It began early in the summer of 1988 with an ad in Playboy magazine calling for entries in the Great 35th Anniversary Playmate Hunt. The response was overwhelming, with candidates from all 50 states and numerous overseas countries. Among the contestants were flight attendants, cops, nurses, models, doctors, a beekeeper, a goldsmith, construction workers, dancers, an ice skater, a sexual therapist, a wrestler, a psychic, a stuntwoman, a witch and a lottery winner who, despite enjoying a lifetime income of $1000 a week, still wanted to take a shot at our first prize of $35,000 and the prestige of being named Playboy's 35th Anniversary Playmate.
In all, more than 4000 women participated in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Photographers and their crews fanned out to cities across the nation, from New York to Los Angeles, from Tampa to Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Chicago and to the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Toronto. Polaroids from these sessions were examined for the most promising candidates, who were called in for more thorough photo testing at Playboy's Los Angeles and Chicago studios.
Playboy's Great Playmate Hunt is a glimpse of 147 of the outstanding contenders
for the big prize. Of course, only one winner would emerge from the multitude,
and making that all-important choice wasn't easy, as you'll see. But the field
steadily narrowed to a group of finalists chosen by Playboy's photographers
and photo editors. From these came the ultimate winner—and several future
Playmates. But before we tell you about the victor, we'd like to call your attention to the ballot on page 111, on which you can check off your personal favorites from this book. Overleaf from the ballot is a data sheet, much like the one used in Playboy's Playmate feature, that asks the question: Do you know a likely Playmate candidate? If yes, ask her to send us the completed form and be sure to include a photo. And now, here are some highlights from the Great 35th Anniversary Playmate Hunt.
Models
Fawna MacLaren (cover girl)
Karen Oliver
Leslie Fuhrtz
Michelle Bowman
Shannon DeShay
Deonda Sisco
Dyana Maldonado
Katrina Alexander
Heidi Johnson
Tonya Lawson
Jennifer Barrett
Renee Tenison
Houston Fostere
Desery Martin
Jaqueline Alexander
Debbie Maupin
Rhonda Tarkington
Rio Lee Ryan
Jo Ann McMahan
Susan Storey
Lynn Marie
Tonya Reynolds
Peggy Molter
Sher Di Nicola
Laura Fennelly
Autumn Person
Ruth Ice
Michelle Arey
Cynthia Kaye
Valorie Smith
Nancy Howard
Chantelle-fontain-porn-star">Rebecca