22nd & Mission. Photo by Julian Mark

Some are pink, some are blue and some are orange. Some have halos over their heads and some are surrounded by stars and hearts of bliss. Some are tall, some are short, some are fat, some are skinny. Some even say, “Plug me in.” They hang out on mailboxes, walls, street poles, newsstands and wooden boards. In the Mission, they’re everywhere. And, yes, they’re vibrators.

Just any vibrator?

“It’s a wand-style vibrator — probably a Magic Wand,” says Haley, a resident vibrator expert at Good Vibrations, adding that the shape, location of the button, and the cord are extra evidence that it is, indeed, a wand.

“The Magic Wand is an icon at this point,” she added. “It’s been our best seller since the ‘70s.”

Did she know why anyone would blanket the Mission with the iconic toy?

She had no idea. “It’s probably some sex-positive artist,” she said, “although I hope he doesn’t mark up our building.”

Mission Street. Photo by Julian Mark.
Mission between 21st and 22nd. Photo by Julian Mark.
21st and South Van Ness. Photo by Julian Mark.
Mission Street. Photo by Julian Mark.
24th & Harrison. Photo by Julian Mark.
24th & Florida. Photo by Julian Mark.
20th & Valencia. Photo by Julian Mark.
23rd & Mission. Photo by Julian Mark.

24th and Harrison. Photo by Julian Mark.
23rd & Mission. Photo by Julian Mark.
21st & Mission. Photo by Julian Mark.
20th & Mission. Photo by Julian Mark.
18th & Mission. Photo by Julian Mark.
Mission Street between 18th and 19th. Photo by Julian Mark.
The inspiration. Photo by Julian Mark.

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Julian grew up in the East Bay and moved to San Francisco in 2014. Before joining Mission Local, he wrote for the East Bay Express, the SF Bay Guardian, and the San Francisco Business Times.

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8 Comments

  1. Please stop glorifying criminality in our community. Thank you.

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  2. This is nothing but senseless GRAFFITI VANDALISM, not cute, not cool, not art, just mindless vandalism masquerading as “creativity”. Enough of this crap, already!! Shame on Mission Local for effectively glorifying this stupidity and criminality (yes, folks, if the “artist were caught for just half of the incidents pictured in this article, he/she/they would be charged with FELONY vandalism because it would cost the city over $900 to clean it all up—what an incredible waste of city resources).

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  3. Why do you glorify graffiti. Painting over all this junk “art” is going to cost time and money.

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  4. I’m with Bettye … its not ‘art’ its graffiti and vandalism. Just once I’d like to get f-2-f with a tagger and ask them why. Why do they feel the need deface someone else’s property?

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  5. I guess if this is considered “art” then why the complaints about the pieces of “art” left behind in Dolores Park. It’s all garbage but, hey, it’s ok to deface public and private property.

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