NEW YORK, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Playboy Enterprises announced today that it would host an exclusive cocktail supper to benefit the New York based AIDS research organization, Community Research Initiative on AIDS (CRIA). The September 22nd dinner will celebrate Playboy's participation in Sotheby's Fashion department's upcoming cocktail sale. The sale marks the first time that Playboy has ever allowed a Bunny Costume to be sold.

The dinner will take place at Playboy's private terrace atop Manhattan's Crown Building and overlooking Central Park. Approximately 100 guests will dine amidst a recreation of the legendary Playboy Club of the Sixties and Seventies. All proceeds from the $300 per person event will benefit CRIA.

Immediately preceding the Playboy cocktail supper, Bergdorf will host a cocktail party for 400 guests at it's Men's Store from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. All of the windows of the famed New York store, Bergdorf Goodman feature items from the sale including the authentic Bunny Costume and a pair of Hugh Hefner's pajamas.

"Playboy played a major part in forging the cocktail aesthetic of the Sixties and Seventies so it's only fitting that they're a part of the sale," said Tiffany Dubin, Director of Sotheby's Fashion Department. "I could not be more thrilled that Sotheby's will have the opportunity to be the first to sell one of Playboy's legendary Bunny Costumes."

The Kelly green satin Costume is complete with ears, cuffs, collar and tail. The ensemble is expected to sell for between $8,000 and $10,000. Only one woman wore it, Bunny Connie, whose name is stitched inside the garment. She was an employee at the Los Angeles Playboy Club in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

from http://www.aegis.com/default.asp?req=http://www.aegis.com/news/PR/1999/PR990929.html

THE RESULTS??  -->    -->     -->

Lot Details

Christie's - Dec 17, 2003

Playboy at 50: Selection from the Archives

Lot 50 : Classic 1960's Bunny Costume

Photos: Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Description Complete with green satin bodice, collar with bow tie, cuffs, Playboy Rabbit Head logo cufflinks, Bunny tail, Bunny ear headband and rosette name badge inscribed Suzanne. This costume is a vintage bunny costume from the 1960s--it is a classic green suit, and comes with collar, cuff and tail. This suit features classic side lacing, found on the bunny costume prototypes. The original satin costume came in 10 colors and by 1962, there were 12 from which to choose. It was up to each Club's Bunny Mother (who managed the Bunnies) to make sure no one suit was ever in overabundance, thus ensuring a rainbow of colors on the floor. Only the bunnies in the Clubs' VIP rooms were dressed identically in blue velvet costumes trimmed in silver lame. The bunny costumes were selected to enhance the bunnies' coloring and followed fashion trends ranging from leopard prints to psychadelic Pucci in the late 60s. Notable bunnies were Mariel Hemingway, Sarah Bernhardt, Gloria Steinem, Debra Harry and Flip Wilson--as Geraldine.

Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000		Price Realized: $ 14,340

From http://www.artfact.com/artfact/sampleLot.cfm?sample=1450

The Great Chicago Fire Sale

November 29, 2004

Last time Chicagoist was strapped for cash we looked around us and tried to figure out what we could sell for cash.. and that's just what the city is doing.

Facing a great big arts and culture budget deficit, Chicago is turning to eBay to auction off city-related events and memorabilia.

Among the items for sale -

  » Dumping green dye into the river on St. Patrick's Day
  » A walk-on role in "A Christmas Carol" at the Goodman Theatre
  » Behind the scenes tours of Millennium Park, the Lincoln Park Zoo and historic firehouses
  » Architectural drawings of the Millennium Park band shell
  » A decommissioned city parking meter
  » A 1960s vintage Playboy Bunny costume (one sold for $14,340 at Christie's last year!)

from http://www.chicagoist.com/archives/2004/11/29/the_great_chicago_fire_sale.php

03 February 2006

Vintage Playboy Bunny Costume

Hey ladies! Do you wish you could attract more dressing-gown-wearing old men who'll install you in their jacuzzi, dribble into your cleavage and (hopefully) include you in their wills?

Yes? Then you simply must head to this auction, for an original 1970s Playboy bunny costume.

It's purple, and comes with all the trimmings: ears, tail, collar, bow tie, cuffs, cufflinks and a rosette name tag.

 It was originally worn by 'Bunny Bobbie' in the New York Playboy club between 1970 and 1975, and is apparently in "amazing" condition.

Starting bid? A mere $5,000, although if you're really keen, you can fork out the Buy It Now price of $20,000.

(Playboy Bunny Costume)
Bid until Feb-09-06 20:09:28 PST

From http://www.bayraider.tv/2006/02/vintage_playboy.html

Original Playboy costume is on block

Mint-condition bunny outfit is being auctioned

Photo by Guy Kitchens
Special to The Star

When Carole Gentry bought a goody box at an auction for $5, she never expected the tiny little, big surprise she found inside.

Who would have thought the toss-off box might contain an original Playboy bunny costume from the 1960s?

And who could have known that it might be worth thousands of dollars?

"This costume was definitely the most fun thing I've ever found," said Gentry, of Simi Valley. "I have been to other auctions and estate sales and have picked up a few things just because I liked them. I have sometimes been very surprised by some of the treasures I've found — but nothing compares to this."

And now it can be yours.

After several years in Gentry's possession, the costume went up Friday on eBay for a 10-day-long auction. Starting price is $879; target price? $15,000 to $20,000.

Because it is in its original state with mint-condition details like the original cottontail, it is worth more than other Playboy bunny costumes listed on eBay, with asking prices in the $2,499-to-$3,499 range, said Monica Yocom of Thousand Oaks.

Yocom, an eBay aficionado, is the one who spurred Gentry to online auction action after meeting her at a garage sale and learning about her nifty little bunny suit.

It had been six years since Gentry had attended a warehouse sale on Easy Street in Simi Valley with her husband, Larry, and blindly made the purchase.

An estate enthusiast, she had insisted on staying that day despite her husband's objections.

"At this particular auction, they were rolling boxes out on dollies, unopened, two or three at a time," she recalled. "We simply had to buy them blind. Larry thought it was a waste of time, but I told him, You can go; I know how to find my way home.' "

She randomly bought three boxes for $5 each. When she returned home and ripped them open, there it was, in all its sexy splendor; the itty-bitty but detailed costume included a body suit, bunny ears, two sets of nylons, black high heels, two bunny cottontails, two gold penlights, Playboy cufflinks, a Playboy bunny ID, three paper buffet keys and black-and-white ribbons with a rhinestone name tag.

"One of the things that makes it so valuable is the paper keys; they don't last very long because they're paper," Yocom said. "Plus, some of the costumes on eBay the tails aren't original; the Gentrys' costume is fully original. It has the original nylons with no holes and original shoes. To have everything intact and in such good condition is a rarity."

According to the online magazine Wired, the estimated price for a bunny ensemble ranges from $7,000 to $9,000 and up.

Product imprint

The Playboy bunny costume is recognized around the world and has become part of Playboy's corporate identity. The form-fitting outfit, with its fluffy tail, white collar and cuffs, and satin ears, reportedly is the first service uniform ever granted registration by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: No. 762,884.

Accessorized with oversized ears and a tail, the original costumes came in 10 colors but no collar and cuffs. Name tags and rosettes were added to the costumes in 1961.

Photo by Guy Kitchens

Special to The Star

In 1964, a foundation manufacturer worked with Playboy to develop a washable and highly durable costume. The lightweight one-piece, boned foundation outfit came in a variety of colors — but only two sizes: 34D and 36D.

Unfamiliar with the costume at first, Gentry soon found that it was forbidden to remove them from their home-base Playboy clubs.

"As the hostesses at the Playboy clubs were not allowed to take their uniforms home, a complete costume is very hard to find," she said. "And this particular costume is in beautiful condition."

Other items that Gentry will have for sale include a mint-condition autographed photo signed to her mother by Jean Harlow, a vintage Gibson Girl drawing, a Bugs Bunny print autographed by Mel Blanc and an autographed Nolan Ryan Pee Wee All-Stars baseball card.

All that pales in comparison to Gentry's fond memories of finding her little bunny suit.

She recalls when her husband returned to the sale that day "to see if I regained any of my sense and so I told him I would leave but had to pay for the boxes I'd agreed to buy."

When she got home, she found shoes in one box and a black Valentino dress in another. "But when I saw the Playboy bunny outfit, I thought, Wow, this is really cool,'" she said.

"I kept it for several years, not really realizing that there was anything that special about it. I have shown it many times to friends who thought it was a cool thing to have."