LOS ANGELES, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its
year-long 60th anniversary celebration, Playboy
magazine today announced it has reprinted copies of its inaugural
issue, which first hit newsstands in December 1953.
This collector's edition reprint is an exact replica of
Playboy's premiere issue, down to the staples that bind it
(the magazine began using a glued binding starting with its
October 1986 issue) and the heavier
paper stock on which it is printed. Playboy's first
issue featured Marilyn Monroe on the
cover and inside as the magazine's "Sweetheart of the Month;" a
Sherlock Holmes story by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle; an article on
the Dorsey brothers; a feature on "desk designs for the modern
office;" and the cartoons and party jokes for which the magazine is
now famous.
Playboy's Founder and Editor-in-Chief Hugh M. Hefner commented, "I am pleased that we
can offer longtime fans as well as a new generation of readers an
opportunity to possess a piece of Playboy history, and experience
the original spirit and heart of the magazine that continues on
today."
The reprinted magazine is available nationwide beginning today
at Barnes & Noble and other fine retailers, and will be on sale
through Monday, July 7, 2014.
Copies are also available for purchase online at
PlayboyMagazineStore.com. The issue retails for $9.99, and its modern-day UPC sticker can be
easily removed.
Historical Background
Founded by Hugh M. Hefner in 1953, Playboy magazine
has become a tastemaker, an arbiter of style and a vanguard for
political, sexual and economic freedom for the past 60 years.
The magazine's first issue was assembled by the then-27-year-old
Hefner on the kitchen table of his South Side Chicago
apartment. It featured Marilyn
Monroe on the cover with her now-famous nude calendar photo
inside, and was financed with just $600 of Hefner's own money and less than
$8,000 of raised capital (including
$1,000 from his mother).
Playboy's first issue appeared on newsstands in
December 1953 for 50 cents and sold more than 51,000 copies.
It did not carry a cover date because Hefner was not sure when or
if he would be able to produce another. The magazine quickly became
a part of America's pop cultural landscape, so much so that in 1959
a New York reader was able to
successfully send Playboy a letter with the magazine's signature
Rabbit Head symbol as the only address.
About Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
Playboy is one of the
most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy
Enterprises, Inc. is a media and lifestyle company that markets the
brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing
initiatives. The company publishes Playboy magazine in
the United States and abroad and
creates content for distribution via television networks, websites,
mobile platforms and radio. Through licensing agreements, the
Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more
than 150 countries as well as retail stores and entertainment
venues. For more information about Playboy Enterprises,
please visit www.playboyenterprises.com.
SOURCE Playboy Enterprises, Inc.