By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer Don Babwin, Associated Press Writer – Fri Oct 9, 5:29 pm ET
CHICAGO – Aye Carumba!
Marge Simpson has done something that Homer might not like but will make Bart the proudest kid in his school: She's posed for Playboy magazine.
After more than a half century featuring women like Marilyn Monroe, Cindy Crawford and the Girls of Hooters on its cover, Playboy has for the first time given the spot to a cartoon character.
And the magazine is giving the star of "The Simpsons" the star treatment, complete with a data sheet, an interview and a 2-page centerfold.
The magazine's editorial director, James Jellinek, won't say exactly how much of Marge will show in the November edition that hits newsstands on Oct. 16 — or whether she lets that big pile of blue hair down. But, he said, "It's very, very racy."
But he stressed that the mother of three — the youngest a baby, by the way — has a lot to be proud of.
"She is a stunning example of the cartoon form," he said on Friday at the magazine's headquarters in Chicago, appearing both pleased and surprised at the words coming out of his mouth.
For Playboy, which has seen its circulation slip from 3.15 million to 2.6 million since 2006, putting Marge on the cover was designed to attract younger readers to a magazine where the median age of readers is 35, while not alienating older readers.
"We knew that this would really appeal to the 20-something crowd," said Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey.
The magazine also hopes to turn the November issue into a collectors' item by featuring Marge, sitting on a chair in the shape of the iconic Playboy bunny, on the cover of only the magazines sold in newsstands. Subscribers get a more traditional model on the cover.
"It's so rare in today's digital age where you have the opportunity to send people to the newsstand to pick something up," Jellinek said.
Playboy even convinced 7-Eleven to carry the magazine in its 1,200 corporate-owned stores, something the company has only done once before in more than 20 years.
"We love Marge," said 7-Eleven spokesman Margaret Chabris.
For those who do collect the magazine — and they're out there — the cover will bring to mind another first for the magazine that occurred in 1971 when a black woman appeared on the cover in exactly the same pose and, like Marge, smiling under an impressive head of hair.
"We knew it was something all of our readers would get a kick out of," said Hennessey.
Jellinek said putting Marge on the cover, while unusual, made perfect sense. For one thing, the cover celebrates the 20th anniversary of the TV show. Further, he said there was an episode in which "Marge bears all," which suggested the at she, or at least the people who drew her, would be comfortable with the Playboy treatment.
Perhaps most important, the idea seemed like a good one to the magazine's founder, Hugh Hefner.
"He's a huge 'Simpsons' fan,' said Jellinek. "He's been on 'The Simpsons.'"
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Wesker on October 10, 2009, 04:17:48 AM
Who in the world is gonna look forward to seeing THAT? It's a yellow cartoon character, for pete's sake!
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: kinjo on October 10, 2009, 08:19:49 AM
[tkoold] lol really hard to believe
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Wesker on October 10, 2009, 09:04:27 AM
They're putting up cartoon characters when they oughta be recognizing talent like Miri Hanai!
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: kinjo on October 10, 2009, 12:44:32 PM
or Daisy Duck
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: ShinamoriAoshi on October 10, 2009, 04:13:49 PM
Or [asscastle]
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Flashwerewolf on October 10, 2009, 04:43:14 PM
lol Asscastle on playboy XD [assmonster]
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Famardy on October 10, 2009, 04:56:41 PM
Who in the hell would like to see a naked yellow cartoon character?
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: ShinamoriAoshi on October 10, 2009, 05:50:00 PM
Perhaps most important, the idea seemed like a good one to the magazine's founder, Hugh Hefner.
"He's a huge 'Simpsons' fan,' said Jellinek. "He's been on 'The Simpsons.'"
Not when the man who owns the pron empire says so.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 13, 2009, 01:04:35 AM
More disgraceful.. can't get off on real girls, so you have to get off on cartoons... o.o
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Flashwerewolf on October 13, 2009, 02:29:05 AM
or one is tired of the normal stuff [taz]
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 13, 2009, 03:41:10 AM
blah... enjoy you cartoony nudity =P Could be worse...
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: kinjo on October 13, 2009, 08:46:08 AM
i used to draw cartoon nudity long ago i wanted to learn how to draw naked parts [usuck] never thought later in my life i would be taking life drawing and drawing real naked peoples [pico]
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 13, 2009, 07:33:05 PM
Well I mean.. for you its a little different.. you animate... nudity will come up; shower scenes, changing scenes, ect.
o.o
But to just browse the internet for cartoon pron..
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Wesker on October 13, 2009, 09:24:39 PM
One time when I was 4, my brother and I were at my grandmother's house in her living room and he told me to draw a picture of a naked woman, saying that he wouldn't tell her. So then I drew a naked woman with a black crayon and then my brother immediately grabbed the drawing, ran into the kitchen screaming "GRANDMOM GRANDMOM!" and showed it to her. She yells out my name and I come to the kitchen, finding her ripping the paper to shreds angrily, saying that she doesn't ever want to see me draw that again.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 13, 2009, 09:40:16 PM
xD Hahaha... naive child you were...
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Flashwerewolf on October 13, 2009, 10:20:33 PM
This story begs the question...Have you drawn a naked lady since then, Wisker!?
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 13, 2009, 10:23:41 PM
GEWD QUESTION! Have you Whisker?! =O
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Flashwerewolf on October 13, 2009, 10:39:40 PM
*hooks him to a lie-detector test* No fibbing!
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: ShinamoriAoshi on October 13, 2009, 10:40:48 PM
I bet that chick he drew was hawt. [babysnake]
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 13, 2009, 10:42:25 PM
I bet she was partially misshapen
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: ShinamoriAoshi on October 13, 2009, 10:45:11 PM
I bet she had a "pencil"
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 13, 2009, 10:47:07 PM
o.o No comment.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Flashwerewolf on October 13, 2009, 10:49:44 PM
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: ShinamoriAoshi on October 18, 2009, 06:02:10 PM
I'm sorry your efforts have failed FW.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: black death on October 18, 2009, 07:34:40 PM
The 4M has ADD.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 18, 2009, 07:50:08 PM
I second that notion.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Wesker on October 18, 2009, 09:03:16 PM
I third the notion. [sumo]
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 19, 2009, 12:44:30 PM
What notion?
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Flashwerewolf on October 20, 2009, 02:29:17 AM
The notion of ADD [ele]
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 20, 2009, 08:21:57 PM
Oh yeah o.o
Yes, that notion is true.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Flashwerewolf on October 21, 2009, 01:52:49 AM
Hey, your name has all three ADD letters in it....
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 21, 2009, 03:27:28 AM
yep... =]
Thats why it caught on at work, and then in school... ADD-y.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Wesker on October 24, 2009, 04:04:24 PM
Primetime suckage.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 25, 2009, 03:16:29 AM
No, I find it amusing =]
And sometimes it really does seem like I have ADD...
I said this to a customer once without even realizing it: "If you'd like to try are you guys twins?!"
o.o they looked at me like i was crazy...
also they were just cousins that looked exactly alike in a creepy fashion.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Wesker on October 25, 2009, 08:12:37 AM
Make sure they never had a child.
I experience similar things at work. Some days I'll just be really off and a customer will ask for a cafe latte` with skim milk. I then pull out a cup, prepare the espresso and for some reason ask "would you like skim or whole milk?" and make a complete fool out of myself. Thankfully that hasn't happened in a good 2 months.
Title: Re: Marge Simpson to be Playboy Covergirl
Post by: Adelaide on October 25, 2009, 06:41:36 PM
haha yeah.. you get that problem waitressing when you get a big table, and instead of going around the table one person at a time, they make you bounce around, and say what they want to order and then later what they want to drink, and you are trying to remember who wanted what and you ask someone who already told you what they wanted, again, what they want...and they look at you all annoyed like... or when they order stuff, and i bring it to them and they all forget what they ordered and expect me to remember... i have at least 5 tables at a time, i dont remember who at every table ordered what... how do you forget the meal you ordered anyway?!