Playboy Bunnies Are Coming to Macau

Macau has overtaken Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world — more money is bet on tables there than any other place in the world. But while the former Portuguese colony has its sordid corners, it lacks the glossy party atmosphere of its American peer.

The people at Playboy Enterprises want to change that.

Playboy – that he-man brand created in the 1950s by Hugh Hefner that's best known in the West for its magazine — is betting big that its kind of glamour will sell well in this part of Asia. The company is opening its second club, a 1,115-square-meter club in Macau on the penthouse level of the Sands Macau Hotel (its other club is in Las Vegas). There's more in the works: A 2,787-square-meter mansion is planned for Macau in 2012.

But first, Playboy will go looking for bunnies.

We're talking Playboy Bunnies, of course — women clad in skimpy costumes, complete with tight corsets, a tuxedo collar, bunny ears and a cottontail. On Friday, the club hosted a casting call to find the 20 bunnies they need for opening day (scheduled for Nov. 20). According to the organizers, around 600 women from around the world have already applied. Friday's bunny-hunt event was a chance for some of the final candidates to be interviewed, presented to the press, and to have their pictures taken in their swimsuits. The final roster will be announced later.

Denise Pernula, a former bunny and model who posed for the magazine as Miss November 2007, flew from Wyoming to serve as one of the judges. As a bunny for the Playboy club in Las Vegas, which opened in 2006, she says she understands the pressure. The women will be under “a lot of…stress” to land the job, she says. “They have to be intelligent, charming, attractive.” As for physique? “All bunnies come in different shapes and sizes,” she added.

The original Playboy Bunnies were waitresses at the many clubs the company used to run but shut down in the late 1980s. The Bunnies came under fire from many critics, including the feminist Gloria Steinem, who derided the selection and training process — where looks trumped all — as degrading.

In Macau, Playboy is banking on sex appeal, of course. But Reggie Martin, the club's general manager, says that the Macau club will be tailored to its clientele.

“The Asian market is very different from the U.S. market,” said Mr. Martin, an American from Indiana who has lived in Macau for eight years. “It won't be as crazy as Las Vegas. More chill. Las Vegas has a lot of college-aged people while Macau has more of a mature crowd. It also draws more of a local crowd than a tourist crowd.”

He later added, “We really want to establish Macau as more than just a gaming destination.”

While Playboy is ingrained in American pop culture and synonymous with sex appeal, in China it has a different image – as a fashion line. The magazine is not sold in China, where pornography is banned, though Playboy has sold clothing with its bunny logo in the mainland for about 20 years. Chinese firewalls keep Playboy's website at bay.

“The Chinese think of us as an American fashion brand,” said Jared Dougherty, vice president of marketing license group at Playboy. “But we think they'll be lured by the brand to the club.”

And by the bunnies, of course. Candidates for the job will be interviewed in swimsuits. And Mr. Dougherty said one of the obvious requirements for the job is “to look terrific in the bunny costume.”

Once the staff is picked, they'll be central to the club and to its identity, just like in its previous ones. “No matter what time you're in the club, there will be a bunny,” said Mr. Martin. “Guaranteed.”

Denise Pernula' s five tips for future bunnies:

1. “Don't eat a big pasta meal before work. The costume will get tight if you do.”

2. “Tips will go in your cleavage, so don't forget that money will fall out when you take off your costume at the end of the night.”

3. “Pin your tail to your costume. People will try to steal it.”

4. “Bring your heels and a pair of comfortable shoes to work. After being in your heels, you'll need them when you have to run around.”

5. “Have fun but don't drink too much on the job. Stay professional.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2010/10/15/pl…