Playboy

Playboy is a men's magazine founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner. Playboy is one of the world's best known brands. The magazine has a carefully crafted image which promotes a libidinous lifestyle for men, the main elements being beautiful women, expensive cars, and the various accoutrements of luxury, extravagance and quality. Versions of Playboy are published in many countries including:

Brazil (since 1975) Bulgaria (April 2002) Croatia (1997) Czech Republic (1991) France (1973) Germany (1972) Greece (1985) Hungary (1999) Italy (1972) Japan (1975) The Netherlands (1983) Poland (1992) Romania (1999) Russia (1995) Slovakia (1997) Slovenia (June 2001) Spain (1978) Taiwan (1990)

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. Over the years, Playboy has published many interviews with celebrities from various fields by notable writers such as Alex Haley; these interviews are often of a high literary caliber and some have been reprinted in book form. These interviews are largely responsible for Playboy being available in certain university libraries, as well as the long-running joke quoted by many men: "I only read it for the articles!"

A few of the notable authors who have had works published in Playboy include John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Alex Haley, Stephen King and many more.

The magazine is owned by Playboy Enterprises, a publicly traded corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange (trading symbol: PLA), having a market capitalization of $262 Million (December, 2002; Source: Yahoo Finance).

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 Playboy's success.

Actually, the earliest photos of models for pictorials and centerfolds are best classified as risqué as full-frontal nudity did not appear in the magazine until 1969.

History

The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used had originally been taken for a calendar, not 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. Hefner said that he chose the rabbit as a mascot for its "humorous sexual connotation", and because the image was "frisky and playful".

Christine Hefner, daughter of Hugh Hefner, became CEO of Playboy in 1988.

See also: list of men's magazines, The Playboy Mansion

Record

The best-selling Playboy edition was the November 1972, which sold 7,161,561 copies.

Firsts

First to have a woman display her pubic hair (August 1969). First Playmate to display her pubic hair (January 1971). First Playmate to sign her centrefold (October 1975). First Playmate data sheet (July 1977). Last Playmate to have a staple through her navel (September 1985). Playboy.com was the first American national magazine to have its own website when it debuted in August 1994.

Ban

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.

Legal Battles

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 Honerable 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 ("PEII") trademarks."

External links

Warning: Some links may be offensive to some readers

Official

• Playboy Enterprises Inc.
• Playboy.com magazine
• Playboy cover gallery

Other

• Crossett, Andrew, "Index: The Women of Playboy - 1967-2003", 2003.
• Playboy's Art of James Bond