Allison Parks, Playmate of the Year, 1966

High-Fleming Allison Parks, last October's Playmate, student pilot and swimming instructress, received a stunning reception from our readers for her fall debut and equally enthusiastic accolades after January's Playmate Review; retrospectively, Playboy's vax populi proved to be omnisciently on target as the editors weighed Allison's attributes, which tipped the scales of pulchritude overwhelmingly in her favor. Picking her as Playmate of the Year was one of our most pleasurable tasks, requiring no readers' runoff (as in 1963 and 1965) to help us make up our mind. Since her October appearance, Miss Parks has been a girl very much on the go. What with piling up hours aloft toward her pilot's license, lending a green thumb in her father's Glendale, California, nursery, continuing to teach swimming to Glendale's pre-school moppets, studying acting on the 20th Century-Fox lot, starting to decorate video commercials and—as a result of her gatefold bow—zipping across the country on Playboy promotion tours, Allison is up to her bright-blue irises in activity. Yet her ascendancy to the Playmate of the Year throne will accelerate her whirlwind pace still more. Among the new vistas opening up for Allison as a result of her Playmate of the Year selection: a movie role in one of producer Henry Saperstein's Benedict Productions; a screen test arranged by Filmways' executive producer Martin Ransohoff (says Allison of the filmic prospects before her: "I only hope I do half as well in the movies as my predecessor, Jo Collins. I saw Jo in Lord Love a Duck and she was fabulous."); and an upcoming audition for Monument Records for a recording contract (if her audio equipment comes anywhere near matching her visual effect, she's a hi-fi cinch). In addition to affording our golden-haired girl of the West movie and recording opportunities, her Playmate of the Year laurels carry with them cornucopian quantities of largess the value of which runs into thousands of dollars.

Many of the gifts are in our own sophisticated color, Playmate Pink, including a dashing Dodge (text concluded on page 182)Playmate of the Year(continued from page 139) Charger fastback (Allison adds her own lines to its roof line in the photo on the opening page) and a nimble Yamaha Newport 50 motorcycle—fast-moving transport that should enable pilot-trainee Parks to get to and from the airport posthaste. Other items to keep Allison in the Playmate Pink: a four-piece set of lugage by Ventura; a complete wardrobe specially designed and custom-made by Robert Leader of New York; a ten-speed Varsity Schwinn bicycle; custom Renauld of France sunglasses; a swimsuit wardrobe (pink, naturally) from Paul Masson.

One of the gifts that has Allison up in the clouds is $700 worth of flying lessons from Pacific-Mooney of Long Beach. More down to earth but no less appealing is the host of handsome, utile and glamorous gifts that will help swell the Parks treasure chest: a 14-kt.-gold Rabbit Pin by Maria Vogt of New York; a blonde Lilly Dache wig from Donna Elaine of Chicago; a Winchester Model 1400 automatic skeet gun and custommade shooting outfit; Hart Holiday Model metal skis; ski wardrobe of White Stag stretch ski pants and parkas; P&K ski poles by Peter Kennedy; an Electra 110 portable electric typewriter from Smith-Corona; record libraries from Capitol, Mercury and Cadet; sports wardrobe of Lady Pendleton shirts, sweaters, slacks and skirts; Thompson water skis and accessories; a Lady Hamilton gold wrist watch; $150 worth of professional artist's materials from Grumbacher of New York; a pair of Sony tape-recorder Tapemates; Western riding outfits by Levi-Strauss; a Doris Hart Autograph tennis racket with cover and press by A. G. Spalding; a deluxe assortment of Celui Perfume and Parfum de Toilette by Jean Dessés; a bongo board from the Bongo Corporation; and a year's supply of Sea & Ski Suntan Lotion. All in all, an opulent assemblage of goodies fit to pleasure a princess.

After we had reeled off the long list of booty to Allison over the phone, there was silence at the other end of the line; then she broke in with "Pinch me; I must be dreaming," which we thought was just the right remark, coming as it did from Playboy's very special dream girl of the year.