Intriguing Facts About Playboy Playmates

Playboy Magazine was founded by Hugh Hefner in 1954 and created quite a stir when it began. Over the years, the innovative and provocative magazine has continuously gained in popularity with its famous bunny logo and beautiful Playmates. Today, the Playboy Empire is still going strong with tons of Playboy merchandise and a new Playboy club and casino in Las Vegas.

The Playboy Playmates are a select group of women who are featured in the magazine every month with their own centerfold. Of these women, one is chosen as Playmate of the Year. There have been over 600 Playmates during Playboy Magazine's 53 years, and each one has brought something unique to Playboy. Here is a list of intriguing facts about the Playboy Playmates.

The First Playmate:

The very first Playmate of the Year to grace the pages of the magazine was Ellen Stratton in 1960.

The Youngest Playmate:

The Youngest ever Playmate of the Month featured in the magazine was Elizabeth Ann Roberts who was a mere 17 years old when she posed for the January 1958 issue of Playboy.

The Oldest Playmate:

The oldest Playmate ever to pose for Playboy was 35 year old Rebecca Ramos in the January 2003 issue.

The First African-American Playmate:

The first Playmate of African-American heritage featured in the magazine was Jennifer Jackson in the March 1965 issue of Playboy.

The First Asian-American Playmate:

The first woman who was Asian-American to appear as Playmate of the month was China Lee in the August 1964 issue.

How Many Playmates Have Been Blonde:

Most people picture a blonde when they think of a Playmate, but surprisingly, only 40 percent of Playmates have had blonde hair.

Average Height of a Playmate:

The average height of a Playboy Playmate is 5'6.

Average Age of a Playmate:

The average age of a Playboy Playmate is 22.

The Tallest Playmate:

The tallest ever Playmate to appear in the magazine was 6'2 Cara Michelle in the December 2000 issue of Playboy.

The Shortest Playmate:

There is a tie for the shortest Playmate. The April 1965 issue featured Sue Williams who was 4'11. Karla Conway who posed in the April 1966 issue was also 4'11.

The Current Playmate of the Year:

The Playmate of the Year for 2007 is blonde beauty Sarah Jean Underwood. The 23 year old was the Playmate of the Month in July of 2006 and was awarded the title of Playmate of the Year in May of 2007.