So, yeah, it's been a hundred years since I posted anything here, but as with all else, life finds a way - in this case to derail all my various past-times. But, fear not, I aim to post here periodically when I can, and I can think of no better topic with which to re-start than Playboy Femlins.
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| Full Set of Playboy Femlins - Collection of the author |
The Femlin (female gremlin) was created by LeRoy Neiman and first appeared in Playboy in August 1955 on the jokes page. She was never not in an issue after that. These figures however appeared much later. When Hef started the Playboy Clubs in February 1960, these figures were available in the gift shop, and later by mail order from the magazine.
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| Kneeling Femlin with Playboy Club Key - Collection of the author |
There appear to be two different editions of these elusive little figures, presumably because of production problems. One variation generally tends to retain its bright white skin tone, but is very prone to crazing. These appear to be painted wood or some other material. The other variation is almost always found with a more ivory appearance, and these seem to be some sort of resin-like material. These do not typically have the crazing problem the other variation has.
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| Prone Femlin - Collection of the author |
As you might expect, fingers, toes, and heels are very fragile and are many times found repaired or missing altogether. All except the standing figure are very stable and have no issues sitting quietly on a shelf, but the standing figure more often than not is slightly off-balance and needs a little shimming to remain stable.
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| Reclining Femlin - Collection of the author |
These are really rare. In the 30 years that I've been collecting I've seem probably less than 10 of each, with the standing one being by far the rarest. The kneeling one is by far the most common, probably because that pose was the unofficial emblem of the Playboy Club and I'm sure she far out-sold the others.
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| Standing Femlin - Collection of the Author |
In 2002 Playboy issued a commemorative Femlin figure, in her classic pose sitting in a champagne glass. While not as whimsical as the original figures, the addition of the prop is classic Femlin.
