Comic strip by Hugh Hefner.
Hugh Hefner was a U.S. publisher and editor, world famous as the founder of Playboy, the most iconic men's magazine in the world. In that regard, he was also the only magazine publisher to reach such universal recognizability. Between 1953 and 2016, he was Playboy's chief editor, creative advisor and publisher, a feat which landed him in the Guinness Book of Records for being the longest-running chief editor of a magazine. Playboy was the first "nudie magazine" in the world and therefore managed to become a multi-million dollar enterprise with various media outlets. It broke the market for countless similar erotic magazines. Yet contrary to them, it strove for a classy, dignified status. Playboy discussed sex in an open manner. Various celebrity models, actresses and pop singers saw it as an honor to pose nude in its pages. The legendary parties at the Playboy Mansion gave the impression of a fun and open atmosphere, although in later years stories came out of toxic behavior and abuse. Still, Playboy stood at the forefront of the sexual revolution, which exploded during the 1960s and 1970s. Hefner used his magazine as a platform for freedom of speech. He vocally supported sexual liberation, civil rights for black people and the LGBT community. The magazine offered quality interviews, articles, columns, cartoons and comics. Many artists whose work was too free-spirited and risqué to be published in regular magazines found a well-paid spot in Playboy's pages. Hefner also produced Harvey Kurtzman's short-lived comic magazine Trump. Few people know that Hefner actually began his career as a cartoonist, though not with the same success as his later Playboy enterprises.
Early life
Hugh Marston Hefner was born in 1926 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were very conservative Methodists who both worked as teachers. Hefner showed an interest in publishing at a young age. As president of the student council, he founded a school paper for which he wrote articles and drew cartoons. Hefner's favorite comics during his youth were Alex Raymond's 'Flash Gordon' and Milton Caniff's 'Terry and the Pirates'. He even acknowledged that he started smoking a pipe because of the 'Terry' character Pat Ryan. In 1944, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He wrote articles and drew cartoons for the army newspaper Camp Pickett News, circulating in Camp Pickett, Virginia. There he worked alongside another future cartoonist, Hy Eisman, who felt Hefner's cartoons "weren't very good". After leaving the army, they lost touch, but 50 years later, at the occasion of an army reunion, Eisman sent Hefner a letter, hoping he would come too. Hefner wrote Eisner he couldn't make it, but replied: "I'm glad one of us made it as a cartoonist and that it was you rather than me, because I wouldn't have had the life I had lived if it had been me!".
Back in civilian life, Hefner studied at the University of Illinois, where he achieved a bachelor of arts in psychology and a double minor in creative writing and art.
High school diary by Hugh Hefner.
Cartoons
Hefner wrote and drew several cartoons for the campus newspaper, the Daily Illini. He later established his own humor magazine too, Shaft. All his cartoons rely heavily on inside jokes about daily life in school and at the campus. During lessons, he scribbled and doodled down notes about what his fellow schoolmates said, did and wore. Later that afternoon and evening, he worked everything out in little comic strip-like cartoons, hand-colored with crayons. The drawings were somewhat stiff and at times chaotic due to lack of frames to separate individual scenes. For anyone not present at Hefner's school at that time, they are incomprehensible, but his fellow students enjoyed them a lot. One of them, Jane Sellers, saved them because she was confident that he was "destined to do amazing things." Thanks to her, these cartoons were rescued from obscurity and possible destruction. The student council voted Hefner not only as "Class Humorist", "Best Dancer", "Best Orator" and "Most Popular Boy", but also as "Most Artistic" and "Most Likely to Succeed in Life".
After graduation, Hefner made a new series of cartoons with a more professional look, aimed at a general audience. Most publishers rejected them, although some appeared in print in the satirical book 'That Toddlin' Town: A Rowdy Burlesque of Chicago Manners and Morals' (Chicago: Chi Publishers, 1951). It's not difficult to understand why they didn't catch on. Most lack funny punchlines and only show glimpses of his future Playboy persona. Realizing his own limits, Hefner pursued a career as editor instead. In 1949, he worked as an assistant personnel manager for the Chicago Carton Company. A year later, he became advertising copywriter for Carson Pirie Scott Department Store and, starting in 1952, for Esquire magazine. Low payment eventually convinced Hefner to found his own magazine, which he called Playboy.
Playboy
Playboy was a serious gamble. Hefner mortgaged all of his furniture on top of all his other loans. He was so unsure that the first issue wasn't even dated. As fate would have it, the title became an unprecedented over-nite sensation. Sales rose with every issue until it became a multi-million dollar enterprise and one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Hefner had found a genuine hole in the market. Most media at the time were so prudent that sex was a complete taboo, or, particularly in the United States, presented as something shameful. Playboy was the first magazine to offer uncensored female nudity in each issue. Attractive young women were chosen as "Playmate of the Month". In the center of the magazine, a large folded nude photograph of the Playmate was featured. Hefner named this a "center-fold" or "fold-out", which became a neologism. In fact, the equally legendary "fold-ins" by Al Jaffee in Mad Magazine were inspired by this phenomenon.
Playboy not only showed nudity and sex, it embraced and discussed it in an open-minded way. A virile rabbit in bowtie, designed by Art Paul, became the company logo. The young women who worked at Playboy's headquarters or appeared as Hefner's female companions during public appearances were all dressed in trademarked bunny suits. Hefner cultivated the idea of the "playboy", a cool and suave man who was popular with the ladies and whose main life goal was the fulfillment of his personal dreams. Setting the example himself, the successful editor bought a large luxurious house in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California - the Playboy Mansion - where he organized weekly all-night parties. Fancy dinners, cool drinks, smooth jazz, game activities, celebrity guests and willing young women were present at every occasion. Many celebrities went to Playboy's parties without any fear or embarrassment of hurting their public reputation. Hefner felt so comfortable in his self-created little world, that he wore nothing but silk pajamas and slippers, even during public appearances. Regular broadcasts of late-night TV shows such as 'Playboy's Penthouse' (1959-1960), 'Playboy After Dark' (1969-1970) and 'The Girls Next Door' (2005-2010) further popularized his image. He sparked the imagination of many men and became a hero in their eyes.
Playboy also played a significant role in addressing social and political issues. Hefner advocated freedom of speech, sexual liberation and support of African-American and homosexual civil rights. In 1955, Playboy broke new ground by publishing Charles Beaumont's short story 'The Crooked Man' which criticized homophobia. The TV show 'Playboy's Penthouse' (1959-1960) broke new ground by having white and black performers sharing the screen. The Playboy Clubs pushed the same policy, despite the segregation laws in some states. When Playboy started publishing its praised interviews in 1962, African-American jazz legend Miles Davis was the first candidate. Other notable black celebrities interviewed in those early years were Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Hefner raised money for various charitable causes. In 1979, he established the Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award for people who protect and enhance freedom of speech, as guaranteed in the U.S. constitution. In 1970, Playboy became the first men's magazine to be printed in braille.
Some of Hugh Hefner's Chicago cartoons.
Criticism
Naturally, Hefner also drew criticism. Puritans, prudes and religious fanatics were outraged over his glorification of sex and nudity. In several parts of the world, Playboy was banned, particularly in most of Africa (except South Africa), the Middle East (except Lebanon and Turkey) and South-East Asia (except Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines). Ireland banned the magazine between 1961 and 1995, as did the Australian province Queensland between 2004 and 2005. In some countries, Playboy was available with censored nudity, such as Japan. Feminists felt Playboy objectified and downgraded women as mere sex toys. In 1963, Hefner was sent to court for selling obscenity, referring to an issue which featured Hollywood actress Jayne Mansfield in the nude. He won his case. In 1986, U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese organized a special anti-pornography commission, backed by the religious right movement the Moral Majority. Playboy was a prime target for their campaign. Hefner sued them, won his case and Meese was forced to publicly clear the magazine of all accusations.
Reputation and achievements
Both Playboy's hedonistic image and bad press have often led to the misconception that it was nothing but a porn magazine. In reality, it had a far more classy reputation than publications like Hustler, Screw or Penthouse. The featured nudity was never vulgar. Various high-profile professional photographers such as Ken Marcus, Annie Leibovitz and Helmut Newton were hired to make the pictures elegant and tasteful. As such, it became less a shame and more an honor to be published in Playboy. Many female celebrities posed for the magazine, often for huge amounts of money: Marilyn Monroe, Bettie Page, Jayne Mansfield, Nancy Sinatra, Kim Basinger, LaToya Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Samantha Fox, Carmen Electra, Sharon Stone, Charlize Theron, Madonna and Lindsay Lohan.
The centerfolds were also just a small aspect of the actual content. As Hefner put it, Playboy advocated "entertainment for men" which had a wider scope than just sex. The magazine gained recognition for high quality interviews, articles, columns, reviews, photographs, comics and cartoons by renowned journalists, novelists, writers, critics, photographers and illustrators. The global enterprise has its own record label (Playboy Jazz All-Star Records, 1957-1972, Playboy Records, 1972-1978), jazz festival (1959), night clubs (Playboy Club, 1960), philanthropic organization (Playboy Foundation, 1965), TV channel (Playboy Channel, 1982) and radio channel (Playboy Radio, 2006). Their film company Playboy Productions Films, produced such pictures as Roman Polanski's 'MacBeth' (1971), the Monty Python debut film 'And Now for Something Completely Different' (1971) and also donated money to the production of Ralph Bakshi's 'Fritz the Cat' (1972).
Cover of 'Playboy. Twentieth Anniversary Cartoon Album', 1974. The rabbit mascot is designed by Bea Paul. The women around him are drawn by (from left to right): Erich Sokol, Alden Erikson, Dink Siegel, Phil Interlandi, Julie Dedman and Eldon Dedini, with Robert "Buck" Brown's Granny lying on the ground.
Playboy cartoons
While Hefner's own cartooning career had been forgettable and unnecessary once Playboy conquered the world, he remained fond of the medium. Many illustrators, comic artists, cartoonists and graphic designers were invited to decorate Playboy's pages. Already in its second issue, Hefner received permission from Milton Caniff to publish 'Male Call', a comic rejected elsewhere for being too risqué. This earned Playboy a reputation as the most open-minded magazine for free-spirited and sexy artwork. A typical Playboy cartoon featured naughty, but tasteful gags about nude, sexy men and women. Hefner kept a close watch on the overall look and style. It wasn't enough for a cartoon to be funny. Both the situation and female characters had to look fun, appealing and titillating. While Hefner's creative control has sometimes been controversial, Playboy was still a godsend for many young artists. Artwork which was too risqué for regular magazines was warmly welcomed at Hefner's place. He not only offered the finest quality printing, but paid extraordinarily well.
Among the many cartoonists that contributed illustrations or single-panel erotic cartoons to Playboy have been Don Addis, Bill Asprey, Eli Bauer, Jim Beaman, Jean Bellus, Inge Draber Bollman, George Booth, Robert "Buck" Brown, Daniel Brulstein (Alain), Charles Burns, John Caldwell, Paul Coker, Jack Cole, Corka (Jon Cornin & Zena Kavin), Jack Davis, Abner Dean, Eldon Dedini, Julie Dedman, John Dempsey, Ben Denison, Alden Erikson, Jules Feiffer, Michael Ffolkes, Don Flowers, Natalia Forcat, Cau Gomez, Murad Gumen , Phil Hahn, J.B. Handelsman, John Held, Jr., Phil Interlandi, Al Jaffee, John Jonik, Ed Julian, Bev Kennedy, Jerry King, Kiraz, Larry Klein, Heinrich Kley, B. Kliban, Arnold Kohn, Anatol Kovarsky, Art Krusz, Don Lewis, Roger Licot, Richard Loehle, Lee Lorenz, Don Madden, Charles Martin, Jerry Mayer, Bruce McCall, Ed McLachlan, Arv Miller, Chuck Miller, Bill Murphy, Marty Murphy, Dick Oldden, Don Orehek, Robert Paplow, Neon Park, Virgil Partch, Zack Poitras, Mimi Pond, Paul Peter Porges, Roy Raymonde, Gardner Rea, Dennis Renault, Cliff Roberts, Charles Rodrigues, Arnold Roth, Howie Schneider, Dink Siegel, Shel Silverstein, E. Simms Campbell, Claude Smith, Doug Sneyd, Erich Sokol, Francis Wilford Smith, William Steig, Al Stine, Richard Taylor, Barney Tobey, Tomi Ungerer, Alberto Vargas, P.C. Vey, Rogério Vilela, Gahan Wilson, Rowland B. Wilson, Bill Woodman and Glenn Zulauf.
Jack Cole, best known as the creator of 'Plastic Man', worked four years for the magazine until his suicide in 1957. Hefner was one of only two people (the other being Cole's wife) whom he sent a suicide letter. In 1966, Tomi Ungerer became editor of a food column in the magazine. Some of the longest-running comic series in Playboy were Dean Yeagle's 'Mandy', Eldon Dedini's 'Satyr & Nymph', B. Kliban's 'Cat', Robert "Buck" Brown's 'Granny' (1963-2007) - and perhaps the most iconic - Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder's 'Little Annie Fanny' (1962-1988). Shel Silverstein drew 23 comic strip versions of travels he made across the world for Playboy under the title 'Shel Silverstein Visits...'. Between 1976 and 1987, Bobby London's 'Dirty Duck' found a haven in the magazine. In 2009, Playboy featured the first and only fictional character on its cover, namely Marge Simpson from Matt Groening's animated TV series 'The Simpsons'. Inside she could be seen in more revealing poses.
Eight compilation volumes of Playboy cartoons were released by the Playboy Press between 1963 and 1981, namely 'Playboy Cartoon Album 1' (1963), 'Album 2' (1965), 'Album 3' (1969), 'Album 4' (1971), 'Album 5' (1971), 'Album 6' (1973), 'Album 7' (1980) and 'Album 8' (1981). In 1972, two special books collected the now already classic cartoons from 1957-1959 and the early 1960s. Two years later, the magazine celebrated its 20th anniversary with 'The Twentieth Anniversary Playboy Cartoon Album' (1974). Half a century of cartoons were brought together in 'Playboy: 50 Years: The Cartoons' (Chronicle Books, 2004).
Several characters from the Playboy Funnies in a 1982 Christmas cartoon crossover panel by Chris Browne. At the door, we notice the sexuologist from Browne's 'The Kinky Report', with Frank Thorne's Moonshine McJugs standing behind him. In the lower left corner, Browne's painters Van Gogh and Born Toulouse can be spotted. On the sofa, Betsy from Harvey Kurtzman and Sarah Downs' 'Betsy's Buddies' is making out with her partner. Guarnaccia's Buggery is drinking behind the sofa. Frank Baginski & Reynolds Dodson's The Loner complains that he never scores. Bobby London's Dirty Duck kicks Art Spiegelman's Ed Head away. On the stairs, we spot J. Michael Leonard's Annie & Albert, alongside Paw from Fred Schrier's 'Meaty Myths'. Next to him are Al Farnum's Suzy Q. and Midnite the cat, with John Stevens' Tyrannosaurus Sex and his cavewoman partner closeby. John Delmar's Holistic Harry thinks he's looking at a painting, but Skip Williamson's Nell 'n' Void point out it's a window. The rabbit from Randall Enos' 'Reg'lar Rabbit' talks with the Playboy Bunny mascot. In the right corner below, the prostitute from Skip Williamson's 'Neon Vincent's Massage Parlor' is groped by Chris Browne's Cruiser. The only characters not associated with Playboy Funnies are Chester Gould's Dick Tracy at the door and George Herriman's Ignatz the Mouse behind the sofa.
Playboy Funnies
Between September 1977 and December 1984, a special section ran in Playboy, titled 'Playboy Funnies'. Presented in the style of a newspaper comic section, 'Playboy Funnies' offered several gag comics, spread over two to four pages. The initiative was launched by underground comix artist Skip Williamson, who had two long-running features in its pages. The first, 'Neon Vincent's Massage Parlor', featured a man who claimed to run a massage parlor, which in reality was obviously a brothel. It debuted in September 1977 and ran on irregular intervals until February 1984. His second feature, 'Nu-Wave Romance with Nell 'n' Void', debuted in November 1980 and revolved around a woman and her sex life. Williamson also invited several of his underground colleagues over to contribute comics. Jay Lynch had a two-panel gag comic, 'Give 'Em An Inch', which ran from September 1977 up until the May 1982 issue. The comedy revolved around hypocritical or ironic situations regarding sexual behavior. In November 1978, Bobby London's 'Dirty Duck', which previously ran in Playboy's regular pages, was moved to the 'Playboy Funnies' section. London also scripted the one-shot comic 'Bound for Love', drawn by Ralph Reese, which appeared in the September 1977 issue. Jay Kinney also made an one-shot comic, 'Unbad Kisses' , for the November 1978 issue. Art Spiegelman drew several one-shot stories for Playboy Funnies, one in collaboration with Steve Miller ('Facts of Life', March 1979). Spiegelman's signature series was 'Ed Head', about a man who was just a walking and talking head. It could be enjoyed from the December 1978 issue until November 1981.
In the early years, several Playboy Funnies were sex parodies of famous mainstream comics. Lou Brooks drew several spoofs of educational comics, puzzle pages and "learn-to-draw" sections. Although he made a few plot-based erotic gag comics too, they all remained one-shots. In the September 1980 issue, Bill Johnson also drew an educational spoof, 'Bill Johnson's Inside Dope. Everything A Guy Needs to Know About Wine'. Peter Dotta launched a sex parody of Rudolph Dirks' 'The Katzenjammer Kids', which debuted in the September 1978 issue under the title 'Krautzenbummer Kids'. In the November 1978 issue, Denis Kitchen mocked Ernie Bushmiller's 'Fritzi Ritz/Nancy' strip ('Aunt Frutzi') and Stan Drake ridiculed Al Capp's 'Li'l Abner'. An unidentified cartoonist took the piss out of Johnny Hart's 'B.C.' ('B.S.', December 1978). A second spoof of the same comic appeared in the April 1979, credited to a certain "Johnny Dart". A cartoonist signing with Jay Dee spoofed Reg Smythe's 'Andy Capp' ('Randy Hatt', February 1979). John Delmar spoofed Frank Willard's 'Moon Mullins' ('Poon Pullins', October 1979). Jim Lawrence and Gray Morrow's's Vaginella' ridiculed Forrest J. Ackerman and Trina Robbins's 'Vampirella' (December 1979), while Morrow's 'Gay Gordon' parodied Alex Raymond's 'Flash Gordon' (February 1981).
The most productive parodist was Howard Cruse, who tackled series like Mell Lazarus' 'Momma' ('Moms', January 1979), Chic Young's 'Blondie' ('Big Blonde', January 1979), Tom K. Ryan's 'Tumbleweeds' ('Tumblebrush', January 1979), Billy DeBeck's 'Snuffy Smith' ('Scruffy Smith', March 1979), Marvin Bradley's 'Rex Morgan, M.D.' ('Rocks Morgan, D.R.S.', June 1979) and Russell Myers' 'Broom-Hilda' ('Bun-Hilda', December 1979). An exceptional example was Fred Schrier's gag comic 'Meaty Myths' (August 1980), which started out as a spoof of Cliff Sterrett's 'Polly and her Pals', but gradually grew out into its own thing. Remarkably enough, the godfather of U.S. parody comics, Mad Magazine founder Harvey Kurtzman, also appeared in Playboy Funnies, though not to script spoofs. Starting in the January 1980 issue, he collaborated with artist Sarah Downs on various one-shot comics about couples trying to have sex. In the June 1981 issue, these one-shots made room for a genuine character-based series, titled 'Betsy's Buddies', though Betsy's sex life was still the prime focus.
As the Playboy Funnies progressed, the spoof element more or less vanished. Only Mal's 'Sleezy Serpent' (August 1981) and Guarnaccia's 'Buggery' (July 1982) could still be described as spoofs, though in their cases more general parodies of funny animal comics. In later issues, artists started to focus on original, self-created series. Trina Robbins's 'Rosie the Riveter', originally published in National Lampoon, found a spot in the Playboy Funnies from the March 1979 issue on. She also drew the hard boiled-detective/film noir spoof 'Rita Rake' (March 1980), co-created with Judy Brown. Another National Lampoon artist, Randall Enos, had two long-running series in the Playboy Funnies, namely '5 Cent Mary', about a happy-go-lucky cheap prostitute (debut in September 1978) and the funny animal comic 'Reg'lar Rabbit' (debut in February 1979). Chris Browne was one of the mainstays. His gag comic 'The Kinky Report' (September 1977) mocked sexuologists, making a pun on the "Kinsey Reports" sexual behavior books. In a February 1978 gag, a character named Cruiser was introduced, who received his own long-running spin-off comic, 'Cruiser' in that same issue. The youngster in the shady glasses who try go get lucky with several women over the course of the series, but to little avail. Browne also drew more irregularly appearing gag comics, like the unsuccessful stand-up comedian 'Benny Juice' (January 1979), the expy of 19th-century painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 'Born Toulous' (February 1979) and talkshow host 'Tom Morrow' (June 1979). When John Stevens launched his Stone Age-themed gag comic 'Tyrannosaurus Sex' in July 1979, Browne would gradually script several of the series' gags.
Most 'Playboy Funnies' gag comics revolved around relationships and sex, like B. Kliban's one-shot 'Married Life' (February 1982). While some of these comics have nudity or sex scenes, others mostly feature characters discussing the subject, rather than directly engaging it it. E. Smith's 'Boners 'n' Groaners' (February 1978) was drawn in a classic early 20th-century newspaper comic style, but the comedy was raunchy. Among the longest-running features were Al Farnum's 'Suzy Q. and Midnite' (March 1979), 'It's Great To Be Married' (April 1979), J. Michael Leonard's 'Annie & Albert' (October 1979), John Delmar's 'Holistic Harry' (June 1980, two episodes drawn by John Dempsey in January and October 1984), Bill Johnson's 'Saturday Night Jive' (June 1981) and Mort Gerberg's 'Our Secret Fantasies' (June 1982). While most comics focused on couples, artists like Judy Brown and Bob McLeod's 'Single Woman' (December 1978) and Frank Baginski and Reynolds Dodson's 'The Loner' (April 1980) didn't forget the main demographic of Playboy, singles. Though in most cases, recurring horny single protagonists like Frank Collyer's 'Romeo Schwartz' (November 1979), Frank Thorne's 'Moonshine McJugs' (April 1980) and Creig Flessel's 'Tales of Baron von Furstinbed' (August 1980) rarely failed to get their rocks off.
Perhaps the most far-out series were the science fiction gag comics 'Ariel' (by Rochberny & Ron Martinez, January 1979), 'Through Space and Time with Schwimmer and Jones' (script by Gene Schwimmer, art by Randy Jones, February 1979 - October 1984) and the one-shot story 'Space Dog on the Iceworld' (Warren Greenwood, January 1982). Still, some comics in the 'Playboy Funnies' could have easily appeared in general interest magazines too, as they didn't specifically revolve around or depict sex. Examples were the satirical funny animal comic 'The Adventures of Herbert Hippo' by Mark Allan Stamaty, which debuted in September 1978, Reynold Dodson's 'Station Break' (November 1980) and Bud Jones' 'Ask Dr. Dumb' (October 1983).
The two covers of Trump magazine.
Trump
As a huge fan of Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis and Wallace Wood, Hefner tried to have these cartoonists sign an exclusive contract to publish in Playboy. In 1956, Kurtzman resigned as Mad Magazine's chief editor after a financial dispute with publisher and co-editor William M. Gaines. Hefner offered Kurtzman a chance to create a new satirical comic magazine aimed at more mature readers, which he would produce. Kurtzman liked the offer, not only because the pay was better, but because Hefner was more open to his ideas than Gaines. In January 1957, the first issue of this new magazine, Trump, rolled from the presses. Just like Mad, it also featured satirical comics, though the format was more luxurious and with more emphasis on jokes about sexual topics. Several Mad cartoonists went on board, among them Jack Davis, but also Will Elder, Al Jaffee and another E.C. Comics regular Russ Heath. Only Wallace Wood eventually decided to stay loyal to Mad since he didn't want to work exclusively for Trump. Among the newer names were R.O. Blechman, Ed Fisher, Irving Geis, Roger Price and Arnold Roth and writers like Max Shulman (famous for 'Dobie Gillis'), Doodles Weaver (a member of Spike Jones' band) and future comedy film director Mel Brooks.
While Trump sold well, Kurtzman far exceeded the budget Hefner had given him. Unfortunately this happened at a time when Playboy's major distributor, American News, was soon to become bankrupt in June 1957. In order to keep out of debts, Hefner tightened his belt. He took himself off salary, gave his senior executives pay cuts and placed a quarter of Playboy's stock as collateral so he could loan some money. To his own regret, he had to terminate Trump as well. He personally went to Kurtzman to tell him the bad news. To make matters worse, Kurtzman's wife had just given birth to their third child, Elizabeth. Kurtzman was so devastated that he started crying, for Trump was the closest he ever got to making "the perfect humor magazine." Years later, Al Jaffee heard from Playboy's chief financial officer Bob Preuss that Hefner was also concerned that Kurtzman would never be able to make his deadlines. In either way, the final issue of Trump came out in March 1957. Yet Hefner did have the decency to let Kurtzman advertise for his next comic magazine Humbug in a lengthy article in the December issue of Playboy that same year.
Cover of the first issue of Playboy, with autograph by Hugh Hefner.
Media appearances and cameos
Hefner was one of the interviewees in the documentary 'Comic Book: The Movie' (1989). He was a special guest voice in the Simpsons episode 'Krusty Gets Kancelled' (1993). Another episode, 'All's Fair in Oven War' (2004), is a homage to Playboy, where Bart and Milhouse remodel their treehouse based on the magazine's lifestyle. Hefner also voiced himself in Seth MacFarlane's 'Family Guy', namely the episode 'Airport '07' (2007), where he meets the sex-obsessed character Glen Quagmire.
As a colorful celebrity, it comes to no surprise that Hefner has had cameos in several comics too. In issue #17 (July 1970) of Playboy, Robert Crumb had his characters Mr. Natural and Angelfood McSpade visit the Playboy Mansion in an episode of Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder's 'Little Annie Fanny'. In the episode, Hefner laughs at Angelfood in her Playboy Bunny outfit, which makes her angry and causes them to be thrown out. In the 1980s, Dutch comic artist Dick Matena made a series of one-shot comics about celebrities, one of which starred Hefner. Chester Brown made a graphic novel, 'The Playboy' (1990), which deals with his feelings of guilt when he read Playboy as a teenager. In issue #392 (April 2000) of Mad Magazine, Hefner was featured in 'Mad's Celebrity Snaps', holding an issue of Mad Magazine. Monte Beauchamp included Hefner in his book 'Masterful Marks: Cartoonists Who Changed The World' (Simon & Schuster, 2014), where Hefner's life story was adapted in comic strip form by Gary Dumm.
Cartoon by Hugh Hefner, from The Daily Illini.
Recognition
In 1963, Hugh Hefner won the Ace Award, awarded by the National Cartoonist Society to celebrities who once aspired to become a cartoonist, but whose path led them to an entirely different career. In 1980, Hefner received a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Four years later, a marsh rabbit species was named after him. The Playboy publisher also made the Guinness Book of Records twice: once for being the longest-running magazine editor in the world, secondly for owning the largest personal scrapbook collection in the world.
Final years, death and legacy
Playboy's heydays spanned from the 1950s until the late 1990s. At their highest point, they were one of the best-selling magazines, with international editions appearing all over the world. Halfway through the 1970s, pornography was legalized in most Western countries. This made Playboy more socially accepted than ever, but at the same time many rival nudie magazines popped up. Several offered more explicit content, appealing to specific niches. Playboy lost some readers because of this, but their market viability remained strong. More serious rivals were the video stores that appeared in the late 1970s and Internet in the early 1990s, which made porn movies more readily available. All this gradually hurt Playboy's sales. As Hefner grew older, he became a self-caricature. Some younger generations saw him as a silly, somewhat pathetic old man surrounded by bimbos five generations younger than him. Interviewed on his personal website, Robert Crumb also observed that the Playboy Mansion became too much of an isolated dream world: "After Playboy became successful, Hefner had become shielded from the world inside his Playboy mansion, so he was in his own little world that he created. I don't think he really knew what was going on outside the mansion."
Hefner still presented himself as a ladies' man in public, but by the turn of the 21st century he spent most of his days in the Mansion playing cards with his Bunnies. In 2009, Playboy had to reduce its publication schedule. By 2016, the magazine even quit its claim to fame: the full frontal nudity. Though they wisely came back on that decision by February 2017. Interestingly enough Hefner wasn't so concerned about removing nudity, but resisted the removal of cartoons far longer. Eventually even these had to go to remain financially viable. In October 2016, Hefner stepped down as chief editor, after 63 years of continuous editorship. His son Cooper took over the management. Nearly a year later, in September 2017, Hugh Hefner passed away. As stated in his will, he was buried next to Marilyn Monroe, as he bought the burial plot next to her tomb decades ago. In 2019, it was announced that Playboy would change from a monthly to a quarterly magazine. The final print issue of the magazine appeared in March 2020. Ben Kohn, Chief Executive Officer of Playboy Enterprises Inc., announced that the brand would continue its activities online.
Posthumous controversy
In later years, it has become more public knowledge that Playboy's presented philosophy of sexual liberation was also a facade for mere chauvinist and predatory behavior. In the 2022 A&E documentary series 'Secrets of Playboy', many former Bunnies, Playmates and Hefner girlfriends spoke out about what really went on behind closed doors. Most of the women were deemed disposable, and reports of sexual misconduct were swept under the rug. During the parties at the Playboy Mansion, Hefner's guests, including celebrity sex offenders like Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby, could do whatever they wanted. On several occasions, women were groped, drugged and submitted to sexual acts without consent. Many of the orgies held in the Mansion were filmed by Hefner, who held the recordings for safekeeping. Whenever a Bunny from one of the Playboy Clubs was abused, Playboy sent its own "Cleanup Crew" to give medical care and convince the victim to keep quiet, all to safeguard the company's public appearance. Despite what went on behind the scenes, Playboy managed to keep its public profile clean, promoting sexual liberation and female empowerment.
Media about Playboy and Hugh Hefner
For those interested in Playboy's cartoons, the book 'Playboy 50 years. The Cartoons' (2004) is the most comprehensive collection. Hefner's own cartoons can be read in 'Hugh Hefner's Playboy' (Taschen, 2013). Brigitte Berman's documentary 'Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel' (2009) focuses on Hefner's long and remarkable career. The film features interviews with Joan Baez, Tony Bennett, Pat Boone, James Caan, Dick Cavett, Tony Curtis, Dick Gregory, Jesse Jackson, George Lucas, Bill Maher, Pete Seeger, Gene Simmons and Dr. Ruth.
From: Robert Crumb's Art & Beauty Magazine #2, 2003.