Skip to content

Hugh Hefner Aboard Playboy's "Big Bunny" DC-9

Sept. 28, 2017
4 min read
FRANCE-BUNNIES-PLAYBOY
Hugh Hefner Aboard Playboy's "Big Bunny" DC-9
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Hugh Hefner, founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine and CCO of Playboy Enterprises, died at 91 on Wednesday, after a life that had made him a symbol of the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s. He lived the Playboy brand throughout his entire life — and a huge part of that brand was Hef's very own DC-9.

Hefner bought the jet, dubbed "The Big Bunny," in 1969 for about $5.5 million, about $40 million in today's dollars, new from the Douglas factory. He then had it customized into a flying party bus. The DC-9-32 was at the time a state of the art plane, the stretched version of the Douglas DC-9 that had marked the company's debut into twin-engine jets and competed directly with the Boeing 737. Hefner's was painted black and bore the registration N950PB, possibly a nod to the "Playboy Bunny," the famous logo that was also printed on the tail.

"My limo is black. My plane should be black," Hefner said in a Wall Street Journal article. Apparently, he even needed special permission from the federal government to color it in this fashion. The DC-9 was totally redesigned on the inside and featured a theater, living room, dining room, bathrooms with showers and even a "disco area."

The Big Bunny at Chicago O'Hare (ORD) airport in 1975. Image by RuthAS via Wikimedia Commons.

The aircraft was outfitted with a circular bed and a full command center, where the media mogul could conduct business.

Photo taken on August 30, 1970 shows US Playboy Magazine publisher Hugh Hefner (R), his girlfriend actress Barbara Benton and other playmates arriving aboard the Playboy jet "Big Bunny" (Stringer/AFP/Getty Images).

There was plenty of seating and lounge areas available.

Hefner in his aircraft in London, before flying back to Chicago, 20th February 1971. With him are Playboy models (left to right) Marilyn Cole, Barbi Benton and Connie Kreski. (Photo by Dove/Daily Express/Getty Images).

The flight attendants, referred to as "Jet Bunnies," were actual Bunnies from the Playboy clubs in Chicago and Los Angeles and trained by Continental Airlines. Hefner shared quite a few photos of the jet via Twitter over the years, calling it a "great toy and a great gift to give" — having lent it to Elvis Presley and Yul Brynner. The airplane was actually operated and maintained by two since-defunct US airlines, Perdue and Ozark.

Here's Hef ready to take on the press.

You know you've got a big plane when you and your buddies can play Monopoly with a full-sized board.

The jet-black aircraft looked striking against the blue sky.

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Check out a collection of clips aboard The Big Bunny:

Hefner said he retired the jet in the 1970s after he purchased the Playboy mansion.

"I fell in love with life at the mansion so a lot of the things I enjoyed in traveling I found at home," Hefner said. According to PlaneLogger, the Big Bunny was sold to Venezuela's Aeropostal in 1976 and then to Aeromexico in 1979. It flew with the Mexican airline until 2004 and is now displayed in a theme park in Mexico.

Featured image by AFP/Getty Images

TPG featured card

Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review

Rewards

2 - 10X miles

Intro offer

LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles

Annual Fee

$395

Recommended Credit

740-850
Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

2X miles2 miles per dollar on every purchase
5X miles5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
10X miles10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • Intro Offer

    LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles
  • Annual Fee

    $395
  • Recommended Credit

    740-850
    Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month