Tenga is not only one of the top adult brands in Japan, it is also one of the most savvy in terms of its marketing strategies. It is known for adopting headline-grabbing, viral publicity tactics, not least launching a rocket into space.
But sometimes these are more sincere.
Tenga has provided a gamer called Jeni (or Shunya Hatakeyama) with sex toys after the brand heard that he uses Tenga toys to cushion his homemade chin controller. Jeni has muscular dystrophy and uses his chin to operate a stick for playing games. He has been a wheelchair user since second grade and finds empowerment in playing video games, especially fighting games.
His condition worsened in recent years and he wasn’t able to participate in the esports community from 2014 to 2021, when he returned with his homemade chin controller.
As reported by Automaton Media:
Hatakeyama was in search of a cover for the chin controller’s joystick that was soft on the skin but also durable. Stick inputs are important when playing fighting games, and the real joy of Street Fighter comes from pulling off specific stick and button inputs to unleash special moves in the heat of a match. However, there’s a difference between ease of movement when you compare the palm of your hand to your chin. The stick on the chin controller needed something with enough friction that it would catch the skin but not hurt after rubbing against it for extended play sessions. This is where Hatakeyama zeroed in on the Tenga.
Hatakeyama found that the Pocket Tenga, with its design that emphasizes comfort in the face of friction, the perfect fit for his needs.
After he posted on social media about his novel choice of chin controller, Tenga responded by sending him packages of adult toys for free.
Campaigners have long openly discussed the importance of sex toys and dolls for people with disabilities.
Tenga, which is also involved with healthcare research and donates part of its sales to supporting disabilities, previously launched a project offering employment opportunities for people with disabilities — though not exclusively jobs related to the sex industry.
Jeni/Hatakeyama’s case, however, offers a whole new and surprising insight into the function that sex toys can have for different kinds of users.
A few years ago, Tenga also demonstrated another novel use of the Pocket Tenga — as business cards.
