Easter was here and while many people were busy filling baskets with pastel colored eggs and chocolate rabbits we thought it appropriate to spend this holiday celebrating our favorite bunny, the Playboy Bunny. So let’s hop into the enticing world of buxom bunnies.

• Famous for their sexual prowess and energetic mating habits, Hugh Hefner decided the rabbit was the perfect symbol for his newly launched Playboy magazine in 1953. A tuxedo was added to give the mascot an air of sophistication and one of the most recognizable brand logos was born.

• The Playboy Bunny as we know her today did not emerge until 1960 with the opening of the very first Playboy Club in Chicago. The female staff were originally meant to wear frilly nighties but Hef’s business partners were concerned that all that extra material would make it difficult for the girls to serve drinks and light cigarettes.

• The first prototype was a basic bathing suit over a corset with some bunny ears and a tail. Not sexy enough, Hugh had the bikini line cut into a dramatic V shape that exposed the girl’s hip bones and elongated their legs. Eventually a man’s tuxedo collar, bow tie and cuffs were added to match the Playboy logo.

• The uniform was a flattering design that harkened back to the 1950’s when women had hourglass figures and bullet bras. 

• In 1969 the original yarn bunny tail had to be replaced by one made of fire-retardant fur because the drunk patrons kept trying to light them on fire.

• At the Chicago club some of the Bunnies were known to make up to $1,000 a week in cash tips in 1961. Today that would be over $9,000 a week!

• Although some Bunnies went on to become Playmates and pose for the magazine most of the girls worked at the clubs to put themselves through college or get started in their dream jobs. Model Lauren Hutton and singer Debbie Harry are both former Bunnies. Aretha Franklin started singing at the Playboy Club in Chicago when she was 18.

• The Playboy Club empire spanned the globe with locations all over the US, London, Japan and even Manilla. The last of the clubs closed in 1986 but the Playboy Bunny continues to live on at live events and on magazine covers.

For over sixty years the Playboy Bunny has been one the most iconic sex symbols in the world, shaping the fantasies of generations of fans. We think that deserves a standing ovation!

Grab your own bunny