Luddi: A Sex Toy Brand for Every Body

Luddi™ was founded in 2021 when co-founder Zachary Nielsen, who was working as a physio, felt disappointed at the lack of accessibility to current sexual products – in that there were almost no devices designed with accessibility in mind.

Sharing these disappointments with fellow co-founders, Jasmine Nielsen and Robert Duff-Silsby, the three decided it was time to do something about it.

“After researching the market, we felt that so many people with disabilities were widely being ignored when it came to sexual pleasure,” Robert says.

“Almost like it was too taboo to talk about. It wasn’t just that the community lacked access to assistive sexual devices for different abilities, but they lacked empowerment in discussing their sexual needs.”

Thus, Ziggy™ was born. Described as the world’s first sex toy to cater for all bodies, it has been meticulously designed so it can be used by all bodies in a variety of different ways.

“There’s a couple of really unique features of the Ziggy™,” Robert says.

“The shape provides a lot of flexibility, regardless of your sexuality or abilities. The curved wings fit around the thighs, so it can be held in by underwear. The wings also fold around and are held together by two inbuilt magnets, so it’s also suitable for males.”

The versatility of Ziggy™ is its key feature, and means that users can “hump it, rub on it, tuck it into a harness or underwear, stroke their penis, or put it between two bodies.”

It took eight months of playdough models, and 3D printed protypes before Ziggy™ went into production. But the trio didn’t stop there. Observing that many companies in the disability industry were neglecting luxe, accessible unboxing experiences that those in the non-disabled community experienced, they set about to transform this too.

“We struggled to find enough examples of products that provided beautiful unboxing experiences in the same way that the rest of the community have access to,” Robert explains.

“Jasmine did a great job finding someone that could add the braille to the box, and then the whole look and feel of the box came together quickly. Having these great unboxing experiences will be a feature of all Luddi products going forward.”

The response since launch has been incredibly exciting and optimistic Robert says, with some users moved to tears over their experience.

“We haven’t come across anyone that has not been excited about finally having a product that has been designed for them in mind, and that it’s being discussed so openly and in public. We’ve had people in tears as they share their stories, and they’re so grateful that sexual wellness is becoming more inclusive.”

However, although things are moving in the right direction, Rob believes there is still a disconnect between the sexual wellness industry and the disability sector, and that the key to resolving this lies in having open conversations.

“The sexual wellness industry has grown really quickly, but the disability industry hasn’t fully embraced it just yet. We hope the Ziggy™ will empower everybody to be open to owning their own sex toy, and most importantly, being proud of it,” Rob says.

“Within the healthcare industry, we also hope to give healthcare professionals the tools they need to be comfortable having these conversations. Not just with their clients, but with the families they work with, as well as colleagues.”

“Improving the sexual health of the community is never just one person's job, so let’s keep having the conversations.”