Playboy bunny to bounce back
From correspondents in Los Angeles
07oct04
PLAYBOY'S iconic bunny hostesses are set to hop out of semi-retirement after 16 years to relaunch the adult entertainment pioneer's famed nightclubs, the firm announced today.
Playboy Enterprises Inc, founded as a men's magazine by Hugh Hefner in 1953, said it had partnered with Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort to open a new club and boutique casino in the desert gambling mecca in early 2006.
The announcement came 16 years after the last of the famed Playboy clubs shut its doors in 1986, ending a 26-year-old tradition of the saucy entertainment venues populated by hostesses clad in bunny costumes.
But while the Playboy bunny hostesses will make a return to full-time duty, the nightspot will not be an old-style Playboy Club similar to the string of clubs Hefner first opened in Chicago in 1960, officials said.
Under the deal, Las Vegas's twinkling skyline will be dominated by the Playboy's trademark rabbit head and the venue will also feature a lounge, retail store, and a "sky villa" named after the legendary Hefner.
"The Playboy lifestyle is a natural fit for Las Vegas, but the key for us has always been finding the right partners to fulfil the promise of our brand," the Playboy founder said.
The Playboy bunny costumes that became synonymous with the brand disappeared after the last club closed 1986, but made a limited reappearance for promotional events in 1999.
While the club and the skimpy costumes - which included a set of bunny ears topped off with a rabbit's tail and pair of shirt cuffs - will return, they are likely to be brought up to date for the new millennium.
"We are not going to try to replicate the original Playboy Clubs, this is not going to be a retro club," one company source said. The venue would primarily be a dance club with occasional live acts.
"Together, we will create provocative experiences that will be unique not just in Las Vegas but in the gaming industry," said George Maloof, president of the Palms Casino Resort.
Playboy's multimedia empire is now run by Hefner's daughter Christie, but "Hef" - as he is known - still takes an active role in deciding the content of the magazine from his famed Playboy mansion in Los Angeles.
The business which spawned the world's first mainstream men's magazine is bouncing back after a dip in its fortunes caused by major competition from hardcore pornography and notably from the advent of the Internet.
― andy, Thursday, 7 October 2004 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link