The photo layouts were a seduction, with the Playmate slowly revealing more and more until being fully nude in the centerfold.īy the end of the 1950s, the magazine was selling a million copies a month. Hefner described Playmates as women who could be 'the new secretary at your office' or the 'girl who sells you shirts and ties.' In other words, a wholesome woman you could meet in real life, not a distant, professional model. Each issue featured a 'Playmate of the month,' starting with Hefner's then girlfriend and subscription-department employee Charlaine Karalus, aka Janet Pilgrim.

But not only was Playboy one of the first to publish colored photographs of nude women, its Playmate concept set it apart from the rest. Circulation grew quickly, partly because of the magazine's lack of competition. Hefner immediately invested his profits back into Playboy, expanding his staff. A huge success, the magazine sold out of all 70,000 copies at $0.50 apiece. Regardless, the first issue was released in December 1953. The star was never paid for her Playboy debut. Hefner bought old photos a struggling Monroe had posed for under a pseudonym, having no idea they would eventually end up as a magazine feature. The cover and centerfold featured Marilyn Monroe. He thought a tuxedoed rabbit would be 'cute, frisky, and sexy.' With no office to work out of, Hef put the first issue of Playboy together in his apartment on the kitchen table. But Hefner himself came up with Playboy's now iconic logo. Originally, Hefner wanted to call it Stag Party, but was challenged by Stag Magazine, so a friend suggested the name Playboy, and it stuck. Recruiting 45 investors who cobbled together $8,000, a young Hef was ready to launch what would become Playboy.

In 1953, former copywriter Hugh Hefner saw a demand for a gentleman's magazine. But Hugh Hefner's gone, the original Playboy Clubs have closed, and magazine sales have shrunk to less than 4% of what they used to be.

In the early 2000s, Playboy's logo could be found on everything from jewelry to tattoos, and Bunnies were all over movie screens and reality TV. Its best-selling issue sold over 7 million copies. Irene Kim: Playboy used to be everywhere. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Today, Playboy is a shell of what it once was, but is attempting to rebrand itself to appeal to younger generations.

Hugh Hefner's empire became an iconic part of popular culture, but later struggled to keep up with new competitors, and failed to pivot online fast enough.

Playboy's best selling issue sold over 7 million copies and the magazine made $12 million in revenue that same year.

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