In the wide pantheon of Playboy bunnies, there’s one that easily stands out as the most animated. Marge Simpson’s Playboy cover is one of the few times the blue-haired matriarch leaned into her rarely-seen sexy side.
The Simpsons is in its 35th season, and somehow, Marge looks as if she hasn’t aged a day since making her television debut.
An Illustrious Career
Lifelong Springfield resident Marjorie Jacqueline “Marge” Simpson (née Bouvier) lives at 742 Evergreen Terrace with her nuclear safety inspector husband Homer, and her three kids Maggie, Lisa, and Bart. While she prides herself on being the moralistic homemaker keeping her family on the straight and narrow, she’s dabbled in a myriad of other careers.
Simpson’s served stints as a realtor, pretzel saleswoman, police officer, erotic baker, and even starred in the original production of Oh, Streetcar!, a musical version of A Street Named Desire.
Aside from a brief feud with First Lady Barbara Bush, Simpson’s fans number in the millions. The residents of Springfield even erected a statue to commemorate her glory in 1993, though many claim it bears an odd resemblance to President Jimmy Carter.
Read More: Is ‘The Simpsons’ Really Over?
Did Marge Simpson Pose for Playboy Magazine?
Yes, Marge Simpson posed for Playboy Magazine in November 2009 in a piece entitled “The Devil in Marge Simpson.” The November issue coincided with The Simpsons‘ 20th anniversary, not counting Simpsons appearances on The Tracy Ullman Show. Simpson joined the ranks of iconic Playboy cover models including Marilyn Monroe and Pamela Anderson. Getting Simpson to pose for the magazine was an effort made to appeal to a younger audience.
“We knew that this would really appeal to the 20-something crowd,” said Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey.
Simpson’s cover pose harkens to the same pose made by Darine Stern’s in the October 1971 issue of Playboy. Stern was Playboy’s first black cover model. The pictures in Simpsons’ spread include one of her in lingerie holding a plate of donuts, one where she’s draped in white fur, and a partially nude photo of her slipping into her green dress.
Despite Simpsons’ demure demeanor, she previously posed for Maxim in the magazine’s April 2004 issue as well.
Why Did Marge Pose for Playboy?
According to her Centerfold Questionnaire, Simpson decided to appear in Playboy as an act of charity.
“A nice girl like me would never display her body if it weren’t to raise money for charity,” Simpson said. “I’m donating my hefty fee from this tasteful pictorial to SPHG—Saving and Preserving Historic Gazebos. Gazebos are disappearing, people, and they’re not coming back!”
Other interesting takeaways from her questionnaire include her turn ons (“Having enough saucers for your cups”), turn offs (“Slim men who work out regularly and take care of their bodies and whose oiled muscles gleam in the sun when they take off their shirts”), and what she values most in life (“Our great country and the freedoms enshrined in its constitution that allow [Playboy] to print this smut.”)
Who Took Marge Simpson’s Playboy Photos?
The “photographer” of Marge’s cover and centerfold photos was none other than her husband Homer. (OK, come on, let’s break character for a moment. Marge’s photos were drawn by animator Julius Preite, who later recounted via an X post feeling strange about animating Simpson in a sexier light. “I felt like I was drawing my mom,” says Preite.)
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