The Playboy Bunny image has emblazoned everything from cigarette lighters to car air fresheners since the 1960s, and it will now adorn high-end poker chips and poker tables alongside the Moneymaker brand.
Chris Moneymaker parlayed a $40 stake at the 2003 World Series of Poker into $2.9 million and has since attracted co-branding partners ranging from NASCAR drivers to Death Row Records.
"Poker is a logical brand extension for Playboy,” said Sarah Haney, director of entertainment licensing for the 50-year-old company. Haney described Moneymaker as an “overnight success” and said she saw the poker player’s World Series triumph as something attractive to the company’s vision of “the aspirational Playboy lifestyle.”
The Playboy chipsets, which retail from $350, will be available at PlayboyStore.com, MoneymakerGaming.com and the Playboy Concept Boutique in Las Vegas.
Other porn companies have jumped on the branding bandwagon this year, most notably Vivid, which has unleashed a string of products, from Vivid cosmetics to Vivid SUV rims. Britain’s RJ Mobile has partnered with Ron Jeremy to provide “groantones” for their cell phone service, and Seymore Butts has been trying to launch a party bus line.
Prior to this year, most hardcore companies and personalities had only ventured as far as marketing a line of novelties from California Exotics, PipeDream or Doc Johnson.
Playboy’s focus traditionally has been directed more toward the lifestyle aspect of its consumer base rather than the porn aspect, which is why the Bunny logo has become so distinctive.
"Poker and Playboy go hand in hand," said Moneymaker. "We're committed to making Playboy a dominant player at the poker table."
