In a realm of enterprise where life spans are usually measured in a handful of years, if not months, the Playboy Clubs managed to endure for more than a quarter-century in America, from the early 1960s to the mid-80s, and a bit longer overseas—an impressive if not always graceful feat.The clubs’ central attractions were the famous Playboy Bunnies, the glorified waitresses who braved skimpy, pinching, corset-like costumes to serve and titillate patrons of Playboy Clubs throughout the world, and who, in their idealized form, rank among the most iconic of 20th-century American sex objects, eclipsed only by Marilyn Monroe. They helped shape the fantasies of several generations of adolescent and post-adolescent men, when they weren’t clearing tables or trying to remember the proper garnish for a Cuba Libre.

Bunnies who worked in New York and London remember serving various Beatles. Tony Bennett was a regular in New York, as was Johnny Carson, who then became a “rabitué” of the Los Angeles club, as Playboy would style it, after The Tonight Show moved west in 1972. If club members in outposts such as Denver or Phoenix or St. Louis or Baltimore were less assured of rubbing elbows with pop stars and television hosts, they could always count on being served a drink by a pretty girl with long legs, bare shoulders, and that fluffy white tail!

For Bunnies, behavior was codified by a series of Bunny Manuals that read like Federal Trade Commission rulings and dictated how Bunnies could smoke (one small puff at a time, the cigarette then resting in the ashtray, not the hand), how they could sit (on the back of a chair or resting a hip on a banister; this was known as the Bunny Perch), how they could stand (the Bunny Stance: one foot behind the other, hips squared), and how they could address members (“Smile and introduce yourself with the standard Bunny Introduction: ‘Good evening, I am your Bunny _ (name). May I see the Playboy key, please?’ … Never express your request for a keyholder’s order in a crude and trite phrase such as ‘What’ll you have?’”)

The most famous Playboy Club exposé is Gloria Steinem’s two-part undercover report from 1963, “A Bunny’s Tale,” published in Show magazine and made into a TV movie two decades later with Kirstie Alley. Steinem had spent a couple of weeks working as “Bunny Marie”—Bunnies on duty had no last names—and portrayed the life as a low-paying slog through long nights of heavy drink trays, sore feet, too-tight costumes, and boorish customers.

According to Hugh Hefner, the Bunny was inspired by Bunny's Tavern in Urbana, Illinois. Bunny's Tavern was named for its original owner, Bernard "Bunny" Fitzsimmons, who opened for business in 1936. Serving daily food specials for a mere thirty-five cents, as well as ten-cent draft beers, Bunny's catered to locals and University of Illinois students alike. One of those students (in the late 1940s) was Hugh Hefner.

Hefner formally acknowledged the origin of the Playboy Bunny in a letter to Bunny's Tavern, which is now framed and on public display in the bar.

The costume itself was conceived by Playboy's director of promotions, Victor Lownes, designed by Zelda Wynn Valdes, and subsequently refined by Hugh Hefner. Originally the ears were taller and the ensemble lacked the trademark bow tie, collar, and cuffs. First unveiled publicly in an early episode of Playboy's Penthouse, it made its formal debut at the opening of the first Playboy Club in Chicago on the evening of February 29, 1960.

Bunnies worked at nearly every job in the Playboy clubs. A bunny might be a waitress, coat check, cigarette seller, gift shop clerk, photographer, door person, or even be engaged to play pool or other sports with customers, depending on the resort. A ski resort had snow bunnies, a seaside resort had towel bunnies who rented towels chairs and umbrellas. Casinos had dealer bunnies, but this caused problems with competitors claiming an "undue enticement to gambling".

One of the most common misconceptions held by those who know little of Playboy and it's history is the belief that Playmates are Bunnies and vice-versa. The term 'Bunny' or 'Playboy Bunny' is often used synonymously as a descriptive term for any woman who has appeared au naturel in PLAYBOY. But Bunnies are distinct from Playmates who in turn are different from Playboy models.

There are still a few Playboy Clubs around the world and if you're invited to "The Mansion" you are sure to find a few of them around.

I remember going to the Playboy Club in New York around 30 years ago, it was so exciting to see the glamour of it all...later I also went to one that opened in Saint Pete Florida which was a big, big deal to us little Florida folks!

Lots of us gals have dressed up as Playboy Bunnies for Halloween, I even did it one Easter and have a picture somewhere with some guy in a bunny costume at a Club. (If I find it I will give it to Betty to post here)

So this may not be the bunny you expected but then again I'm always full of surprises...

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