Marge Simpson As Playboy Bunny? Surely We Can Do Better.

Marge Simpson on "Playboy" cover

Poor Ariel. She’s got the lusty red hair, but it’s tough to make the cover of Playboy without hot legs. (They’re required for more than just running, dancing, it seems.) She, and many equally deserving characters, were beat to the honor of being the first animated Playboy cover girl by none other than Marge Simpson, who poses coyly on the front of the November issue.

Somehow Marge as the first animated bunny just doesn’t seem right. Jessica Rabbit would be an obvious contender, for more than just the pun. I polled our Facebook fans and got some other great suggestions. Kathleen Orin and her husband had a list of 13, including April O’Neil from the Ninja Turtles, She-ra, Daphne from Scooby Doo, and Smurfette (“if you're going blue hair/yellow body, why not blue body/yellow hair?”). Facebook fan Cherise LaPine Grueninger suggested Jane Lane from Daria. (Although really I think Quinn is more in the Playboy mold.) And Maya Archer-Doyle offers “Little Lulu, if you asked Roman Polanski ... ”

What other fine specimen of animation do you think deserves a cover spot—either on Playboy or Playgirl? Submit your nominations in the comments section or on the DoubleX Facebook page, and we’ll run a photo gallery of the best picks.

Tags: cartoons, comics, Disney, Playboy

Samantha Henig is the associate editor of Double X, and can be reached at samantha.henig@doublex.com.

Comments

Ah right, timeliness

By: Samantha Henig | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 13:20

Good point nagatuki. You'd think that since I'm in the biz and all, I'd take into account that a magazine cover should be timely, and most of these nominees aren't. But it's a way more fun game when you have old cartoons in the running! Let me rephrase the question, then: Which cartoon character, in his/her heydey, do you think should have been the first to grace the cover of Playboy?

Would Marge Simpson really hit the target demo?

By: Ketone | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 13:15

I find it amusing that Marge Simpson was chosen to grace the cover to attract twenty-somethings, as opposed to the 35 year-old average Playboy readers. The average Simpsons fan is probably 35! The show has been on TV for 20 years. Twenty-somethings watch Family Guy.

well...

By: _Nancy_ | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 12:12

I don't think you can top Marge. BUT I'd LOVE to see Shrek do a centerfold. He's *my* kinda animation.

How can you question the choice?

By: nagatuki | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 11:50

Those other characters aren't even on TV anymore, or are so marginal that most people don't _know_ who they are.

That, or they're children's characters, not meant to be viewed that way.

Meanwhile, not only has Marge been on TV 20 years and counting(!), she is incredibly romantic (ahem) with Homer, _and_ other guys!

What better icon, if one had to choose for the magazine?

Really?!

By: ktpeterson | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 11:41

Marge seems perfect for the cover of Playboy! A mother of three, I'm sure she's worked really hard to keep that figure and she's an inspiration to all the other animated moms out there! Dang, DoubleX, Dang!

They could snap a pic of her holding a wallet

By: madkatmama | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 11:24

Jane Jetson!

Off the top of my head...

By: MrJM | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 11:05

"What other fine specimen of animation do you think deserves a cover spot—either on Playboy or Playgirl?"

Ms. Pacman or that pink-haired gal from the Esurance ads.

-- MrJM