In what has to be one of the most unusual publicity-gathering ploys I’ve ever seen, Playboy Magazine has recently announced that they’re going to have their first animated covergirl.  And she’s not Lara Croft, to my amazement.  Nope, instead Playboy is going after the animation fan with their selection of Marge Simpson for the cover.  Really.  Marge Simpson, Playmate.

Now, the Simpsons have been on every product known to man, but this is kind of surprising.  Playboy CEO Scott Flanders (stupid Flanders!) is trying to reach out to a younger demographic with the move, seeking to draw in some 20-somethings with an uncharacteristic move for the Bunny Empire.  When discussing the move, he stated, “It had never been done, and we thought it would be kind of hip, cool and unusual.”  Playboy has had video game characters naked within their pages before, but never cartoon characters.  There’s a first time for everything!

Well, it certainly is unusual, but I’m not sure how hip or cool it might be.  After all, the Simpsons has been on the air for nearly 21 years now, making it the Gunsmoke of animated series.  While the movie was successful, the show’s been kind of under the radar since then.  I think this is a case of the two sides needing one another to drum up a little renewed interest in their respective brands.

Tags: unusual news, marge simpson, the simpsons, first cartoon on the cover of Playboy, Playboy covers, marketing, Scott Flanders

Fashion designer Marc Ecko’s designs draw from a variety of inspirations, but there’s nothing as cool as his Black Rhino clothing articles.  After all, the Black Rhino collection is the home of the incredibly awesome Black Rhino Jason Hoodie, inspired by Jason Voorhees and the classic 80’s slasher movies in the Friday the 13th series.  […]

Throughout history, there’s been one constant.  People are going to do whatever they can to make themselves more beautiful.  Whether it’s a tattoo of an Internet superstar like Tay Zonday, a tooth tattoo, an eyeball coloration, or even an amputation disguise, there’s no shortage of ideas on what people can do to the body to […]

As lights get smaller and more powerful, you’re going to start seeing them in more and more places.  For example, check out the Galaxy Dress from CuteCircuit.  This formal-style gown made of crinoline, chiffon, 4,000 Swarovski crystals, and 24,000 LEDs is a pretty impressive combination of form and function.  Assuming you want to function as […]

Canada’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Remembrance Day.
Tags: moment of silence, 11:11 on Novemeber 11, Remembrance Day, tributes, veterans

Twenty years ago today, on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came down.  The wall, separating East and West Berlin, was a symbol of the Cold War between the free world and the Soviet Union.  Google has a great selection of images from Life Magazine detailing the history of the wall, and there’s also a […]

From the outside, Emma Cahill looks like your average school girl.  She just turned 16 and attends St Mary’s Convent School in Worcester, England.  She is active in sports and has many friends, but there’s one thing different about Emma.  At 6′5, she is the tallest teenage girl in the UK.
Fortunately for Emma, her unusual […]

The New York Marathon ran this weekend.  Surprisingly, the winner was an American; in fact, Eritrea-born Meb Keflezighi is the first American citizen to win the marathon since 1982 (the year after I was born).  However, with an estimated 42,000 runners in the marathon this year, not all of them are hardcore professionals.  There are […]