Karen Elaina Price

[Nuke67]

Karen Price was one of my favorite playmates, I know when they started doing the playboy videos around 83 and the Playboy Channel started up I was hoping they would do video profiles of past years, With Karen Price, Gig Gangel etc. But alas never came to be to my very big disappointment.

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I hate to think about it, but it seems that the financial troubles at PB and the firm’s new priorities are going leave Karen Price fans (and fans of other great PMs from past decades) with no new photos for the foreseeable future. The demise of the Daily Doubles and of special issues is depressing enough, but it seems they’ve scrapped as well the effort to release the test photos of popular PMs—a series that began superbly with Candy Loving’s. It’s hard to be certain, but am I right to think that the lone photos of Karen in the blue robe and of Karen on the orange sheets were probably test photos? If so, wouldn’t it be great to see more? (She has the same hasty makeup job in both photos: too much rouge for a natural beauty like Karen, but we fans will suffer it!)

Is there any way we could pay a ransom to free her unreleased photos? PB could certainly raise some cash that way. And if we VEF fans aren’t rich enough to meet PBs demands, there must be some multi-millionaire fan of Karen who would plunk down the cash needed to liberate her photos. Why waste all that money on dishonest campaign ads for bought-and-paid-for politicians, when they could spend their money on Karen's photos, something truly worthwhile that would bring happiness to millions of their fellow Americans? Isn't that the real meaning of philanthropy and public service? I’m beginning to fear that many of us will be gone by the time PB gets around to releasing Karen's photos—or that many of her photos may deteriorate beyond repair. That would be a tragedy, because she’s a beauty for the ages. It’s hard to imagine that Karen and the other great PMs will ever lack for fans in future generations.

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How do VEF members rate softcore models like Karen on VEF? If we look at models who have received over 100,000 views (i.e.—who have been rated 5 through 1 by a representative number of VEF members), PB PMs dominate the rankings. None are in the top fifty of the most viewed softcore models, because they simply don’t have as many photos available as the most viewed models (Karen is the first to appear at number 51). But the most popular PB PMs (when ranked by thread ratings by VEF members) are almost invariably rated 5s by VEF members. They are by consensus the most beautiful models on VEF. I suppose there might be someone out there who wouldn’t rate Karen or Marilyn or Candy a 5, but he’s probably not a VEF aficionado! Here’s the list of the top-rated models with over 100,000 views:

Marilyn Lange
Pamela Jean Bryant
Carol Imhof
Candy Loving
Susan Lynn Kiger
Karen Whitter
Cynthia Myers
Karen Price
Janet Lupo

Two non-PB models interrupt the run at that point, but it’s pretty much PMs after that too.

Maybe PB’s time has passed. But it would great if PB could find PMs as beautiful as the PMs of the past, like Karen. I don’t know what market research would show, but vintage fans haven’t been shy about letting the world know who they think are the fairest of all. It’s the PMs from PB’s golden age, 1968-1984. And VEF fans share tastes. We may be disappointed by who is not in the top nine, but I doubt many of us are disappointed by the PMs who are on that list. Three of my five all-time-favorite PMs (including my favorite, Karen), are in the top 9. That’s a lot better than random chance!
Anyway, if you haven’t yet voted Karen a “5” please do so on her main thread:

http://www.vintage-erotica-forum.com...ina-price.html

Just click on the rating bar at the top of the page on her main thread and vote. Please show your appreciation for Karen!

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For fun, I thought I'd post a tribute to Karen posted a few years ago by a blogger, Jim Enos. His blog is no longer up, so I thought I'd preserve his tribute here in our shrine to Karen. It's always fun to hear fellow fans speak about her.




“The One and Only Playboy Playmate”

There were many beautiful Playboy Playmates who graced the pages of Playboy over the years, and everyone has their favorite. Without hesitation, my all-time favorite Playmate has to be "KAREN PRICE". She was (and may very well still be) one of the prettiest, most voluptuous models ever to appear in the magazine. The very first time I saw her, I was amazed. Not only was she beautiful, but she had the most perfect set of tits I had ever seen on a woman! Granted, a lot of guys I know would say that all boobs are basically the same. Not the case in this instance! Karen Price's body was perfectly proportioned for a woman with boobs as big as hers. Many women may have bigger boobs, but they may be overweight, too tall, too thin, their hips might be too wide, whatever. I can't believe for a minute any other female could possibly claim to have the same distribution of charms possessed by Karen Price. I have collected as many pics of this brunette bombshell as were available either from the Playboy website or in the newsgroups. Curly-brown, shoulder-length hair; brown eyes; a nice, round symetrically-shaped ass and a perfect pair of 38 D-cup breasts! Later, I'll comment extensively on what I believe is one of her best pictures. In fact, there were quite a few winners in this boy's book. The one and the only Karen Price! What a woman! Did I mention she has a gorgeous set of tits? 'Just wanted to make sure....’ Enjoy her pics.

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Jim Enos later entered another tribute to Karen on his blog. For Jim, as for me, she is the fairest of all.

[

“Just look at those incredible breasts.”

I have flipped through many a men's magazine in my time, and have seen quite a few naked gals in those pages with memorable charms. I even subscribed to Playboy magazine off and on for over three years come to think of it. In all that time there have been numerous beautiful, buxom gals with nice round butts who graced many an issue, flaunting their birthday-suit glory. A couple of them even sent me autographed glossies, and I even can rightfully say that I knew "two" Playmates of the Month, "personally". But if I had to make a choice or pick just one Playmate as being the best I have ever seen in the pages of Playboy, it would have to be Karen Price. A perfect specimen of natural, sensual beauty! Not only is she a voluptuous, big-breasted vixen with perfect tan lines on a most ample derriere, but she is also an extremely attractive woman. This is one of her best pictures. Her body, her tan, the alluring softness of her tummy; perfect make-up, lipstick and hairstyle; the way her arms cradle her two perfectly shaped, well-rounded and proportioned, pale-skinned breasts; and the way her hands part just enough to get a glimpse of her bush... This shot must have been one for the books! No doubt, it took some time to compose and I'm willing to bet they did this shot this several times to insure they captured the mood properly. Karen is one gorgeous woman, but not just because of her boobs, and not just because they are "big boobs". She exudes sensuality, passion and a sense of arousal that rivals even the legendary Cynthia Myers. Karen Price will forever be at the top of my list when it comes to any Playmate, or any model for that matter, that ever appeared in the pages of any magazine. Thanks Karen, very much!

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A friend on VEF shared his thoughts with me about Karen. It’s not something he wanted to post himself, but it expresses a wonderful thought about his favorite photo and Karen’s enduring appeal, which I think will speak to all of Karen’s fans. I hope others will share their thoughts as well.





"The thing about Karen that makes her so unique to me is the quality of her eye contact with the camera. She seems to look right through the camera and sense the lust she would inspire in all the men who would view her pictorial. I don't think she wants her admirers to be embarrassed by their reaction to her pictorial, but rather to indulge in it. Her eyes invite you to give in to the fantasy of what it would be like to be with her. She knew that over a million men would fantasize about her that month. Her expression is one of a confident sex goddess who knew her effect on men. Whether she knew the hold she would have on some of us for decades is anyone’s guess.

My favorite photo, in which Karen poses with her lingerie belt, projects her sexual power and prowess more effectively than virtually any other photo I have ever seen. The thrusting forward of her breast, her arousal, and the expression of lust and desire on her lips and in her eyes, makes it the perfect picture for me.

She projects an awareness of her sex goddess status and draws us into a dream of what it would be like to be with her. The tilt of her head and the expression on her face communicate to me the complexity of her understanding about the effect she has on men. She knows that she is one of the most beautiful women of her generation and the power that gives her. You can tell by her expression that she has sympathy for us. There are other women who possess similar physiques, but they project only contempt for their admirers. Karen is exceptional because she is the sympathetic sex goddess who knows that she cannot satisfy our longing to be with her, but wants to communicate to us the transcendent joy of what making love to her would be like.

When I view playmates for all the other eras of playboy, the women of the late 70s and early 80s are the ones that to me were the sexiest...with Karen being the ultimate girl-next-door beauty."

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Dear Marialva,

Here's the photo you requested, full size. I understand why you'd want a copy--a stunning picture of the most beautiful woman ever, IMO!

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I looked through Karen's thread briefly yesterday and found the same problems, Marialva, and sometimes it's impossible to tell which picture is missing, because the BB code failed as well as the storage site. It will take some time to fix. Maybe a group effort? Collectively, we must have every scan or variant of Karen that has appeared. I hope the moderators will work with us. It makes no sense to post all of the lost photos as strays, when some were part of sets (like the post 51 set of Karen's full size layout scans) or layouts.

Of course, I'd be happier to have new photos and more hi-res scans of Karen, but we must be thankful for what PB has given us. Before the electronic era, I had thought we'd just have to be content with the magazine layouts. To have so much more for Karen, great!

I'm thinking of writing a note on how beautifully Karen's face conveys her emotions. It's amazing, however, how small most of Karen scans end up if you focus only on her face, as I'm trying to do. It's amazing how inadequate the 720 x 480 scans look these days. Please PB, help us out!

[Eteocles]

When she was contacted along with all the other former playmates in preparation for the Playmate Book in 1996 she was only quoted as responding that "that was then, this is now." OK, can't read too much into that, it had been fifteen years after all since she had been in Playboy, but cumulatively one does get the impression that her experience with the magazine was not satisfying. Others have commented on the fact that it was her father that pushed her to pose; besides suggesting a certain reluctance on Karen's part, it seems to me that most father's instincts would be to steer their little girls away from Playboy and keep nude photos of them out of the hands of the other members of their bowling league. But let that pass. If he got her in there, we owe him a debt of gratitude. It's Hef, I think, that soured her on the experience. She was in the January issue, which is no guarantee of being PM of the year of course, but I was in college when the issue came out and even the girls in the dorm had to check this creature out. Tastes differ, you can quote me, but I bet most polls would place her among the top five PM's ever. Add to which, both she and her fans were virtually assured she had PMOY wrapped up by written copy accompanying her photo in the end of the year review—something like she was looking forward to being the first girl from her hometown to be so honored. But, although I'm sure he took a shot, Hef, as it happened, wasn't sharing his bed with Karen but with a cheap chorus girl we know as Shannon Tweed, later to marry that ghastly clown what's his name from Kiss whose talent seems limited to impersonating a snake. This was around the time Tweed started with the collagen treatments, acquired tits that could only have been paid for with a coupon, and began appearing in White Cargo and other movie garbage. Well, PMOY honors didn't always go to Hef's current piece—only when she insisted on it, which she did. Karen was not only robbed, but humiliated by having words put in her mouth in an early 1982 issue to the effect that she no longer expected to win, because "the competition is too strong this year." Well, 1981 was a relatively good year, but even Patricia Farinelli—imho—would have been a disappointing consolation prize, Karen was clearly the class of the field. OK, it's speculation, but a lot of readers were hacked off, it's only reasonable to suspect Karen was a little miffed too. Others here have commented on her dislike of the promotional work she was obliged to do for the magazine in the ensuing months; apparently she had no taste for Mansion life, either, somehow I can't see her being chatted up by the likes of James Caan or kicking it naked in the grotto.
I'm not breast obsessed, they're sublime, OK, but her favorite feature for me is her enchanting, somewhat off-kilter smile. And how carefully she's coiffed at Glamourcon (or one of those other autograph affairs)—compared, say, with Lynda Wiesmeier's messy mop. (Sorry, Lynda, it was 70's hair, I know, not your fault.) Too bad we didn't get to see much more of Karen, though—any of her.

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Thanks, Eteocles, for your thoughts on Karen. I hadn’t thought about Karen’s comments in the December 1981 PM review. As you say, they suggest that she would have been delighted and honored to be POY, despite her rough go as a PM during the first months of 1981 and her second thoughts about posing. I’d like to think she would have accepted and enjoyed the title, knowing as she surely did that she was far and away the favorite of fans like us. It does appear that they broke the news to her by the spring of 1982 that she wouldn’t win, which must have hurt, even if she was relieved not to have to spend an additional year at auto shows and mansion events.

Still, I worry that Karen may have talked her way out of being POY with her candid remarks to the press. I fear that PB took advantage of Karen because she’s smart, articulate, and interesting. They featured her in press interviews and 17 times in the PM’s corner, but may have deep-sixed her as POY for that very reason: because she was too intelligent to toe a party line and too sensitive not to be hurt by the actions of jerks who didn’t appreciate her or the spirit in which she posed. What’s worse, Hef kept punishing Karen for his decision to name his ex-girlfriend POY. Remember the PB special edition celebrating the 100 top PMs of the first 50 years? Karen was in there—in 55th place. That’s worse than a joke—it was an attempt to create space between her and Hef’s ex-girlfriend. When fans vote, Karen is always in the top five, and often #1.

I wish that every day of Karen’s two-year gig (and of the reign she deserved as POY) could have gone like this one in Canada:



PB should be about fun, flirting, and fantasy. I hope Karen loved being the dream girl of us regular guys (and I hope she still does in some small way). And as Eteocles says, Karen’s smile is her best feature. When she’s smiling, she's impossibly cute!

The sad thing, as Eteocles points out, is that Hef doesn’t always get the point of PB. It’s an odd thing to say about the guy who founded PB, but if Hef had gotten the point, he would have treated Karen right and named her POY. By putting Karen in the company of lechers at the mansion, he demeaned her. And Hef helped make PB irrelevant by failing to appreciate what Karen could have done for PB. America’s ideal of womanhood had changed by 1981, and Karen represented the future. What would it have meant for PB’s future to honor a young woman who was that bright? Let Karen speak her mind, share her thoughts, and be a force to reckon with.

Does Hef realize what he missed when he didn’t honor her with a POY video? What would it have said about PB and its ideal of beauty if he had opened Karen’s video with scenes of her performing acrobatic stunts with friends at Muscle Beach? Or tumbling and somersaulting on the beach? Or performing at the gym on the balance beam, the uneven bars, and the floor routine mat? Why not celebrate Karen’s athleticism? Strength? Daring? That’s what we love about the women we love in real life, so why not let us love that about the women we adore in our fantasies? Hef could have kept PB relevant by championing Karen, but he was stuck in the fifties—a gain for his ex-girlfriend, perhaps, but a loss for Karen, for us, and for PB.