The huge success of Playboy magazine, founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner, led to the creation of a chain of ‘Playboy Club’ nightclubs and resorts all over America – and in London, Montreal and Jamaica – starting with the first Playboy Club which opened at 116 E Walton Street in Chicago, Illinois, on 29 February 1960.
During the last three months of 1961, over 132,000 visitors crossed the threshold, making it the busiest club in the world.
Playboy Clubs quickly became the embodiment of urban sophistication around the world and membership became a status symbol, although only 21% of all club members ( or “key holders”) actually attended any club. Membership originally cost $25 each and the millions of dollars the venture earned were critical to Playboy’s development.
Key holders and their guests were served food and drinks at the clubs by beautiful ‘Bunny Girls’ – complete with fluffy tails and rabbit ears – and the clubs offered name entertainers and comedians in their ‘Club Rooms’, as well as local musicians and entertainers in their ‘Living Rooms’.
In 1965, Victor Lownes opened Playboy’s British casinos on behalf of Hugh Hefner, following the legalisation of gambling in the UK. The British casinos contributed $32 million to the Playboy corporation, with the 45 Park Lane casino being the most profitable Playboy Club in the world in 1981.
The club attracted some of the most influential clientele in London including Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Joan Collins, George Best, Jack Nicholson, John Cleese, Roger Moore and Muhammad Ali.
1981 witnessed the demise of Victor Lownes, however. He was fired and gambling licences were not renewed, severing Playboy’s main income source. This created an internal financial crisis only resolved by radical changes within the Playboy empire.
Playboy Clubs have sold nearly 2.5 million membership keys to become one of the most successful nightclub chains in history. The Playboy clubs, together with the hotel, casinos and resort facilities, eventually included 40 properties in 25 US states and seven countries.
The iconic Bunny costume has been worn over the years by over 25,000 working “Bunnies” and was the first uniform to be issued a trademark registration by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Now one of the world’s most recognised uniforms, the costume was redesigned in 2006 by Roberto Cavalli for the Playboy Club Las Vegas Bunnies and Playboy Club Celebrity Dealers, including Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra.
During the last three months of 1961, over 132,000 visitors crossed the threshold, making it the busiest club in the world.
