Playboy Bunny

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Playboy Bunny at the Karma Foundation Inaugural Gala hosted at the Playboy Mansion, October 2005
Playboy Bunny at the Karma Foundation Inaugural Gala hosted at the Playboy Mansion, October 2005

A Playboy Bunny was a waitress at the Playboy Clubs (open 1960–1988). They wore a costume called a bunny suit inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot, consisting of a corset, bunny ears, a collar, cuffs, and a fluffy cottontail.

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[edit] In the beginning

Plans for a Playboy Club began in 1959. Seeking to maximize on the image Playboy was most famous for, its Playmates, initial talk centred on dressing the Playboy Club's hostesses in revealing negligees and calling them "Playmates". But during a night-out, Playboy executive Victor Lownes' then girlfriend, Ilse Taurins, suggested to Hugh Hefner the idea of dressing the hostesses in the image of the tuxedoed Playboy Bunny character. Hefner took some persuading as he had always viewed the rabbit as a male character but once he saw a prototype of the outfit (made by Taurins' mother) he changed his mind. He particularly liked the tail. A very strict Club Rule was that members or their guests were not allowed to touch the Bunnies' tail. The penalty was expulsion.

Bunnies almost never liked being associated with the Playmates. The reputation of Bunnies had to be kept above board. Bunnies were not allowed to date customers, which would have made the club vulnerable to prostitution charges. There were several types of Bunnies. The Door Bunny controlled entrance to the Club. Entrance was restricted to members and their guests. There were Pool Bunnies who played pool with the members.

Bunnies were supervised by a Mother Bunny who was not uniformed. She was responsible for service, appearance, and conduct.

[edit] Patent Pending

The Playboy Bunny outfit was the first service uniform registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (U.S. trademark registration number 0762884). The tight costume forced servers to bend at the knees, not the waist, when serving drinks; this maneuver became known as the "Bunny Dip". All drinks were served in the same glass, the long stemmed "Bolo Grande". A special round tray was developed with holes along the sides. The glass's stem would slip through and the bowl would sit flat on the tray. This allowed the Bunnies to carry drinks without spilling them and facilitated the dip.

The uniforms were custom made for each Bunny. There was usually a seamstress for each Club to maintain the fit. To avoid rumours, the Club Manager had only two responsibilities for the Bunnies, floor service and weigh in. Before every shift the Manager would weigh in each Bunny. Bunnies could not gain or lose more than one pound. Exceptions were made for water retention. Playboy Enterprises required all employees to turn in their costumes at the end of employment and Playboy has some costumes in storage. Occasionally costumes are offered for sale on the Playboy Auction site or eBay. [1] Some of the costumes on eBay may be counterfeit or damaged in some way. Genuine Bunny costumes in good condition have sold for over $10,000.[citation needed] The only two on public display are in the collections of The Smithsonian [2] and the Chicago History Museum [3].

[edit] International icon

The Bunny suit is also very popular in Japan, where it has lost much of its association with Playboy. In fact, it has become associated with sexiness in general, where they are referred to as bunny girls (or bunnygirls) and have an association with the female human/animal hybrids common in anime and manga known as Kemonomimi.. Bunnies should not be confused with Playboy Playmates, women who appear in the centerfold pictorials of Playboy magazine, although a few bunnies went on to become Playmates (see below).

[edit] Return of the Bunnies

In 2006, The Palms Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas opened the first new Playboy club in over a quarter-century, located on the 52nd floor of the Fantasy Tower. Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli was chosen to reimagine the original Bunny Suit.

[edit] Famous Bunnies

Many women who later became famous worked as Playboy Bunnies early in their careers including:

[edit] Bunnies who became Playmates

[edit] External links

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