On the weekend of July 17-18, temperatures in the L.A. area soared everywhere but the Pacific Design Center (the infamous "Blue Whale" of Melrose Avenue), which was transformed into the coolest place on earth by the 1999 Playboy Expo, a two-day celebration of the men's magazine's 45th anniversary.
At the entrance, attendees heard the piano-and-strings theme from Playboy's Penthouse and were welcomed by satin-clad Playboy Club bunnies. In the plaza outside, near a scale model of the old Playboy corporate jet (a black DC-9), jazz acts performed on a bandstand while food and cigars were sold from under white canopies. Inside the building almost 200 Playmates, neatly arrayed in alphabetical order from Rhonda Adams (Miss June 1995) to Jaime Bergman (the 45th Anniversary Playmate, Miss January 1999) to Dianne Chandler (Miss September 1966) to Cynthia Myers (Miss December 1968) to Janet Pilgrim (Miss July 1955, Miss December 1955, and Miss October 1956) to Victoria Valentino (Miss September 1963) to Victoria Zdrok (Miss October 1994), sold autographed memorabilia and posed for pictures with fans. Original art from the magazine was on display, along with bigger-than-life-size photos from the Playboy archives. Hugh Hefner's legendary 8-foot round bed from the Chicago Playboy Mansion was on the premises. A photo booth offered free Polaroids with PlayboyTV stars like Sex Court's Judge Julie Strain, Alexandra Silk, Nikita and Stephania, plus Night Calls' Juli Ashton, Shayla LaVeaux and Helmetcam Man Gary Gray. Playboy personalities like artist leRoy Neiman, cartoonist Buck Brown, and Playboy Advisor columnists Jim Petersen and Chip Rowe also made appearances. The "Femlin Bar" offered a Playboy Club-like atmosphere with costumed bunnies, a full bar and just-for-fun casino gambling.
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner was present throughout the event, autographing everything from vintage magazines to posters to copies of The Playboy Book at an elevated stage, appearing in a Q&A session, and occasionally roaming the display areas and meeting with Playmates and fans alike.
Attendees from the porno-American community included Chloe and Ernest Greene (at the Olivia display), Luc Wylder, and Ed Powers, who was seen waiting in line for an autograph from Misses December 1998, identical triplets Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm.
