Hugh Hefner founded Playboy in 1953. Born and raised in Chicago, he opened the first Playboy club in 1960.
“I never heard of Playboy and I don't think I even knew who Hugh Hefner was,” recalled Candace Collins Jordan, who was only 19 from a small Southern Illinois town, when she took a chance and applied to work at the St. Louis Playboy Club.
“I was underage as I just graduated high school so I couldn’t serve drinks. So I was a greeter at the door. That is how I met all the art directors. They would have me do test shoots for the magazines. I eventually started modeling for them,” She recalled.
Playboy would transfer her to the Playboy headquarters in Chicago, where she moved in in 1974. She soon became one of the most famous faces of the brand.
“I moved into the mansion. I fell in love with it. I was an only child so all these girls became sisters to me.”
She was a centerfold, appeared on 9 covers, was the 1976 Bunny of the Year, was "Playmate of the Month" in the December 1979 and continues her ambassadorship today.
"I appeared in a 12 page spread years later, when I was 65 years old," she shook her head and laughed in disbelief.
“They still reach out to find out what I’m up to. I continue to help promote anything Playboy may need.”
Nearly 50 years later, her memorabilia and mementos of a remarkable life and career will be on display at the Chicago History Museum.
“I've been collecting Playboy stuff for years. Every single thing that any Playboy official touched and gave me, I kept it.”
Her collection will be curated into a one-of-a-kind exhibit at the Chicago History museum.
"My collection, to my knowledge, will make the Chicago History Museum the only museum in the world with this caliber of Playboy pieces."
“I kept my silver lame costume from the "Bunny of the Year" costume; I still have my ears and the shoes. It was appraised on the Antique Roadshow and they told me it was the most complete costume they’d ever seen, including the Bunny of The Year sash,” she added.
“Every year, Hef would send us gifts. I have probably 300 of those items, bracelets, necklaces, things that Playboy does not make anymore. I have a poster for key club sales that will now be in the museum. I had different sets of ears in different colors. I had the Bunny guides, my union contract, I had invitations to all of the parties Hefner threw and curiously enough, they wanted the invitation to Hefner’s funeral."
Jordan estimates the Chicago History Museum exhibit will feature more than 100 of her items over the years. She admits, they were difficult to part with.
“We went back and forth more than a year before I said yes. I am happy and sad at the same time, because I always thought I would keep all my things, because they meant something to me. “
But she hopes her collection and the presentation will teach others about a pivotal point in American history and pop culture.
“The thought that so many people will be able to see this and how Hef treated these girls; he treated them with respect and gave them opportunities they would never have received otherwise. I’m thrilled they took the stuff. I missed it for a minute but now I’m happy it's gone," she laughed.
Although her Gold Coast condo is a little less cluttered today, Jordan says she feels good about her donation and what will eventually become part of her legacy.
“The items are a huge part of me. I know they are only things, but they will always be a huge part of me even though I don’t have the physical remembrances. To this day, I thank god for this opportunity. I would not be here, I wouldn’t have my husband, I wouldn’t have been here. It literally changed and determined my entire life.”
The original Chicago Playboy Club, which opened on February 29, 1960, at 116 E. Walton Street, closed in 1986. The original Playboy Mansion has been converted into luxury apartments, and the site of the first Playboy Club is now a parking garage.
Jordan says there's no word on when the exhibit will be open, but she knows Hefner would be proud.
“My donation not only makes the Chicago History Museum the only museum in the world with this caliber of Playboy pieces, but it also marks the first time a Bunny/Playmate is featured in a major museum exhibition. I can’t help but think Hef would be very proud, especially since it’s in Chicago where he was born.”
