Playboy bunny casino
How Playboy bunnies have changed over the last 60 years
Bunnies have been a staple of the Playboy brand since it opened its first nightclub in
In the beginning, the bunnies were simply young women who worked as waitstaff in Playboy's clubs.
From to , the brand ran 40 nightclubs, according to Atlas Obscura, as well as some intermittent casinos in England and the Bahamas. Prospective bunnies had to audition in order to get the job.
Since then, the term has expanded somewhat. It's even been applied to Hugh Hefner's girlfriends, who lived with him in the Playboy Mansion. Hefner ex-girlfriend Holly Madison's tell-all book is called "Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny." Make no mistake, though — models who appear in Playboy magazine itself are "playmates," not bunnies.
With that in mind, here's a look into the controversial history of the bunnies:
The name comes from an unexpected source. As a University of Illinois student, Hefner would sometimes dine at Bunny's Tavern in Urbana, Illinois. Apparently, the name stuck with him.
Source: The Sun
There was also a ban on drinking alcoholic beverages and gum chewing on the job.
Source: Dangerous Minds
A "bunny mother" — which one Playboy Club's manual describes as a role "similar to that of a college advisor" — would be in charge of supervising the bunnies.
Source: Dangerous Minds
The manual advised bunnies to address all male Playboy Club employees "in a cheerful, cooperative manner."
Source: Dangerous Minds
Unsurprisingly, some of the manual's strictest — and strangest — instructions pertained to appearances.
Source: Dangerous Minds
Costumes were to be worn "proudly and prettily."
Source: Dangerous Minds
The job required bunnies to walk and stand around in high heels for hours. The manual offered all sorts of tips on dealing with the pain, including encouraging bunnies to roll their feet "over an empty Coke bottle."
Source: Dangerous Minds
At the same time, workers could lose merits and wages for mistakes like messy lockers, lateness, and failing to maintain a fluffy, pristine cottontail.
Source: Dangerous Minds
In a Metro article, one former bunny reported that in the s, bunnies had to be at work an hour early to dress and do their own makeup. The extra time was never paid.
Source: Metro
In , journalist Gloria Steinem went undercover as a bunny to write an exposé.
Source: The Guardian, NYU
While Hefner claimed to be a proponent of sexual liberation, Steinem's reporting shone a light on some of the objectification and problematic working conditions bunnies experienced.
Source: The Guardian, NYU
Few bunnies, by their original definition, exist anymore. But a new Playboy Club is set to open in New York City sometime this year.
Source: Forbes
Today, the term "bunnies" is often used to describe Hefner's girlfriends, as well as Playboy Club employees. The Playboy founder's life with his girlfriends has been depicted on reality TV shows like "The Girls Next Door."
Source: Business Insider
His girlfriends reportedly received a weekly stipend of $1, in cash, along with room and board at the Playboy Mansion, money for breast augmentation, and free hair care, according to the New York Times.
Source: The New York Times
Hefner died at the age of 91 Wednesday. The Playboy Mansion, where the modern-day bunnies lived, will now go to Daren Metropoulos, who bought it for $ million last year.
Source: Business Insider
It's unlikely that any of Hefner's girlfriends — or Playboy Club bunnies, for that matter — stand to inherit anything. The mogul's own third wife will "looked after" and nothing more, thanks to an "iron-clad" pre-nup, according to the Mirror.
Source: Business Insider, Business Insider
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