Playboy is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine. 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. 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. (PEI), with a presence in nearly every medium. In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide.
Victor Aubrey Lownes III (April 17, 1928 – January 11, 2017) was an executive for HMH Publishing Company Inc., later known as Playboy Enterprises, from 1955 through the early 1980s. Soon after he met Hugh Hefner in 1954, Hefner founded Playboy magazine, and Lownes eventually joined his publishing company, serving as vice president. Lownes was a close confidant of Hefner and gained a reputation for dating Playboy Playmates.
Lownes headed Playboy Europe and the UK Playboy Clubs from the mid-1960s until his dismissal in the early 1980s. Lownes oversaw Playboy Enterprises's move into casino gambling in the UK in the 1960s, which became Playboy's most successful business other than its publishing until the advent of cable television. He oversaw the most successful part of Hefner's attempt to diversify out of publishing and into motion pictures, hotels and casino gambling. During his time as head of Playboy Europe, he was Britain's highest paid executive, drawing a large salary and eventually becoming Playboy Enterprises's second biggest shareholder. Lownes is credited with creating Playboy Clubs in the United States. Read more...
Playboy Radio is an Internet radio station. Playboy Radio was originally launched on XM Satellite Radio in September 2002. Included were programs such as Night Calls Radio originally hosted by adult film star Juli Ashton and Playboy TV star Tiffany Granath and Playboy's Sexcetera with reporter Kira Reed. Hall of Fame porn starChristy Canyon was brought in as a replacement when Ashton left to pursue other ventures in April/May 2005. The channel also featured programs such as Playboy TV's Sex Court, The Weekend Flash and Sexy Stories. It was XM's first premium station — offered à la carte on top of the base XM subscription price. Playboy Radio gained a healthy following, including a dedicated group of Night Calls fans that established a strong online presence, although many complained the station offered too little content for the monthly price.
On August 20, 2005, the XM Radio website informed customers that as of September 1, 2005, XM would no longer offer the Playboy Radio channel. The removal of Playboy Radio brought the end of XM's premium stations as High Voltage was made available free of charge to all subscribers earlier in the year. Read more...
The Playboy Club was canceled on October 4, 2011, after three episodes aired, due to its low ratings. It was the first cancellation of the 2011–12 television season. NBC continued to film the series until October 10, 2011, hoping to sell the series to another network. Read more...
American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story is a 2017 Amazon Original Series. It stars Matt Whelan in the titular role, along with Emmett Skilton and Chelsie Preston Crayford. The first season was released on 7 April and comprised ten episodes. The series is a combination of interviews, archival footage (including moments found in Hefner's vast personal collection) and cinematic re-enactments that cover the launch of the magazine as well as the next six decades of Hefner's personal life and career. While building his empire, Hefner also devoted time to defending civil rights, freedom of speech and sexual freedom.
Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American businessman, magazine publisher, and playboy. He was the founder of Playboy and editor-in-chief of the magazine, which he founded in 1953. He was also the chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, which is the publishing group that operates the magazine. An advocate of sexual liberation and freedom of expression, Hefner was a political activist and philanthropist in several other causes and public issues. Read more...
The Playboy Club was initially a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first club opened at 116 E. Walton Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, on February 29, 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room, and a Club Room. Members and their guests were served food and drinks by Playboy Bunnies, some of whom were featured in Playboy magazine. The clubs offered name entertainers and comedians in the Club Rooms, and local musicians and the occasional close-up magician in the Living Rooms. Starting with the London and Jamaica club locations, the Playboy Club became international in scope. In 1991, the club chain became defunct. On October 6, 2006 a new club was opened in Las Vegas, and in 2010 new clubs were opened as well in Macao and Cancun. In time the Las Vegas club closed on June 4, 2012, the Macao club closed in 2013 and the Cancun club closed in 2014. In May 2014 the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles opened a Playboy themed lounge consisting of gaming tables and Playboy Bunny cocktail waitresses.
Christie Ann Hefner (born November 8, 1952) is the former Playboy EnterprisesChairman and Chief Executive Officer, a company created by her father, Hugh Hefner. She stepped down from her position at Playboy on January 30, 2009. She has often worked with the progressive political organization Center for American Progress. Their site describes her as having "long been involved in electing progressive candidates, advancing women, First Amendment issues and advancing treatment for people with HIV/AIDS." She is currently chairman of the board of Hatch Beauty and serves on the advisory board of Springboard Enterprises. Read more...
Playboy is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine. 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. 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. (PEI), with a presence in nearly every medium. In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide.
The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1974 until his death in 2017. Located in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, near Beverly Hills, the mansion became famous during the 1970s through media reports of Hefner's lavish parties which were often attended by famous celebrities and socialites.
Currently owned by Daren Metropoulos, the son of billionaire investor Dean Metropoulos, the mansion is also used for various corporate activities and serves as a valuable location for television production, magazine photography, charitable events, and civic functions. Read more...
It takes its name from the old famous stocks of the medieval village of Aldbury just down the road. Read more...
Playboy TV (originally The Playboy Channel) is an American, adults-only premium cable and satellite television network that is owned by MindGeek under license from Playboy Enterprises. Its programming focuses on premium adult programming, including motion pictures, first-run television series and specials. The channel is available internationally in countries such as Sweden, Australia, Canada, Japan, Latin America, New Zealand, Greece, Israel, Russia, Iberia (Spain and Portugal) and Norway. Read more...
Playboy Special Editions (formerly known as flats, then Newsstand Specials) are a spin-off series of Playboy magazine containing glamour and softcorenudephotographs. The initially infrequent and later semi-regular editions ran from 1964 until the publication of the final issues in 2012.
Unlike the monthly magazine, which features a variety of articles, opinion columns, and works of fiction, only minimal text was included in the Special Editions, mostly consisting of captions of the photographs and readers' letters. Two issues were usually published each month. While the magazines often featured former Playmates of the Month, many other models also appeared in them. Read more...
Did you know...
... that Playboy threatened to sue Betty Brosmer after she declined to pose nude at a photo shoot?
The Editorial Board of Playboy in 1970. Back, left to right: Robie Macauley, Nat Lehrman, Richard M. Koff, Murray Fisher, Arthur Kretchmer; front: Sheldon Wax, Auguste Comte Spectorsky, Jack Kessie.
This map shows the countries where Playboy is published. The dark pink indicates the countries where regional editions of the magazine are produced today and the lighter pink indicates the countries where regional editions of Playboy were once published.
A Playboy cigarette lighter with the distinctive rabbit logo