When I met with Nancy Weisman, I assumed that her company, Banana Pants, was named after that old cliche. “Is that a banana in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?”
That was a factor. But, as it turns out, the name is a little more literal. As a former photo editor at ESPN, Weisman got a bit of a reputation for carrying a banana around in her pocket. Like, as a snack.
“There was just … always a banana in my pants. And people started calling me 'Banance' because I would post these pictures of me with a banana sticking out of my pocket,” Weisman said. “And then things were just crazy, like banana pants! When it came time to name the company, it just all made sense.”
Weisman has a sense of humor and the company's fun vibe reflects that - but it also solves a very real problem for strap-on lovers everywhere: Most strap-on dildos put the receiver first, and often feature a hard, flat surface on the giver’s end. Not only is that surface not the most pleasurable - all that bumping against the pubic bone can even be painful.
Read: A Beginner's Guide to Strap-On Sex
“I was like, “Can we get a nub or … something … to grind on to enhance pleasure?”
Weisman found the few other options in the market lacking, and set out to create something different.
After being laid off from ESPN in 2017, Weisman finally had the time she needed to launch full speed toward the idea she’d already been thinking about for years.
“After 17 years of producing photo shoots, I’m like, ‘What the hell am I going to do now?’ So, I just went full speed ahead into this idea,” Weisman said. “I just knew that there were plenty of people desiring something more than a flat base and it didn’t seem too difficult to create an accessory." (Weisman later clarified that is actually was quite difficult, but she was determined to bring her idea to fruition.)
“I just knew that there were plenty of people desiring something more than a flat base and it didn’t seem too difficult to create an accessory."
It wasn’t long before she’d turned her idea to make strap-on sex better and more comfortable for the strap-on wearer into a business. Enter the Bumpher, b.cush and Shagger and, most recently, the Honeybunch, a line of dildo base stimulation cushions that cleverly fit over or attach to the flat base of most dildos to provide both cushioning and texture for the wearer.
Bumpher, the first in the line, features “plump protruding nubs, made to rub you in all the right places.” It stretches over the base of most strap-on dildos providing both stimulation and cushioning.
The Bumpher's stretchy silicone allows it to fit over the base of many dildos.
Next up, the b.cush. It has a super cushy texture and rather than fitting over the base of a dildo, it has a tacky surface that sticks to it, allowing it to be used on much larger (and smaller) bases.
The b.cush's tacky back allows it to stick to dildos with a larger base.
The Shagger is a bit more of a wild child, sporting a spiky row of silicone tips, allowing for unique stimulation and sensation.
The Shagger's spiky silicone tips offer more intense stimulation.
The latest product in the line is the Honeybunch. It features a row of soft silicone nubs, which can conceal a cavity for a bullet vibrator (the vibrator's not included.) Its flat, tacky back allows it to adhere to most dildo bases.
The Honeybunch includes a cavity for a bullet vibrator.
Weisman’s first batch of inventory arrived just before Christmas in 2018 - at her apartment, where she packages and ships it herself - and she’s been building her business around squishy dildo accessories ever since.
“I just cram it all into my office and then I’m lifting all these boxes. It’s a lot of physical labor, but I love it,” Weisman said.
There’s no question Weisman made a huge leap in jumping from photo editing to sex toys. When asked what the key challenges have been, Weisman says, “besides my fears and anxieties? Well, we can talk about those too but that’s for another call.”
She said she did keep her idea and brewing business private for a while, especially from people she used to work with. “Like, oh great, all we need is for them to start imagining Nancy with a strap-on!”
She also had to dive into the logistics of designing and manufacturing a physical product. With a designer in Barcelona and a manufacturer in China, bringing her products to the U.S. - and to market - took longer than expected.
Other new challenges include patents, trademarking and the learning curve that goes along with starting a new business in a brand-new industry.
“Making things, manufacturing things, producing things - it’s bananas!” Weisman said.
“It’s interesting because if I can contribute in some small way to people’s joy, you know, that’s a really great thing,”
Weisman sees all the trials as being totally worth it, though.
“It’s interesting because if I can contribute in some small way to people’s joy, you know, that’s a really great thing,” Weisman said. “Every time I send out a product to a customer online, I check it for quality and, like, give it a little bump. Like, OK. Go on and bring some joy to these folks.”
Tara Struyk is a co-founder and the editor-in-chief of Kinkly.com. She’s a content creation and management executive with 15 years of experience working in online media. As a writer, her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including Forbes, Glamour, MensHealth and Investopedia.
Tara is currently the VP of Content at Janalta.com, where she leads the editorial department and directs content production for a diverse portfolio of websites in niche verticals. She has launched several sites from the ground up, and has experience managing sites from pre-launch all the way to maturity. She has deep experience in online analytics, SEO optimization, content marketing and editorial direction.
