Playboy Magazine: A Brief History

Playboy Magazine was founded in Chicago by Hugh Hefner. What started as a small publication has grown to become Playboy Enterprises. Hugh Hefner may have had a different vision for Playboy in the beginning. The original title was meant to be Stag Party until another publication shut him down. It was actually Hugh's vice-president who came up with the name Playboy. As for the infamous playboy bunny, this was designed by Art Paul after the first issue was released.

Playboy Magazine's first issue was released in December 1953. Unsure of what the company's next move would be, Hugh Hefner was smart enough to get Marilyn Monroe to be his first centerfold. The pictures in the centerfold were originally meant to be used in calendar, but that didn't hinder Playboy's success at all. The first issue of Playboy was sold out in a matter of weeks, selling at 50 cents each.

The first issue with Marilyn Monroe wasn't the most successful issue of Playboy. In 1972, the November edition (with Pam Rawlings on the cover) sold more than 7 million copies. The magazine has achieved many other milestones too. The first issue with a two-page centerfold was released in February of 1954, not long after the first issue. The first full frontal nude centerfold wasn't released until the beginning of 1971.

Even though Playboy was such a success in the United States, it failed in other markets. The magazine is banned in China, India, Thailand, most Muslim countries, and others. It also is subject to censorship in other countries, like Japan. Banning and censorship aren't the only issues that Mr. Hefner has had to deal with over the years. The amount of airbrushing that the magazine does has come under fire on many occasions. In 1958, Hugh was also taken to court for contributing to the delinquency of a minor when a 16 year old posed for the magazine.

For as many people who want to ban and censor Playboy, there are just as many who like it, and many who want to be a part of it. Celebrities have played a major role in the development of Playboy through the years. Kim Basinger appeared in a 1983 issue, and Drew Barrymore strutted her stuff in 1995.

That magazine has been successful for more than 50 years. The 50th anniversary was celebrated in January of 2004. Hugh Hefner has showed no desire to quit anytime soon, especially since Playboy sells more than three million copies of the magazine each month in the United States alone.