The Making of Playboy | Chicago Stories

The Making of Playboy

The Playboy Bunny is one of the most recognized logos in the world. But the brand now synonymous with sex was launched in the conservative 1950s, an era when talking about sex was taboo. Twenty-seven-year-old Hugh Hefner saw an opportunity to test the limits of the First Amendment and bring sex into the mainstream. From his kitchen in Hyde Park, he launched Playboy, an aspirational lifestyle magazine aimed at young, single men that attempted to associate sex with sophistication. Hefner pushed boundaries and created controversy. He sparked debates about feminism and erotica, advocated for free speech, and was committed to tearing down the walls of segregation and social oppression, all while spearheading a sexual revolution.

Life as a Bunny: Inside the Early Days of Chicago’s Playboy Mansion and the Playboy Club

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner pictured with Playboy Bunnies in 1966 Credit: Burt Glinn / Magnum Photos

He was Jay Gatsby, Walt Disney, and Citizen Kane “all rolled into one.” That’s how Candace Collins, a former Playboy Bunny and Playmate, described founder Hugh Hefner. With his pipe, pajamas, and burgundy silk robe, Hefner created and then commanded new spaces of glamor, entertainment, and indulgence in the midst of the sexual revolution.

When Playboy magazine published its first edition in 1953, it was just the beginning of Hefner’s business empire. He opened a series of clubs that brought his magazine to life around the world. There was also the Playboy Mansion, which served as both Hefner’s residence and a kind of headquarters-slash-party-central for the magazine and business operations.

There would be no Playboy, however, without the Bunnies – the women who dressed up in a strapless corseted bodysuit and bunny ears and worked the club – and the Playmates – the women who served as the centerfold models for the magazine... Read more

Extended Interview: Christie Hefner

Christie Hefner, Hugh Hefner’s daughter and former Playboy CEO, shares her view of her father’s philosophy, examines their relationship, and addresses feminist critiques of the magazine.

“I Read It for the Articles!” The Famous Writers Who Had Bylines in Playboy

A view of the Palmolive Building featuring the Playboy sign, pictured in 1983 Credit: Burt Glinn / Magnum Photos

Throughout Playboy’s 67-year publication run in the United States, there have always been those who have claimed that they read the magazine solely for the articles. The nudity, the claim suggests, was just a casual, added bonus. But these people actually have evidence to back up that statement, and that evidence comes in the form of a list of the many acclaimed writers whose bylines could be found in Hugh Hefner’s magazine.

“The magazine attracted geniuses,” James Petersen, who used to write the Playboy Advisor column, told Chicago Stories.... Read more

What Do Mayor Daley, the Post Office, and Gloria Steinem Have in Common? They Were Some of Playboy’s Earliest Critics

Hugh Hefner posing with a Playboy Bunny in 1966 Credit: Burt Glinn / Magnum Photos

In the early days of Playboy magazine, the Playboy Club, and the Chicago Playboy mansion, founder Hugh Hefner’s star was on the ascendant. But the brighter the spotlight became, the harsher the glare. Hefner often found himself and his business at the center of legal troubles and social controversy. His biggest critics in those first years could be found in city government, the feminist movement, and even the U.S. Postal Service.... Read more

Lead support for Chicago Stories is provided by The Negaunee Foundation.

The Negaunee Foundation

Major support is provided by Gwen Cohen and the TAWANI Foundation.

Funding for Chicago Stories: The Making of Playboy is provided by Denny and Sandy Cummings, and The Howard S. Dubin Family Foundation.