Free Preview: Playmate of the Month March 2008 - Ida Ljungqvist

Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood wasn't shopping for talent when she walked into Bebe in Beverly Hills, but in 26-year-old sales specialist Ida (pronounced "EE-duh") Ljungqvist she spotted a must-have item. Sara and Ida got to chatting, and our ad hoc scout realized this one was more than just an exotic beauty with a flawless figure. As Sara would later tell Holly Madison, Ida has the spark and flair of a Playmate. Soon thereafter the Girls Next Door showed up unannounced at the clothing boutique, camera crew in tow. "I was in total shock when they asked me to pose," Ida says. "I'm kind of a thrill seeker. Throw me in – I'll sink or swim!" Such fearlessness is hardly surprising in a woman who lived in more countries before the age of 18 than most people will ever visit. She was born in Tanzania to a Swedish father and a Tanzanian mother and, because of her father's work with UNICEF, grew up in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, France, the U.K., Sweden and Denmark. She speaks three languages (English, Swedish and Swahili), has a degree in fashion design and marketing and plans to study economics, among other subjects. Ida devotes a lot of time to charity work, a passion she inherited from Pops. "I'm a really positive person," she says. "My dad, he's, like, saving the world, so good luck to whoever decides to marry me! He'll have some big shoes to fill. I love Playboy because I get to meet people from all over the planet."