Big 'Uns is the Playboy-style adult magazine which is the 'reading material' of choice for Al Bundy, Bud Bundy, and members of NO MA'AM, along with many males on MWC during its later seasons.
In the early season of the show, Al is shown to have a collection of Playboy magazines and Bud could be seen sneaking a few of them out from the basement. It is mentioned that Al's father collected Playboy magazines and that the two of them would bond over looking at the centerfolds while Al's mom was drunk on Singapore Slings.
Although many Playboy models and centerfolds appeared on the show from the beginning until its end in 1997, any references to Playboy were not seen as much after season 6, with Big 'Uns filling in for reading material.
History[]
It was founded by Flint Guccione and was created in part due to "an Instamatic, a drunken family reunion and fifty bucks". He also operates a Big Uns Brothel.
Although Al has always called the magazine "Big 'Uns", in some episodes, such as "The Chicago Wine Party" and "Kelly Knows Something" the magazine is titled "Girls with Big 'Uns" and has a red border around the title, but most of time it has the shorter title of "Big 'Uns".
Al had to view the luscious ladies in Big 'Uns to get in the mood and stir up the drive and the courage to go through the menial task of having sex with Peg. As with his beloved TV, when threatened with the loss of his magazines, Al tends to get atypically emotional, cranky and poetic. When Peg demanded sex on their anniversary, Al cried "I can't do it without my copy of Big 'Uns!" But, after scanning all his centerfolds (to the rousing lyrics of "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood And The Destroyers) Al rose to the occasion and announced "Let's jam."
Al also kept a special collector's edition of Big 'Uns in the trunk of his Dodge car (along with a framed portrait of his family), and a pristine collection of Playboy magazines in his basement.
Griff appears on the cover with a group of models after being given the chance to carry the Olympic torch for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA and is named "Man of the Year".
There are also alternate versions of the magazines such as Black Big 'Uns, Library 'Uns, Cub' Uns and Colossal 'Uns.
While Big 'Uns is a real magazine, the ones featured on the show are modified props from Earl Hays Press, a company that creates fictional magazines, labels, bottles and other props for movies and television shows. The ones featured on MWC are originally titled Playpen, but have Big Uns replacing the title.
They are listed on their website as:
- MM 90 - Woman in bikini and necklace sitting on bed.
- The original version with the original Playpen title can be seen in Al's magazine rack in My Dinner with Anthrax
- Modified for Black Big Uns in Business Sucks (Part 1)
- MM 92 - Woman in yellow bikini kneeling in the sand
- My Dinner with Anthrax inside Al's magazine rack
- Business Sucks (Part 1) as Al reads its and the exchanges it with Griff for Black Big Uns.
- MM 94 - Woman in gold striped bikini kneeling on an orange sheet.
- My Dinner with Anthrax on Al's lap as Stan Mendelson begins his slideshow
- Get the Dodge Outta Hell as Al looks inside his trunk
- Requiem for a Chevyweight (Part 2) when Al gives it to Bud after his head injury.
- Grime and Punishment on Al's lap as he has a beer and lays on a bed in the basement.
- A modified version for Cub 'Uns in Requiem for a Chevyweight (Part 2)
- A modified version with a white cover in The Stepford Peg
- MM 104 - Hands covering bare breasts.
- My Dinner with Anthrax inside Al's magazine rack
- Modified in Episode:Un-Alful Entry as a Christmas themed issue.
- MM 108 - Arm covering bare breasts
- Magnificent Seven sitting on top of Bud's bed along with other magazines.
- Modified for the one of the Big Uns used by Al in My Dinner with Anthrax
