Hugh Hefner and the mansion parties – everything you wanted to know

(Part One can be found HERE )

The Playboy Mansion, like the magazine, would not be so legendary without the Playboy models, the women that made the magazine and the empire what it is today. In fact, without that first centerfold, featuring Marilyn Monroe, it’s a good bet Playboy would not exist and Hefner would have retired as an editor for some big publishing firm. Hefner left Esquire magazine in 1952.

Most Playboy models won’t comment on having sex with Hefner or anyone else at the parties, not on the record anyway. Most of them liked the experience of being a part of the “Playboy family” and treat those subjects as family secrets.

Privately they might talk about it, but unless someone is writing a tell-all book, as was done by Izabella St James, sex with Hefner (or anyone else at the parties) is off the list of things to talk about. The most any Playboy models have said was that people hook up (have sex) at the parties and some of the party guests can get touchy-feely, groping the models.

Three models agreed to share their views with us, on the company, its founder and the mansion with its parties. None of them spoke about any sex at the mansion, but the two that attended the parties both said they loved the experience.

They wish to remain anonymous, but one was a Playmate, another a Cyber Girl and another a model who has appeared online in the Cyber Club and on Playboy TV.

The Playmate

The Playmate said she could be identified as a “Miss August.”

On Playboy’s 60th anniversary Miss August said, with a little laugh, “Wow that must make Hef really old. (He is 87 -Editor’s note). It’s awesome that a company can be in business and successful for that long. They are a huge trend-setting and graphic icon and deserve a big birthday party!”

She has been at many mansion parties and said this about the parties, “It’s the best. Absolutely the most amazing party you will ever go to for many reasons. There is a lot of skin showing, of course, a ton of hot chicks, great costumes, and attire, food is yummy, music is great, and decorations are out of this world.

“If you are a Playmate you feel right at home and it’s like going to a normal party. If you are a guest it’s awe-inspiring and you can’t stop looking at everything. There is not enough time to explore and take it all in.”

As for the celebrities that attend the parties and make them A-List events, Miss August said, “Most of the celebrities are super nice. They are in a place that can be relaxing because it’s closed off to crazy fans.

“The ones I met that were very cool were Kevin Spacey — super nice, very fun; Randy Jackson — very friendly and relaxed. Toby McGuire — very quiet and seemed to like the anonymity. Pauly Shore completely lives up to his rep. Jose Conseco — not a big talker but a big guy. He is so tall and wide.

Too many to remember them all.”

Miss August wasn’t on the GND TV show, but of Hefner, she said, “Hef is an amazing and generous person. He is very kind to those he cares about and in general, just likes to have a good time. I didn’t know Crystal well but did know Holly (Madison). Although Holly was a little eccentric, she loved Hef deeply and I was sad to see them split up.”

Playmates (L-R) 2012 Playmate of the Year Jaclyn Swedberg, Miss September 2012 Alana Campos, 2013 Playmate of he Year Raquel Pomplun, Miss April 2013 Jaslyn Ome and Miss September 2011 Tiffany Toth. (Photo from Tiffany Toth’s Instagram post)
Playmates (L-R) 2012 Playmate of the Year Jaclyn Swedberg, Miss September 2012 Alana Campos, 2013 Playmate of the Year Raquel Pomplun, Miss April 2013 Jaslyn Ome and Miss September 2011 Tiffany Toth.
(Photo from Tiffany Toth’s Instagram post)

Finally, I asked her about posing nude. “It’s great! It’s amazing what a team can do to make you look gorgeous: lights, photography, make up and of course the model. I have no problem being nude, you just treat it like any other job. You’re just naked. Ha!

“The only con is weather and long hours. They don’t care if its 105 degrees or 35 degrees and you’re naked. You still shoot. And the hours are long. You may get stuck in a pose for 2-3 hours and be stiff the next day.”

As for the critics of Playboy, Miss August would only say this, “Everyone is entitled to his or her own belief. I would just ask that they respect my decisions to pose, as I respect their opinions.”

The Cyber Girl

Our second model was featured primarily online with Playboy’s Cyber Club and had the title of Cyber Girl of the Week.

Cyber Girls came about in 2000 when PEI management realized the benefits of having more than one featured model per month, so they created the title of Cyber Girl of the Week, And then each month they would choose one of those weekly Cyber Girls and make her the Cyber Girl of the Month.

Then at the end of each year, one of those Cyber Girls of the Month would be chosen as the Cyber Girl of the Year. And of course, Playboy takes photos and shoots videos of all the Cyber Girls for those titles, the Cyber Girl of the Year having 20 or more total pictorials and nearly as many videos.

If being a Playboy Playmate was not in the cards, then Cyber Girl was a pretty nice title too.

The first Cyber Girl of the Week was Stephanie Heinrich who went on to be the first Cyber Girl of the Month and then Miss October 2001.

Hugh M. Hefner photographed at an event in 2010. (Photo via Wiki Commons)
Hugh M. Hefner photographed at an event in 2010.
(Wikipedia)

Our Cyber Girl had this to say about Playboy’s 60th Anniversary, “That’s very exciting that Playboy is still strong. They have come a long way.”

The model has a high opinion of the founder, saying, “Hefner has always been a very nice guy. He loves to entertain his guests and enjoys the company of so many beautiful girls.”

What was it like posing for the iconic brand? “It was very tasteful and it was a nice layout, very classy. At first, I was a little concerned but once I saw the pictures, I felt safe.”

She went to a number of the Mansion parties and said, “Everything is fancy — the food, the drinks, and even the music. They always hire an artist to perform at the end of the night. It is a big show.”

Her opinion of the celebrities at the parties was relatively the same as that of Miss August.

“The celebrities are very neutral. I will probably say some of the regular rich people who are invited could be mean. They act like they own the mansion.”

Comedian and actor Dane Cook being interviewed by Jessica Hall at the Midsummer’s Night party at the Playboy Mansion in 2011. (Screen shot from Youtube video)
Comedian and actor Dane Cook being interviewed by Jessica Hall at the Midsummer’s Night party at the Playboy Mansion in 2011.
(Screenshot from YouTube video)

The Cyber Girl did attend mansion parties when GND was on the air but did she herself ever show up on TV? “I don’t know if I was in one of the episodes. The cameras were there all the time, but you never knew when you were in the shot.”

The Playboy TV Model

Our third model, like the first two, has moved on from modeling, but had good things to say about the experience and has no regrets about posing nude.

Her name is Virginia and she said, “I don’t remember the first time I saw a Playboy magazine, but I was generally aware of the magazine’s social magnitude from a young age. From my early teens, I had aspirations of (among many other things) becoming a fashion model, as well as posing for Playboy.

“Sherilyn Fenn’s pictorial in the ’90s is one of my favorites. Kate Moss is my all-time favorite supermodel, and the beauty and boldness of her nude work was a further inspiration for me to pursue nude modeling. I am very excited to pick up my copy of her anniversary issue.”

Fenn was one of the stars of the TV show (and movie) Twin Peaks. She appeared on the cover of the December 1990 issue and was featured in a pictorial. Kate Moss is on the cover of the 60th Anniversary issue of Playboy and she has a celebrity pictorial inside.

Now that she is pursuing other things, I asked Virginia what she thought about her experiences as a Playboy model. “I’m happy that I had the opportunity to pose for Playboy. I worked for Playboy Live, appeared on Playboy TV and Playboy Radio, and had a pictorial in the Cyber Club (now called Playboy Plus, I believe). I began modeling as a fine art nude model before pursuing any men’s magazines or glamour modeling. I think it’s important for women to be completely comfortable with this kind of work on a small scale before pursuing anything bigger.”

One question nude models are always asked is, “How did your family react?”

Virginia’s reply, “My family wasn’t always supportive of my modeling choices, although I never participated in pornography (I think most will agree that Playboy is not pornographic). I have always been a bit of a rebel with my life choices, however, so I don’t think it particularly shocked them.”

Some former Playboy models have found that posing for the iconic men’s magazine did cause problems with employment and even where their children went to school (yes, some Playboy models were mothers when they decided to pose). For Virginia that hasn’t been a problem. “It has not had a negative effect on my life in any other way. Were I to pursue a career in teaching, politics, or working for conservative law or business institutions, I would have perhaps made different decisions.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my years as a model, and I am also self-disclosing and non-censored in my writing and artwork. I simply don’t believe in living a life based on fear of social consequences.

“I have done some acting as well as modeling, and my Playboy resume was of some help to me when I landed a lead role in my first feature film, an R-rated college comedy that required a topless scene. I have never been told that I lost a gig because of my nude Internet presence — quite the contrary!

“All of that being said, I do not think women should feel that they have to pose nude to be successful. One should be completely comfortable with such work, and not be tempted by paychecks or prestige.”

Playboy and the Playboy Mansion are Los Angeles institutions, especially now that the entire company is headquartered in Beverly Hills. The Mansion will continue to host the parties that have become legendary.

Thousands of women will flock to the company’s casting calls and now they pay for the experience and the chance to appear in that centerfold.

In fact, if you wish to try out at a casting call you’ll need to make an appointment. CLICK HERE if you’re interested.

They will get paid anywhere from $350 for one photo shoot to $100,000 if chosen to be the Playmate of the Year. Plus, the models make money from appearances at car shows, special nightclub and other events that come their way due to their exposure in a Playboy publication or on Playboy TV/Radio.

Marilyn Monroe

That’s slightly more than the $50 Marilyn Monroe was paid in 1949 to pose for the photos used in that iconic first issue. The photographer sold the photos to a distributor and then Hefner bought the photos for the magazine. Although they never met, Hefner said he spoke with Monroe once over the phone and at least from his side it sounds like they had an amicable conversation.

Some of the women that attend a casting will find themselves at a Mansion party, covered in nothing but a little jewelry, some stilettos and body paint, which is a paid modeling gig — the way it’s been happening for over 30 years.

After 42 years as an L.A. institution and 60 years as an international icon, the Playboy Mansion shows no signs of slowing down.

Congratulations Playboy and Hugh Hefner on your 60 years of publishing success, becoming an L.A. institution and an international icon. Let the party continue.

2 thoughts on “Hugh Hefner and the mansion parties – everything you wanted to know

    • November 19, 2022 at 12:04 PM
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      Well, it is a very large mansion located in Los Angeles, California. In the past, the mansion hosted numerous events, including fashion shows, music concerts, celebrity appearances, film shoots, etc. Many famous people have visited the mansion over the years, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Marilyn

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