Babeland gets to be in a lot of video shoots. Highlights among many include an REM music video, and Kelly Cutrone’s reality show, Kell on Earth. What can we say, it’s a great location! Enjoy this episode of the comedy web series, The Slope, that was shot at Babeland Brooklyn recently. The story is about a lesbian couple, Ingrid and Desiree, in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. In this episode, they’re shopping at Babeland for a harness. Their reactions hit on the excitement and embarrassment that everyone feels when shopping at a sex toy store. And it’s laugh-out-loud funny.  By the way, the harness featured is called the Jaguar, not the Barbarian, in case you’re in the market. Although the Barbarian might make a good name for a new harness.

Do you have a funny sex toy shopping story of your own? Share it in the comments section.

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thanks to our customers who really went the distance for our sex education fundraiser this summer. You helped us raise $22,000 for SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, which exceeded last year’s amount by $4,000. Give yourselves a hand! With this donation, SIECUS will continue to promote comprehensive sexuality education across America.

Many thanks to our co-sponsor Jimmyjane for donating the fantastic products that helped support this effort.

And since October is Family Sex Education Month, here are a few things you can do to help pay your own sex education forward to the next generation:

• Be prepared. If you’re wondering how to approach the topic, pick up a book like Third Base Ain’t What it Used to Be: What Your Kids Are Learning About Sex Today and How to Teach Them to be Sexually Healthy Adults by Logan Levkoff or Birds + Bees + YOUR Kids- A guide to sharing your beliefs about sexuality, love, and relationships by Amy Lang. Learn how to make sex education a normal part of life rather than one big scary talk.
• Be available. If your child asks you a sex question, even if you can’t answer it in the moment, make sure you circle back around to it later so you don’t leave a curious child in the dark.
• Be supportive. If you see a child of any age struggling, offer your support in a non-judgmental way. Helping teens find a useful website, a clinic, or a place to talk can make all the difference.
• Help other parents tackle sex ed—post a comment on the Moms in Babeland blog about your experience talking to kids about sex! Offer an open mind and friendly advice. Come to our next Talking With Your Kids About Sex event at a Babeland store in New York City or Seattle.

Through the Come for a Cause philanthropy program, Babeland donated $115,000 to 300+ organizations in 2010 and will exceed that in 2011. Look for your next opportunity to support organizations doing fantastic work in the community during Pink October. Babeland is partnering with Young Survival Coalition again to raise money for their work with women under the age of 40 with breast cancer. Let’s keep up the good fight!

Babeland is co-sponsoring a contest with our friends at RodeoH, the women-owned San Francisco company that makes the RodeoH Harness that we’re all very excited about. The harness feels like your comfiest pair of underwear, no buckles or belts to fasten, and our reviewers have loved it.

The basic details about the contest:

Shoot a short film of 1 minute or less. Use your smartphone, camcorder, whatever, but keep it PG please! It can be about anything, but make sure that the viewer thinks, “Wow, RodeoHs are cool.”

You could win:

• $100 credit to RodeoHs.com
•  VixenCreations Tex
• $50 Gift Certificate Compliments of Babeland.com – to accessorize your new RodeoH
• $100 Cash

Finalists will be chosen on October 30th. Check out the full contest details here.