Willy Rey

Dutch-Canadian Willy Rey has been extremely busy since Playboy photographer Ken Honey found her in his hometown of Vancouver. She was young, an all-natural redhead from Rotterdam, Holland who had moved to Canada with her family as a child—Ken knew she was a model Playboy fans would love. Willy modeled for Ken and he sent her photographs to Playboy executives who quickly realized he was onto something. The busty redhead was made our Miss February 1971 and frequently attended events at the Playboy Mansion. Life for Willy in Canada has brought nothing, but good fortune since she moved to Vancouver with her family. “I've been close to my folks since we moved to Canada from the Netherlands,” says the freckled beauty. “That adjustment really drew us together.” Like most European families, Willy lives with her family and says there is nothing she enjoys more than cooking meat and potatoes with her mother—even if it means tearing up when slicing those pesky onions. Good girl at home, bad girl when she’s out on the town, Willy loves nothing more than drawing attention to herself when she hits the clubs and often tries on several outfits over the course of a few days before choosing the right one for her special night out. “My ideal night out would have to include some dancing and there are a lot of good rock spots here,” she says of the Vancouver nightlife. While she adores her city’s scene, one thing she will never accept is how some of the men present themselves. Our Miss February 1971 wants a handsome, respectful man with family values whom she could proudly introduce to her family. Men who automatically do not make the cut are fellas who lack ambition and have beards or long hair. “Guys with long hair look effeminate to me,” explains Willy. “I want my dates to look like men.” Men like Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who first met our Playmate of the Month at a Mansion party. Although Hugh has a well-known fondness for blondes, he couldn’t take his eyes off the Dutch redhead that night and asked if she would accept a true opportunity. Playboy Enterprises was to be made a publicly traded company on November 3rd, 1971 and Hugh decided Willy’s nude centerfold would be displayed on Playboy stock certificates, causing an uproar and scandal on Wall Street. Can’t say we blame Wall Street—Willy Rey’s centerfold is quite striking.