First Playmates

Sabrina Vale, October 11th, 2023

Explore the Playboy Playmates who marked important firsts in the magazine's history, from Margie Harrison as the first official Playmate of the Month to the women who shaped the evolution of the centerfold, Playmate of the Year, and later Playboy model milestones.

This archive highlights notable Playboy firsts across decades, including the first fold-out centerfold, first foreign-born Playmate, first Asian-American Playmate, first African-American Playmate, first twins, first Playmate sisters, first Cybergirl to become a Playmate, first transgender Playmate, and other landmark appearances.

Use this page as a guided timeline of Playboy history, with each milestone linked to the model's profile where available, making it easier to follow how the Playmate tradition changed from the early 1950s through the modern era.

First Playmate

Margie Harrison

Margie Harrison, Miss January 1954, is the first Playmate of the Month. She appeared in the second issue of Playboy magazine. Marilyn Monroe, who was featured in the first issue, was the only one to appear as "Sweetheart of the Month".

First 3x Times Playmate

Marilyn Waltz

Marilyn Waltz, is the first Playmate to be chosen three times: Miss February 1954 (appeared as Margaret Scott), Miss April 1954, and Miss April 1955.

First Centerfold

Janet Pilgrim

Janet Pilgrim, Miss July 1955, is the first centerfold. Her photo was printed on the two middle pages of the Playboy magazine.

First Fold-out Centerfold

Marian Stafford

Marian Stafford, Miss March 1956, is the first fold-out centerfold. Her photo was printed on the three folded middle pages of the Playboy magazine.

First Foreign-born Playmate

Marion Scott

Marion Scott, Miss May 1956, was born in Berlin, Germany. She is the first Playmate who was born outside of the United States.

First Underage Playmate

Elizabeth Ann Roberts

Elizabeth Ann Roberts, Miss January 1956, is the first and only underage Playmate. She was 16 years old. Her mother provided a written statement that she was 18 at that time. She was also the first Playmate born in the '40s.

First Playmate of the Year

Ellen Stratton

Ellen Stratton, Miss December 1959, is the first Playboy Playmate who was chosen as the Playboy Playmate of The Year in 1960.

First Foreign-born Playmate of the Year

Christa Speck

Christa Speck, Miss September 1961, is the first foreign-born Playmate of the Year. She was born in Danzig, Germany (now Gdansk, Poland).

First Asian Playmate

China Lee

China Lee, Miss August 1964, is the first Asian-American Playboy Playmate. She was born September 2nd, 1942 in New Orleans, LA.

First Black Playmate

Jennifer Jackson

Jennifer Jackson, Miss March 1965, is the first African-American Playboy Playmate. She was born February 6th, 1945 in Chicago, IL.

First Playmate With Breast Implants

Sue Williams

Sue Williams, Miss April 1965, is the first Playboy Playmate who gets silicone breast implants.

First Twins To Be Playmates

Mary and Madeleine Collinson

Mary and Madeleine Collinson, Misses October 1970, are the first identical twin sisters who become Playboy Playmates.

First Playmate With Visible Pubic Hair

Liv Lindeland

Liv Lindeland, Miss January 1971, is the first Playboy Playmate who clearly exposed pubic hair.

First Redhead Playmate

Arline Hunter

Arline Hunter, Miss August 1954, is the first redhead Playboy Playmate.

First Full Frontal Nude Playmate

Marilyn Cole

Marilyn Cole, Miss January 1972, is the first Playboy Playmate who posed for a full frontal nude centerfold.

First Clearly Full Frontal Nude Playmate

Bonnie Large

Bonnie Large, Miss March 1973, is the first Playmate to pose for a full frontal nude centerfold with clearly visible entire pubic hair.

First Playmate Younger Than Playboy

Monica Tidwell

Monica Tidwell, Miss November 1973, is the first Playboy Playmate who was younger than Playboy. Monica Tidwell was born in January 1954, when Playboy's second issue was on the newsstand.

First Signed Centerfold

Jill De Vries

Jill De Vries, Miss October 1975, is the first Playmate who signed her centerfold.

First Playmate Sisters

Janice and Ann Pennington

Janice Pennington, Miss May 1971, and Ann Pennington, Miss March 1976, are the first sisters to become Playboy Playmates in different issues.

First Mother And Daughter Playmates

Carol and Simone Eden

Carol Eden, Miss December 1960, and Simone Eden, Miss February 1989, are the first mother and daughter to become Playboy Playmates.

First Playmate With Visible Tattoo

Jennifer LeRoy

Jennifer LeRoy, Miss February 1993, is the first Playboy Playmate with visible tattoo on the centerfold, a small butterfly on the right side of the pubis.

First Playmate With Visible Piercing

Gillian Bonner

Gillian Bonner, Miss April 1996, is the first Playboy Playmate with visible piercing on the centerfold. She has the pierced navel.

First Playmate and Penthouse Pet

Lynn Thomas

Lynn Thomas, Miss May 1997, is the first Playboy Playmate who is also the Penthouse Pet of The Month. She was chosen as Penthouse Pet of the Month in October 2000.

First Triplets To Be Playmates

Nicole Erica and Jaclyn Dahm

Nicole Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, Misses December 1998, are the first identical triplet sisters who become Playboy Playmates.

First No Bush Playmate

Dalene Kurtis

Dalene Kurtis, Miss September 2001, is the first Playboy Playmate with a completely shaved pubis.

First Cybergirl to Become Playmate

Stephanie Heinrich

Stephanie Heinrich, Miss October 2001, is the first Playboy Cybergirl to become the Playboy Playmate.

First Miss USA Playmate

Shanna Moakler

Shanna Moakler, Miss December 2001, is the first Playboy Playmate to have been Miss USA (1995).

First Transgender Playmate

Ines Rau

Ines Rau, Miss November 2017, is the first transgender Playboy Playmate. Rau transitioned and underwent sex reassignment surgery at the age of 16.

First Plus-Size Playmate

Riley Ticotin

Riley Ticotin, Miss January 2020, is the first plus-size model who became the Playboy Playmate.

First Amputee Playmate

Marsha Elle

Marsha Elle, Miss April 2020, is the first amputee Playboy Playmate. Her right leg was amputated above the knee.