Ladies come in all sizes, but you don't 'often meet one with a six-inch bust. Then again, some women like strong drink; but rarely do you find one who periodically falls, bare bottom first, into a full champagne glass. In fact, the only place you're likely to encounter such a creature is on the Playboy's Party Jokes page, where an impish nymphet we call our Femlin has teased and amused Playboy readers since she first appeared in the August 1955 issue. She was a bit larger then, a fact that has led some Femlin watchers to contend that she didn't arrive on our pages until July 1956; but in the name of accurate journalism, we have determined that the 1955 date is correct. Except for size, she hasn't changed much since artist LeRoy Neiman translated an idea of Editor-Publisher Hugh Hefner's into living black and white: black hair, black gloves and black stockings. As Hefner conceived of her, she was a female gremlin who lived with a man about town and always tried to compete for his attention with regular-sized women (like the ones on the centerfold). Her methods included sabotage: jumping into drinks, untying shoelaces, hiding cuff links, etc. With input from Hefner and Art Director Arthur Paul, Neiman gradually developed the Femlin into a character who has become nearly as much a symbol of Playboy as the familiar Rabbit Head. She has appeared on eight covers (more than most Playmates, so the little lady really has no reason to be jealous).
Dozens of readers have written to Neiman over the years, asking for original Femlin paintings. He has had to turn them all down, but says, "I could probably make a living just doing Femlins for private collectors if I had to." From the beginning, the Femlin has retained her basic personality, but she has changed with the times. She started out as nothing more than a party girl, but lately, she has roller-skated and manipulated pocket calculators. She's also been getting outdoors a lot--carving her initials into trees or picking flowers. As Neiman says, "She's an all-American girl." (You mean there's no Femlin in the Kremlin?) Anyway, many happy returns to the saucy little lady who proves the adage that good things do come in small packages.
