Playboy was also an early proponent of cannabis reform and provided founding support to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in 1970. Early topics included LGBTQ rights, women's rights, censorship, and the First Amendment. In the 1960s, the magazine added 'The Playboy Philosophy' column. Koff, Murray Fisher, Arthur Kretchmer front: Sheldon Wax, Auguste Comte Spectorsky, Jack Kessie. Back, left to right: Robie Macauley, Nat Lehrman, Richard M.

The stars, between zero and 12, actually indicated the domestic or international advertising region for that printing. The legend stated that this was either a rating that Hefner gave to the Playmate according to how attractive she was, the number of times that Hefner had slept with her, or how good she was in bed. From 1955 to 1979 (except for a six-month gap in 1976), the 'P' in Playboy had stars printed in or around the letter. ДЄn urban legend started about Hefner and the Playmate of the Month because of markings on the front covers of the magazine. The novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, was published in 1953 and serialized in the March, April and May 1954 issues of Playboy. Copies of the first issue in mint to near-mint condition sold for over $5,000 in 2002. The heavy promotion centered around Marilyn's nudity on the already-famous calendar, together with the teasers in marketing, made the new Playboy magazine a success. Hefner chose what he deemed the 'sexiest' image, a previously unused nude study of Marilyn stretched with an upraised arm on a red velvet background with closed eyes and mouth open. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used originally was taken for a calendar rather than for Playboy. The first issue, in December 1953, was undated, as Hefner was unsure there would be a second. Hefner, his wife Millie, and Sellers met to seek a new name, considering 'Top Hat', 'Gentleman', 'Sir'', 'Satyr', 'Pan' and 'Bachelor' before Sellers suggested 'Playboy'. However, the publisher of an unrelated men's adventure magazine, Stag, contacted Hefner and informed him it would file suit to protect their trademark if he were to launch his magazine with that name. Hefner eventually raised just over $8,000, including from his brother and mother. He formed HMH Publishing Corporation, and recruited his friend Eldon Sellers to find investors. The front cover of the first issue of Playboy, featuring Marilyn Monroe, December 1953Д«y spring 1953, Hugh Hefner-a 1949 University of Illinois psychology graduate who had worked in Chicago for Esquire magazine writing promotional copy Publisher's Development Corporation in sales and marketing and Children's Activities magazine as circulation promotions manager -had planned out the elements of his own magazine, that he would call Stag Party. ДЄfter a year-long removal of most nude photos in Playboy magazine, the MarchвЂ“April 2017 issue brought back nudity. The magazine generally reflects a liberal editorial stance, although it often interviews conservative celebrities. Playboy features monthly interviews of notable public figures, such as artists, architects, economists, composers, conductors, film directors, journalists, novelists, playwrights, religious figures, politicians, athletes, and race car drivers. With a regular display of full-page color cartoons, it became a showcase for notable cartoonists, including Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Cole, Eldon Dedini, Jules Feiffer, Shel Silverstein, Erich Sokol, Roy Raymonde, Gahan Wilson, and Rowland B. Wodehouse, Roald Dahl, Haruki Murakami, and Margaret Atwood. Clarke, Ian Fleming, Vladimir Nabokov, Saul Bellow, Chuck Palahniuk, P. The magazine has a long history of publishing short stories by novelists such as Arthur C. In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide, including those by licensees, such as Dirk Steenekamp's DHS Media Group. (PEI), with a presence in nearly every medium. Notable for its centerfolds of nude and semi-nude models ( Playmates), Playboy played an important role in the sexual revolution and remains one of the world's best-known brands, having grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. Playboy is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online.

For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation).

For the lifestyle that inspired the magazine's name, see Playboy lifestyle.

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