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Bunny Elka waits on Janet Pilgrim (left) and Hef at the opening of the New York Playboy Club, December 1962.
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Hef spent more and more nights in his quarters at the back of Playboy's offices, across from Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral. Here he courted a number of co-workers, the best known of whom was a pretty blonde named Charlaine Karalus from the magazine's subscription department. As Janet Pilgrim, a name chosen by Hef as a spoof of Puritanism, she became Playboy's first real Girl Next Door, going on to appear on a record three Centerfolds in 1955 and 1956 and setting the tone for all the Playmates who followed.
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| Hef is reunited with Janet (right) and Phi Beta Kappa Playmate Vicki McCarty at the 1979 Playmate Reunion |
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