Designer creates a sex toy that stores ashes of a loved one

Dutch designer Mark Sturkenboom has created what is known as ’21 Grams’, a memory box to remember a deceased partner by. This elegant and expensive looking box has taken the internet by storm for the weirdest reason - one of the items of remembrance is a sex toy which can house 21 grams of ashes inside of it (the apparent weight of a human soul). So if you thought that rampant rabbits looked a bit daunting then I’m guessing you’re even more freaked out by this invention, although at least this one doesn’t look like a swaying cactus…

After graduating in 2012 from Artez Academy for the Arts in the Netherlands, Sturkenboom focused on creating products that represent love and timelessness. He came up with the idea for this memory box after helping an elderly widow with her shopping and noticing her husband’s urn in her home which he felt was not an adequate representation of love and life.

In an attempt to explain his controversial invention, Sturkenboom states that ‘after a passing, the missing of intimacy with that person is only one aspect of the pain and grieve’ and that this sex toy represents ‘an immortal desire’ between the widow and the deceased that will give the user a chance to have ‘an intimate night with her sweetheart again’.

Besides the blown glass dildo, other features include a fragrance diffuser for a favourite scent, space for keepsakes and a ring holder. The ring holder is hidden behind two flaps (no pun intended) which could represent angel wings which form a shield to protect the ring when closed. To top it off the key that locks the box can be worn as a necklace so the grandchildren can’t open the box and freak out that granddad is in a dildo. There is also a slot for an iPhone as well as flower shaped speaker holes to play songs that bring back happy memories.

Sweet or just plain creepy? Either way, you can check out Mark Sturkenboom’s website and other products here.