Playboy
American men's magazine that shaped the sexual revolution.
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Hugh Hefner, along with his associates, established Playboy in Chicago during 1953, with a $1,000 loan from his mother contributing to its funding.[1] The publication is recognized for its Playmate centerfolds featuring nude and semi-nude models, was a significant contributor to the sexual revolution, and continues to be a globally recognized brand.[2]
Last updated 2026-10-03 from the source article.
Key facts and history
By spring 1953, he had planned a magazine he intended to call Stag Party, but changed the name to Playboy after a trademark threat from an unrelated publication.[3] After reaching its peak in the 1970s, Playboy saw a decline in circulation and cultural relevance due to competition from Penthouse, Oui, and later from pornographic videos and lad mags.[4] After earning a psychology degree from the University of Illinois in 1949, Hugh Hefner's career included writing promotional copy for Esquire magazine in Chicago.[3] Because Hefner doubted a second issue would follow, the initial December 1953 edition lacked a date.[5]
Marilyn Monroe was the first centerfold, with the picture originally shot for a calendar.[5] A statement from Playboy in October 2015 indicated that full-frontal nudity would be removed from the magazine, a change that took effect with the March 2016 edition.[6] Ben Kohn, the CEO, stated in March 2020 that the spring 2020 edition would be the final regularly scheduled print issue.[7] Under Mike Guy's direction, Playboy was brought back as a yearly publication in February 2025.[8]
What the cited sources add
The Snopes article explains that the small stars printed in or around the "P" on Playboy covers from 1955 to 1979 were a distribution code for advertising regions, not a rating of the Playmate.[9] A 2007 ABC News report states that a court in Jakarta threw out a criminal case brought against the Indonesian edition of Playboy.[10] The Multichannel News article from 2009 reports that Jerome Kern, a former TCI executive who had been interim CEO and chairman, left Playboy's board of directors.[11] That article also states that on June 1, 2009, the board elected Scott N. Flanders as CEO and a board member.[11]
References
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Seib, "Hefner's Daughter Christie Walks Away from Playboy Enterprises", The Times, December 9, 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Playboy 'to drop' naked women images", BBC News; "Why America loved Playboy", BBC News, October 14, 2015; Wray, "Iconix 'makes offer for Playboy'", The Guardian, November 13, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sumner, "The Magazine Century: American Magazines Since 1900", Peter Lang Publishing, 2010, p. 134; Steven Watts, "Mr Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream", Wiley, March 23, 2009, p. 24; Steven Watts, "Mr Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream", Wiley, March 23, 2009, p. 24; Steven Watts, "Mr Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream", Wiley, March 23, 2009, p. 24; Sumner, "The Magazine Century: American Magazines Since 1900", Peter Lang Publishing, 2010, p. 134; Steven Watts, "Mr Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream", Wile en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rosenstiel, "Magazines in Decline : Sex Losing Its Appeal for Playboy", Los Angeles Times, 1986-08-25; Bhawono, "Ratna Assan, Perempuan Indonesia Pertama di Majalah Playboy", detiknews (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Summers, p. 59.; Harding, "They Knew Marilyn Monroe: Famous Persons in the Life of the Hollywood Icon", McFarland, August 23, 2012, p. 75 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Samaiya, "Playboy says it will no longer print images of nude women", Boston Globe (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gibson, "Coronavirus kills 66-year-old Playboy", CBS News, March 19, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Playboy" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Breslin, "Playboy To Bring Back Its Print Magazine With Annual Edition", Forbes; "Playboy Announces Winter Issue Featuring Rare Vintage Images of Jane Birkin, 12 New Playmates, Kid Cudi, Sharon Stone and More, on Stands November 11, 2025", Playboy }}{{Dead link, June 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Stars Upon Thars", Snopes.com, June 22, 2006. facts only, no text reused. snopes.com
- Thompson, G., "'Playboy' charges thrown out of court", ABC News, April 5, 2007. facts only, no text reused. abc.net.au
- "Jerome Kern Exits Playboy Board", Multichannel News, 2009-07-08. facts only, no text reused. nexttv.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Playboy (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Playboy (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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