“What has grown significantly is our straight market.”

The journey is the reward for British brand Crackstuffers. When Darren Knights started his company, he did so because he was frustrated with the lack of training options that were available on the market at the time. As a result of these experiences, the distinctive blue anal dildos of Crackstuffers come in various sizes so each user can train their way up to their personal maximum size. In our interview, Darren tells us about the latest developments at Crackstuffers and in the anal scene, and we talk about new audiences discovering the pleasures of extreme anal play.

Crackstuffers has been manufacturing dildos and butt plugs for well over a decade. Could you give us a short introduction to your company for those of our readers who don’t know you yet?
Darren Knights: I started Crackstuffers as I’m a player myself, and I found it frustrating with the small range of toys available at the time. For those wanting to stretch and go bigger, there was either a small dildo, then a huge jump in size to some other dildo. So the idea came to me to design toys to slowly stretch at your own pace, without the challenge or discomfort. I also wanted toys that did certain things, so some would be for stretching; others would be for working on depth.

Apart from the fact that most of your products are big and blue, what is the most important thing for you when it comes to design?
For me when it comes to design, it’s important to know that the toy will work, it will tease and stimulate. It’s very easy to knock out a toy without much thought to how it will be used, getting the proportions wrong etc, but for me, it’s important that it works well, and that the customer and their hole are happy and content.

All your dildos are handmade in-house in London. Why did you decide against manufacturing in the Far East?
Our main market is Europe and the USA. For us it’s important to have production closer to home rather than in China, we can keep tight control of our products and their quality.

Is there an item that has proven your long-term bestseller? What makes this product stand out?
Butt Plugs are still hugely popular. Everyone should have a few in their play chest, they’re great for stretching, plus also for wearing on rest periods when playing. Again, it’s our sizing that customers love, that they can come back for wanting for the next size. We get a lot of requests for bigger ones, which we are about to launch.

The products you manufacture are aimed at a relatively small circle of customers. How has this scene developed in recent years? Do you see any trends?
The scene has changed so much. So many younger guys are getting into the scene, thanks to Pups & Handlers. It enables young guys to experiment without having to buy all the leather. As a result, the scene is revived with more and more guys getting adventurous.

What has grown significantly is our straight market. We have more and more couples buying toys for her and for him. We also have a strong following of Dominatrix’s, our customers vary so much, and we love all of them, as we are all here for the same thing, pure pleasure!

Besides your dildos, you are also offering some products in other categories, most notably fetish wear. What can you tell us about these items?
We added some items to our range, but we didn’t want to diversify too much. The idea is that we offer a selection items that compliment a customer’s play.

The Crackstuffers dildos could well be described as extreme. In your opinion, are they suitable for an average erotic shop? How should they be presented and advertised there?
Over the years we have introduced many new toys. These are often smaller, but bigger too, catering for all abilities. Yes, some are huge and they are for the expert players, but we do focus on smaller toys so that the customer is not overwhelmed and scared off. So, they can start with small plug, dildo or truncheon, and over time they will be seasoned pros!

Who can shop owners contact if they are interested in your products? Do you work with wholesalers?
Yes, we work with wholesales, but stores can contact us directly, we ship all over the world.

What has been the business focus of Crackstuffers in recent years? New products, new brands, new markets or something completely different?
A big change for us this year was bringing out new ranges in new colours. So alongside the Classic Crackstuffers Blue, we now offer flesh & brown. Some customer requested toys in these new colours, but it’s still the Classic Blue that sells the most, it’s our signature look.

Can you tell us what the near future will bring for Crackstuffers? What are your current plans?
We have some very exciting new toys coming out in the next few months; we will now be offering new ranges in high-grade platinum silicone.