Playboy is an adult entertainment magazine, or pornography magazine, founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises,
Inc. (NYSE: PLA, PLA.A), reaching into every
form of media. Playboy is one of the world's best known brands. In addition to the
flagship magazine in the United States, special country-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide.
The magazine is published monthly and features photographs of nude women, along with various articles on fashion, sports, and consumer goods, and often short
fiction by top literary writers as well. The magazine has been known to express left-wing opinions on most major political issues.
Playboy's use of "tasteful" nude photos is often classified as "soft
core" adult reading material. More "hard core" pornographic magazines started
to appear in the 1960s in response to the success of Penthouse.
Playboy Interview
The "Playboy Interview", a monthly interview of someone prominent, has become famous for its confrontational style and
in-depth process as a typical interview would range from 7 to 10 hours long.
The "Playboy Interview" started with Miles Davis in September of 1962
(Volume 9 Number 9). Over the years they have conducted interviews with Jimmy
Carter, Fidel Castro, Ayn
Rand, Malcom X, Kurt
Vonnegut, Bertrand Russell, Salvador Dali, Martin Luther King
Jr., Jean-Paul Sartre, Al Capone, George Wallace, Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali), Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Orson Welles, Ralph Nader, Arthur C.
Clarke, Yasir Arafat, Stephen Hawking, Shintaro Ishihara, and
Carl Sagan.
History
The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used
had originally been taken for a calendar rather than Playboy. Hefner purchased the rights to the photos of Monroe along
with others.
The first issue, published in December, 1953, did not carry a date, as Hefner was unsure
whether there would be a second issue. That first issue was an immediate sensation and sold out within a matter of weeks. Known
circulation was 53,991 (Source: Playboy Collector's Association Playboy Magazine Price Guide). The cover price was 50¢. Copies of
the first issue in Mint to Near Mint condition can fetch over $5000 in 2002.
The famous Playboy logo, depicting the stylized profile of a rabbit wearing a
tuxedo bow tie, was designed by art designer Art Paul for the magazine's second issue and has appeared on every issue since; a running joke in the magazine
involves hiding the logo somewhere in the cover art or photograph. Hefner said that he chose the rabbit as a mascot for its
"humorous sexual connotation", and because the image was
"frisky and playful."
Since reaching its peak in the 1970s, Playboy has seen a slow decline in circulation and success, in part due to a
series of bad investments in men's clubs and casinos, and partly from increased competition in the field it founded - first from
Penthouse in the '70s and more recently from the related area of more irreverent and socially acceptable "lad's mags" such
as Maxim and FHM.
In response Playboy has attempted to re-assert its hold on the 18 - 35 male demographic it once controlled through slight
changes to its content and focussing on issues and personalities more appropriate to its audience - such as hip-hop artists being
featured in the Playboy Interview.
Christie Hefner, daughter of Hugh Hefner, became CEO of Playboy in 1988 and is now also Chairman of the Board.
Bans on the sale of Playboy
In Singapore, Playboy is banned. In 2003, the Censorship
Review Committee concluded that the ban should be continued because the Singaporean community is not ready for
Playboy's liberal use of sexually explicit photographs. In the 1980s, a well-publicized ban occurred when the American
convenience store chain 7-Eleven decided to remove the magazine from its stores.
Litigation
On the 14th of January 2004 the
Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of
Appeals ruled that Playboy Enterprises Inc.'s trademark terms "playboy" and
"playmate" should be protected even in Internet searches that prompt pop-up advertisements. The suit originally started on April 15th 1999, Playboy sued Excite
Inc. and Netscape for copyright infringement.
In the original ruling the Honorable Alicemarie Stotler, of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, stated:
"Defendants use of the words 'playboy' and 'playmate' in their search engine does not equate to commercial exploitation of
plaintiff's ("PEI") trademarks."
Record
The best-selling Playboy edition was the November 1972, which sold 7,161,561
copies.
Firsts
- First issue with Leroy
Neiman's Femlin: August 1955
- First issue with a Vargas
girl: March 1957
- First issue with Ian Fleming story: March 1960
- First issue with Playboy Advisor column: September 1960
- First issue with Playboy Interview: September 1962 (with Miles
Davis)
- First issue to show female pubic hair: August 1969 (dancer Paula Kelly)
- First issue with Playmate showing pubic hair: January 1971 (Liv
Lindeland)
- First issue with signed centerfold: October 1975
- First issue with Playmate data sheet: July 1977.
- First issue without staple in Playmate's navel: October 1985
- First national magazine with Web site (Playboy.com): August 1994
International editions
(starting at the accompanying date, or during the accompanying date range)
External links
Official
Other
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