never been to a sex toy store before we started this endeavour, so there was definitely a learning curve,” explained Bruce.

He also handed out surveys in downtown Ottawa to find out what women besides his wife Melody really wanted.

“I did whatever it took,” says Bruce. That included “getting nicely dressed government ladies opinions.”

Bruce adds that “Melody at the time was afraid that one of the neighbours would find out, see me and recognize me.”

Not knowing how their neighbours would react, the Murisons kept quiet about what Bruce was doing in his basement in Ottawa. Only their 2 daughters knew what they were doing; their six-year-old son was too young to understand.

It took years for him to get it right: scrapping numerous prototypes, miniaturizing the motors, fine-tuning the electronics and also “finding a shape that would conform to people’s bodies and not interfere with normal lovemaking.”

His final product: a small, C-shaped vibe that couples can enjoy together, simultaneously. They named it the We-Vibe. The We Vibe sex toy can be found in Ottawa at Sensual Flix.

With no money coming in at the time, the couple had mortgaged their home and took out three lines of credit. Bruce Murison said when they were finally ready to take the We Vibe device to market, “there was one grandiose moment where we said, ‘OK, after this point, we either have to sell at least 10,000 We-Vibes between now and March or we’re going to go bankrupt.'” The couple actually doubled that, selling 20,000 units in just 3 months in 2008.

Endorsements by celebrity sex experts from Canada’ Sue Johanson. to Dr. Laura Berman on the show Dr. Oz were huge boosts for the We Vibe. So was a mention on Oprah in a segment called Beginner’s guide to Erotica.

The toy was even added to the Oscars gift bag. 

The Murisons’ neighbours eventually found out their secret, but the couple had no reason to worry. Some asked for free samples and one of them sent flowers. “There was definitely alot of home town pride,” Melody says.

The Murisons began their business at home with just one employee. Now their company, Standard Innovation, has fourty three full-time staff. Millions of We-Vibes have sold across the globe including here in Ottawa at Sensual Flix and there’s now more than eight variations of the product.

The We Vibe has also garnered more than twenty international awards. The most recent: best couples sex toy for the We-Vibe 4 Plus at the Sexual Health Expo in Los Angeles California.

The We Vibe 4 Plus the latest We-Vibe model at Sensual Flix in Ottawa can be controlled using a phone app that allows one partner to operate the toy from miles away.

Bruce attributes the We Vibe success to the fact that it’s a small, non-intimidating device that “doesn’t alienate or replace the man. It makes sex better for both partners. So I don’t think men are threatened as they are by a phallic looking device.”

Tina, who first tried the We-Vibe with her boyfriend, agrees.

“It was his first sex toy ever. Men are a shy when it comes to these things,” she says, adding her boyfriend was enthusiastic about the We-Vibe 3 that included a remote control.

“You know that men love their remotes,” she says. “It definitely enhances their sexual experiences.”

Although they can’t divulge any details yet, the Murisons’ company Standard Innovation is working on more We-Vibe variations. “It is sort of a never ending process of improvement,” Bruce says.

The couple has no shame, just pride in what they have been able to achieve.

“A lot of people want to shake his hand to thank him,” Melody says.

The We Vibe 4 Plus can be found at Sensual Flix in Ottawa.