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PLAYBOY has been turning up on the silver screen for decades in roles both big and small. Often played for laughs—and to heighten sex appeal, convey heterosexuality and reinforce traditional masculinity—the magazine, it could be argued, has fallen victim to that old Hollywood pitfall: typecasting. But whether as the star of the show or a simple walk-on, it’s always fun to see an old friend appear on the big screen. Grab the popcorn and check out a few of our favorite cameos.
Adventures in Babysitting
PLAYBOY plays a pivotal role in this film about a sitter who looks like the latest Playmate and is desperate to get her charges safely out of Chicago and back to the burbs.
Home Alone
Before little Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) goes toe-to-toe with the Wet Bandits in his parents’ empty house, he finds a July 1989 PLAYBOY in his big brother’s “private stuff.”
Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
There’s no better way for a new kid to make friends on his baseball team than to hand out copies of PLAYBOY—in this case, the February 1977 issue. Definite home run.
Forrest Gump
While in the Army, Forrest (Tom Hanks) thumbs through a (fake) July 1966 PLAYBOY and stumbles upon hometown darling Jenny in a modest Girls of the South pictorial.
Dr. Strangelove
B-52 pilot Major Kong (Slim Pickens) kicks back with a June 1962 PLAYBOY before all nuclear hell breaks loose over precious bodily fluids. The prop magazine cover is real, but the Centerfold is not.
Back to the Future
In this deleted scene, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) of 1955 finds a PLAYBOY in a suitcase from 1985. “Suddenly the future’s looking a whole lot better,” he quips.
Everything Must Go
An alcoholic played by Will Ferrell decides to unload all his remaining possessions at a yard sale. Well, not quite all. “Think I want to hold on to those,” he tells a curious kid (Christopher J. Wallace) about his PLAYBOYs.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Suave James Bond (George Lazenby) takes a break from safe-cracking to peruse the February 1969 issue and appreciate Playmate Lorrie Menconi’s Centerfold. Bond creator Ian Fleming once wrote to Hugh Hefner declaring that had his character been real, he’d be a PLAYBOY subscriber.
From the July/August 2018 PLAYBOY.