THE UNCANNY VALLEY AND THE MOST AMAZING BALLS! Sinthetics makers Matt Krivicke and Bronwen Keller help Sandra explore the world of the most lifelike, anatomically correct silicone dolls on the market. But first, comedian Kurt Braunohler weighs in.
TOPICS: Judgment, Fantasy, Threesomes, Mannequins and Art Pieces, Lars and the Real Doll, Ownership, Origins, Art, Life Saving, Creepy Factor, Torso Sex, Penis Size, Teledildonics, Robotics, Male Dolls, Replicating Life, Mad Scientist, Penis Molding, Labia Art, Vulva Perfume, Bags of Buttholes, Vagankle, Doll Gape, Doll Tongue, Collectors, Forums and Community, Loneliness, Client Stories, Compassion, Body Mechanics, and How to Meet the Dolls!
Matt Krivicke: Sculpture, Development, Production: Matt currently does the sculpting, development, finishing and photography for Sinthetics [NSFW Link]. He is a trained commercial artist with a long background in manufacturing, development, design, licensing and production.Â
He graduated top of his class from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1993, then moved to San Diego, where he helped develop a sculpting studio for a costume company. After that he moved on to another Halloween company, where he did original designs and licensed product for Lord of the Rings, Lucasfilm, and other big names. In 2006 he entered the doll industry full time, which brought his toy design to a halt.Â
He was excited to enter the doll industry because he would have better control over the finished product than he had in the mass-market manufacturing for Halloween and toys. At the end of 2010, he joined Sinthetics as sculptor with specialized experience to create the Josie Stevens doll. At the end of the day, being part of a team whose shared vision is excellence is the most rewarding, because it allows us all to keep pushing ourselves to our maximum potential where “good” is just not good enough.
Bronwen Keller: Make-up, Styling, Quality Control, PR, & Customer Service: Bronwen is the company make-up artist, doll stylist, and primary customer service/PR rep. If you have questions about our product, chances are you’re working with Bronwen on it.Â
Her background is in fashion and design. She has studied architecture, fine arts, interior design, environmental design and theatrical design at various schools including the School of Visual Arts in NYC, San Diego State University and the NewSchool of Architecture in San Diego. Bronwen will be pursuing a degree in Anthropology with a focus on human sexuality.Â
She enjoys working with clients to create their dreams, and learning about what makes doll ownership so valuable to them. Everyone has a different story.
Those who know the company quickly find out that the owners and employees are all friends, and Matt and Bronwen are a couple. They have all found a great community within the industry and have consciously decided to stick with it because of the people and friendships that have developed over the years.
Kurt Braunohler hails from the backwater diners of Neptune, NJ. He moved to Baltimore, then Brooklyn, and now resides in the city of broken dreams, L.A.
Kurt was named a “Comic To Watch†by Variety, TimeOut NY, TimeOut LA, Comedy Central, and the NY Comedy Festival. His debut comedy album, released on Kill Rock Stars Records, was named a top comedy album of 2013 by The Onion AV Club, Paste Magazine, Village Voice, TimeOut NY, and more. (We don’t want to bore you.)
Kurt hosts The K Ohle on the Nerdist Podcast Network. Click here to listen to it!
PLEASE CONTRIBUTE to Kurt’s Indiegogo campaign, JETSKI FOR GOATS! Seriously, donating livestock to families in need helps jump start the local economy, end hunger, and empower people. Check it out!Â
Follow @SexNerdSandra on Twitter and Facebook! And visit Sex Nerd Sandra’s calendar of live events!
this kurt fella’s kinda a c word, ain’t he? sex dolls don’t leave me THAT comfortable honestly, but if I wanted to hear some twerp morally judge sexual minorities, I’d just go to a church.
Sandra asked for his opinion and he gave it. I agree that it was judgmental to call sex doll owners sad. However, did you want his answer to be “I don’t wanna say b/c it might upset people on the internet”? I’ll take honesty over walking on eggshells any day.
Correction: I meant Kurt Braunohler was surprisingly Sex Negative towards Sex Doll owners.
I was shocked at how Sex Negative Bronwen Keller was about Sex Dolls. Although, the second half really balanced things out.
I find the notion that Sex Doll owners are creepy or sad is rooted in the mysogynistic belief that a man’s self-worth is directly proportional to how much sex he has. People seem to believe those who own Sex Dolls must not be able to attract a partner, unlike the mythical “alpha male” who can have sex anytime he wants (aka treats women like sex objects). Obviously this is complete malarky, as Sex Dolls and actual sex are not mutually exclusive. It’s interesting that our society views objectifying Sex Dolls as creepy, but does not bat an eyelash at men who view women as sex objects.
I would also like to share my positive experience with Sex Dolls. I didn’t lose my virginity until my 30s. Dating was difficult due to my demanding job. I was deathly affraid that when I eventually would have sex, I would be striken with performance anxiety, lose my errection and break down crying. Not wanting to be ruled by anxiety, I got over it by practicing. I started out with the Pipedream Extreme F*ck me Silly (highly recommended), which is basically a TPR booty you can set on a table. Wanting something a little more realistic that I could practice positions with, I upgraded to a torso doll. While you can wrap your arms around a torso doll and even hold it up for cow girl, it lacks arms and legs which breaks the illusion. Thanks to my demanding job, I had some disposible income laying around. So I bite the bullet and ordered a Real Doll. After short term use, my anxiety subsided and my sexual confidence went up. After long term use, I saw an increase in stamina. I even started practicing orgasm delay. How I viewed sex also changed. I became more focused on the passion and pleasing my partner, instead of just the orgasm. To me, Sex Dolls are like exercise equipment for the body and mind, that also give you orgasms. Sex Dolls have a huge potential for use in Sex Ed or Sex Therapy.
Now I’m in a relationship with an equally busy and equally naughty monkey. I still use Sex Dolls to blow off excess sexual energy when we can’t see each other.
PS: you should totes do an episode on the inevitability of Sex Robots and how they might change society.
Correction: I meant Kurt Braunohler was surprisingly Sex Negative towards Sex Doll owners.