Marge’s Playboy Debut

The new cover of Playboy shows our favourite blue-haired yellow mother in a very revealing light

When you think of Playboy magazine, you probably envisage a scantily-clad woman sprawled provocatively across the cover. November does not particularly differ from the norm – as with every issue of Playboy, the cover star of the November issue is a half-naked woman. However, this woman is certainly not of the usual variety.

For the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons, the blue-haired Marge Simpson can be seen to be gracing the cover of the world famous magazine. Marge, the first ever cartoon character to appear on the front cover of Playboy, is pictured with nothing to cover her modesty but a Playboy Bunny chair. Furthermore, a data sheet and a two-page centrefold are dedicated to the character inside the magazine, along with an interview entitled ‘The Devil in Marge Simpson’. Marge is the only cover star on newsstand Playboy magazines, but for subscribers there is a more traditional alternative.

Marge Simpson, whom executive producer Al Jean claims to be ‘a little embarrassed’, is pictured inside the magazine in various provocative pictures allegedly snapped by her husband, Homer. James Jellinek, editorial director of the magazine, describes the shoot as ‘very, very racy’ and has described Marge as “a stunning example of the cartoon form”, although Marge apparently wanted readers to know that her pictures have in fact been photo-shopped, and the body we see is actually the body of Wilma Flintstone.

Playboy has seen its circulation slip from 3.15 million to 2.6 million since 2006, and putting Marge on the cover is meant to attract younger readers in their twenties, at the same time making sure not to alienate older readers. Playboy also hopes to make this issue into a collector’s item by featuring this cartoon mother-of-three on the cover. For those who do collect the magazine, this issue is reminiscent of a copy from 1971 featuring a black woman for the first time in the magazine’s history, in exactly the same pose as Marge.

There is much debate about whether or not it is right that an essentially children’s television star should appear naked in a men’s magazine, but Jellinek has pointed out that there is in fact an episode of The Simpsons in which “Marge bears all”, suggesting that she is perfectly comfortable with it and it is not unnatural.
It is yet to be seen whether or not this unusual issue of Playboy will help to boost readership, but for one Matt Groening, creator of the Simpson’s, is pleased with the issue, stating that ‘the fact we’re still standing here some 20 years later and talking about it is very peculiar. But very happy.’