The Rise And Fall Of Playboy

Playboy’s best selling issue sold more than 7 million copies. At the peak of its print circulation, Hugh Hefner’s magazine generated $12 million in revenue. Hefner’s Playboy empire expanded to include the Playboy clubs, an E! reality TV show and sold billions of dollars worth of merchandise. But today, Playboy is a mere shell of what it once was. Here’s what lead to the rise and fall of Playboy.
MORE RISE AND FALL CONTENT:
The Rise And Fall Of Forever 21
• The Rise And Fall Of F...
The Rise And Fall Of Subway
• The Rise And Fall Of S...
The Rise And Fall Of The Volkswagen Beetle
• The Rise And Fall Of T...
------------------------------------------------------
#Playboy #HughHefner #BusinessInsider
Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, retail, and more.
Visit us at: www.businessinsider.com
Subscribe: / businessinsider
BI on Facebook: read.bi/2xOcEcj
BI on Instagram: read.bi/2Q2D29T
BI on Twitter: read.bi/2xCnzGF
BI on Amazon Prime: read.bi/PrimeVideo
--------------------------------------------------
The Rise And Fall Of Playboy

[@imDanoush]

A classic example of not adapting a business with time.

[@somrech6072]

Well at least he made money

[@somrech6072]

@@stevewalker6240 but did a janitor get over 100 mil?

[@lindsayrserrano]

Yes he made money, but he could have left behind a legacy to his children and the many bunnies who made his fortune. At the end of Heff’s life, the playboy mansion was a ruin of his past success. There was dog shit and piss soaked into the fancy carpet from the girl’s dozens of chihuahuas and Pomeranians. It smelt awful, looked like shit.

[@lindsayrserrano]

Pretty much a relic of a once thriving empire. The house looked like it never changed after the 80s.

[@ThingsILikke]

Hef was actually pretty bad at making money, the magazine floundered for many years. If you read Holly Madison's book, Hef stole a lot of ideas from her alone and put his name on them. Can you imagine how many other people he did that to? The girls next door was actually her idea also, as well as the clothing line in the early 2000s

[@tentingaroundflorida]

Internet is what killed them off

[@ToucanMaxxing]

SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!

[@koreops8511]

@@ToucanMaxxing it's true dumbass

[@MOBMJ]

If playboy timed it right by jumping on the internet. Playboy probably would have and would be the biggest and NUMBER ONE PORN SITE ON PLANET EARTH

[@aniqanuar6320]

@@MOBMJ yeah they could've been the top dogs like brazzers and alike

[@rignosturr4597]

Lol

[@hisokamorow8388]

Hugh Hefner: Playboy is immortal. Internet: I’m about to ruin this mans whole career.

[@inputgoldfish4424]

Lmao

[@usagi18]

"Not even God can sink Playboy" Internet Iceberg enters the scene

[@himikotoga4270]

Goooooón

[@gvs6462]

Technically speaking, Playboi transcended the physical realm as a corporation with assets and material value. It became a concept, a lifestyle. That's why you call promiscuous guys "playboy" or "player". Just look at Playboi Carti. Hefner definitely stamped his mark so deep into our culture that we don't even realize it became part of common life. He was right: Playboy IS immortal.

[@shinqqing5161]

@@gvs6462 Oh thank you. I just learned what the word playboy means thanks to you. I always thought it was just the name of a porn mag. Didn't knew that it could be used as a noun.

[@christineblack1223]

Putting nude Marilyn Monroe in a magazine without paying her is just shady. What a hack.

[@fatonyalmitchell3281]

Price of being Famous always a cost 🤷.

[@guillermosenties.848]

I believe that's why they took off. No one was gonna be able to that, quite an ace, even today.

[@kellensarien9039]

When you buy photos, you pay the person who owns them. She didn't own those pictures, so there was no reason to pay her (although it would have been nice if they had asked her permission first, which they didn't).

[@stephans1990]

Marilyn Monroe was paid by the photographer and playboy paid the photographer.

[@footbroke]

She didn't take the photos. She didn't sell the photos to them. She didn't get paid.

[@2014kaydee]

They should have expanded into fragrances, lingerie even partnered with make up for lipstick shades or eyeshadow or blush pallettes. So much potential. That coupled with a website, they'd be huge today

[@thevintagekitty]

Interesting you say that because they had tons of cologne/fragrances, jewelry, a makeup line with MAC, full clothing line, lingerie and even Hefner's wife had a lounge wear line. Goes to show you the brand just really lost favor with people.

[@silas537]

So basically they just needed a website lmao

[@diankreczmer6595]

2014 kay Dee hugh Hefner wanted a magazine depicting the sophisticated urban Male who would have eager women flocking after him There was no interest in promoting anything for women

[@marcd7332]

dian kreczmer Read vintage’s comment...

[@tiffprendergast]

2014kaydee they did that

[@MusicGameFinatic999]

In short: The internet happened.

[@johnnydimauro9765]

I saw ur comment on cyanide and happiness new video... Just wow

[@frnciisx]

feminists happened too

[@frnciisx]

Ana Baez ya they protested

[@ranelgallardo7031]

千尺乇几匚卄丨乇 Not really theres a rift between them thinking that this helps women express themselves sexually. The other think it’s objectifying women badly. It’s a controversy

[@ranelgallardo7031]

I think also VHS porn in the 80s & 90s, cable porn in the 90s and 2000s, DVD porn in the 2000s had some impact. Also the Playboy Club got competitions from Hooters & Twin Peaks.

[@anthonylarocco573]

What destroyed Playboy was 1) Online pornography became available. 2) Decline of print media, especially magazines 3) Decline of cable TV, Playboy was big on the pay per view. 4) Changing political landscape- especially in the 1970’s with the feminist movement and the 1980’s with the rise of the religious right. Fun fact- Playboy was publicly traded until 2011.

[@LiveYourLifeWithJoy]

Mostly, the internet. Feminists and religions can't beat the internet...

[@plataoplomo9096]

@@LiveYourLifeWithJoy religion? People were more Orthodox back then in 60s

[@A.I.-]

In any Business, when the original owner is gone, that's usually the beginning of its downfall.

[@mariesmith7096]

Are we gonna ignore the fact that Brooke Shields was in playboy when she was a child...vile

[@Rie_TheQueen]

What no way ? Seriously ? I knew about the movie she starred in when she was twelve but not this smh wtf where were her parents and why would they allow that

[@eyelandgal]

@@Rie_TheQueen They had her pose nude too. It's disgusting.

[@kimberlyarrington5721]

Omg I never knew that

[@burtonl7239]

Meh. Could be worse. She could be on Jeffery Epstein's island.

[@Christina-yh8vf]

@@burtonl7239 tf??!

[@mirandaosborne7196]

I had a playboy purse at the age of 10 and now that I’m a adult I have no idea why I was allowed to have it

[@adamkk03]

My grandma gave me playboy shower gel for my 11th birthday

[@vitalino1981]

@@adamkk03 she was onto something

[@gravyboat2370]

Miranda. This must of been the 80's when stuff like that was run of the mill . I'm guessing.

[@LokNex915]

I had a playboy shirt growing up, I’d wear it all the time 😅

[@WillBlindYouWithLight]

Cut it was cool

[@sark6494]

When my grandfather died me my family found out he had every magazine from the 1950s to 1990s in storage 😂

[@taurus1962]

Sell them. $$$

[@denmichaelmalayo9716]

Thats the equivalent of not clearing your browser history

[@foxylady4580]

U should sell it...its vintage classic now😍😍

[@spacepunk_nappy]

I wouldn't sell them but let museum/gallery institutions "borrow" them for exhibition.... For a hefty fee.....

[@irondragonmaiden]

Now THAT is a loyal customer

[@paigechipps8075]

I feel so sorry for Marilyn Monroe, she was always being abused and taken advantage of by old men- just to clarify it was not only old men that abused her and marilyn monroe said on various occasions that she liked being a sex symbol, I am more so refering to how she was mentally abused right from her childhood.

[@jjba3571]

This

[@fatonyalmitchell3281]

She just a out of several 🤷

[@vkarlix]

@@fatonyalmitchell3281 sthu lmao she doesnt deserve it you sound like anincel

[@cipmylo6919]

@@vkarlix lmao he's not saying she deserved it hes talking about how shes not the only lmao chill

[@davesmith-ty8dy]

Did you know when he died, he was buried next to her. She got no respect living or dead!

[@vickykulig5080]

My mom actually went to the same high school as Hugh Hefner, and saw his daughter Christie making a huge donation to the school. She said that Christie carried herself well and was really articulate

[@genxx2724]

She’s not a bimbo.

[@LizRealGirlBeauty]

She always seemed that way in interviews. She has a brother who isn't involved with the business at all, who's kinda of an enigma. Then of course the 2 brothers from Hef's 2nd marriage, who really didn't help with the magazine when they took over. Sometimes you shouldn't hire family.

[@WynnofThule]

"I only buy playboy for the articles" "I only watch hentai for the plot"

[@vicm8750]

Inline 3 FTW wait this parallel goes crazy

[@lifewithluci1764]

🤣🤣🤣

[@ferr4132]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@crives1525]

Wait-

[@xSPuz2]

The more things change the more they stay the same

[@TheLiamster]

I used to think the playboy logo was just a bunny. I was such an innocent child.

[@Jay-wn5kb]

Liam Walsh is it not just a bunny?

[@MsMrapplepie]

Wait...I’m confused. What is it then?

[@johnw.lennon1366]

What else is that

[@solitarysheep3871]

1:00 it is a rabbit.

[@ATommy-cz1qc]

It’s cause rabbits breed a lot

[@jackhousser2817]

I’ll never forget the look of horror in my dads eyes when he realized I’d found one of his play boy magazines as a kid, I’ll never forget the look of glee in my own eyes when I found it

[@Silencer796]

O.O

[@joancrawford5781]

I love that Playboy had a downfall. As a woman born in 1972 I never thought it would happen. I grew up in a relatively normal straight-laced family and my uncle would keep his Penthouses around during family pool parties when both I and his daughters were preteen. I would go to the dentist in my square community and there would Penthouse and Playboy issues in the newsstand downstairs. THAT"S how normalized it was when I was growing up. I NEVER thought I would see the wonderful day when Playboy would burn. I LOVE IT! It gives me some faith in humanity in these dark times.

[@gilbertbeilschmidt9603]

At the dentist?! Are men that deprived?? Smh, hopefully the world will keep changing for the better! I’m also so sorry to here about what happened to you and your cousins.

[@naturalnashuan]

I'm your age. In high school the tiny local libraries had l very little recent non-fiction. I often had to use a library's Playboy inventory for articles to cite in my the reports I wrote for my classes. It felt wrong that a porn mag was the best local source of current info and that kids had access to its "literature ." I know things are much worse now for what kids have access to. Playboy was an awful step in that direction,. I inherited a vintage hoard of Playboys. They are slowly rotting in a dump now.

[@blackpillbishop5016]

And how has the fall of playboy improved your life in any objective form? Have you made money from shorting playboy stocks? The reality is it doesn't matter if playboy has 'fallen' Hefner and his associates lived a glamorous extravagant life while you did not - they lived a much better reality than 99.99% of the population and that's what matters at the end of the day

[@NoCluYT]

Playboy falling hasn’t changed anything. Instagram and porn websites are just the new playboy.

[@artursakis8668]

Right. Joan

[@InvestingEducation]

Not sure if it has fallen but there is so much competition in terms of free porn though

[@bydannypalma]

Investing Education yes it has. When was the last time you saw anything related to playboy nowadays...?

[@InvestingEducation]

@@bydannypalma it's still an icon

[@InvestingEducation]

@Rolman80 80 true good point

[@Abipoole]

Investing Education most porn though is also stolen and not actually “free”

[@InvestingEducation]

Woah didnt know my comment would get so many likes and be the most liked comment. Looks like i hit the nail on the head. I need to focus more on my investing channel and talk less abt porn.

[@anahansel3394]

I feel the Playboy logo was originally synonymous with class however a dramatic shift happened in the early 2000s when the logo and brand became trashy. I feel they never recovered.

[@etxsports5836]

R.Kelly can't try this

[@1redrubberball]

I on the other hand felt that attempting to equate "classiness" with trashiness never worked for me. That opinion was really bolstered by a certain politician's wife who found a box or boxes of money of her husband's and used a "photo shoot" at Playboy to launch herself into money and whoredom but quickly found herself in obscurity, for all I know!

[@ZeeZedZee]

Basically this. In the 2000s they went on a licensing bonanza and slapped the logo on any product they could. It was still synonymous with high-class in India and China and sells a lot of apparel there, and appealing to those markets was apparently a big reason behind them removing nudity from the magazine in 2016. They brought nudity back less than a year later after subscriptions tanked, but the dumbed-down ladmag format introduced in 2016 was retained.

[@gluehuffer1411]

i feel like it’s the opposite

[@justtam321]

Class?? You seriously said class? As in high class prostitution kind of class?

[@gonstotwriter]

They forgot to mention how often the jealous wife "accidentally" burned the Bunny's butt with a cigarette as the girl did her cocktail dip.

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

I'm not sure where I read it, but I understand many of the PLAYMATES THEMSELVES didn't always treat their "bunny sisters" as loving girlfriends, some of these gals were apparently QUITE VICIOUS towards eachother for whatever reason over the years--especially at the mansion.

[@gonstotwriter]

I believe it. I still laugh about how the top men at Pb made every possible mistake with those Pb Clubs and then couldn’t believe it when those places failed.

[@katmusswoodwind]

@@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025 the reason women get quite vicious towards each other is because they've been pitched against each other for the attentions of certain types of men. It's been happening for centuries - think of the Geishas in Japan.

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

@@katmusswoodwind I really can't imagine Japanese Geishas exhibiting viciousness towards eachother. Not saying you're wrong--because I do not know enough about Japanese culture to comment on such a phenomenon, just saying that I have my doubts as to what you're telling me.

[@KillerQueen-gx4vb]

@@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025 even though culture can affect a person’s behavior, universally, jealousy has always existed between people. It wouldn’t be too far fetch to think that geishas and Oirans (prostitutes) could also be competitive with their costumers. After all, it was their job to attract as many costumers ($$$) as they could.

[@Meijibby]

Saying that he only bough the magazine for the articles is like saying I bought yaoi manga’s for clothing references

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

Bullshit kid. I did buy and subscribed to Playboy basically BECAUSE of the written stuff. If I wanted to enjoy photographs of nude girls/women there were PLENTY of magazines available that blew Playboy "out of the water".

[@georgertheexplorer4114]

How to make this video in under 4 seconds: “Porn is free now”

[@yakuza_suske3189]

So true and legit

[@alexander-jl6cs]

Thanks for saving my 8mins

[@eddiew2325]

alex ander hi Alex can I umm

[@imtheprize]

Facts

[@missmoxie9188]

That’s the truth I do appreciate that they did explain that Playboy was more than a magazine

[@MariahRose1]

Imagine if playboy made better lingerie for women than Victoria’s Secret they would be on TOPPPP

[@e.w.3989]

They need to do a better job at selling women as sex objects, and also convince women that they are empowered for being a sex object. Lingerie is a way to achieve that goal.

[@WillBlindYouWithLight]

The way they see it, she wont be wearing it long so why even worry about it.

[@KikiMeowKitty]

Mariah victories secret is ass

[@privatedonut2914]

@@e.w.3989 Eh you didn't really word that right. Don't think women want to be considered sex objects.

[@kiwi1761]

24/7 Gamer That’s not true.

[@sophieghaffari9006]

What killed playboy was the internet with its hardcore porn. Who wants to see a picture when you can see the action.

[@0n_Cloud_9]

Well Porn stars have posed for playboy for decades. LOL

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

@@0n_Cloud_9 I understand that Hef for many years didn't think all that highly of the more explicit porno industry. When centerfold Teri Weigel went into XXX porn sometime in the early 1990's, Hef supposedly was not too happy about that. I guess he considered himself a "classy" guy. But what annoyed me most about Hefner, was I'm not sure he appreciated all the "proles" the world over that helped him get where he did. LARRY FLYNT on the other hand probably appreciated all the "Joe 6 packs" much more than Hef did. (Even as a younger man though, I considered Hustler Magazine a little too crass and needlessly vulgar and obscene.) But seriously...... "Girls Next Door"---Next door in WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD--Beverly Hills????!!!!😭😂😂😂

[@nobody2021]

exactly. playboy was always just watered down porn. sure, softcore porn has it's place, but so does hardcore. you can think of porn the same way you can think of drinking. playboy is like a beer, and people like that, but people also like a shot of whiskey or vodka sometimes and there's nothing wrong with that. to turn your nose up at hardcore because it's "trashy" is to delude yourself into thinking you're doing something more sophisticated than you are when you look at, or make porn, which is what hugh hefner did. sure he had a lot of money and he surrounded himself with expensive crap but he built a business around what he was, a creepy sex obsessed pervert.

[@tadd8210]

Hold up, wasn't there a playboy porn channel on cable/Sky???

[@moniyat]

I mean it's all aesthetic at that point

[@notjimhalpert7782]

As a kid I thought they were a cable company because I would always see a van with the logo on it near my apartment

[@alex-dh7bt]

not only porn but also commercials.. every bus stop shows a half naked woman nowadays

[@rocketlaunch99]

I mean half naked women all over Twitch anyways

[@AmeerHamza-mi9sf]

Stone ages?

[@carrotcake6572]

Aditya Bhat ok boomer

[@ks5865]

@@andy_the_monger1795 what's wrong with not wanting to be objectified? 😑

[@bekahsue418]

Aditya Bhat a woman’s body isn’t inherently sexual. The point they’re trying to make is the woman should be allowed to choose when they’re being sexualised.

[@iseetheWAYVision]

Playboy is iconic, but useless in this day and age.

[@hankbridges5055]

Black182heart Larry Flynt is gambling his money away. He goes to Vegas as a VIP and gambles in the VIP room.

[@ahmadbrkam4350]

Right?much more risk much less content and costs basically infinitely more

[@ranelgallardo7031]

Rian Sahabat Hooters and Twin Peaks is probably going to kill that.

[@El_Funky_Habibi]

I wouldn’t say useless, i still rub one out every once in a while to playboy

[@ranelgallardo7031]

Alivia Stienen You’re a lesbian? Nothing wrong with it

[@anegg1369]

The thing that kept them alive from 1996 to 2006 was the WWE, they gave their women to have photos taken of them for the magazine, keeping them mainstream, then they died.

[@MnMS1904]

This brand can literally make a solid comeback if they wanted to.

[@el4242]

I was just thinking that. I think there is still a market for sexy but classy porn. Hardcore stuff gets old. Knowing I have access to anything imaginable makes it almost boring. I think some guys would enjoy "getting to know a girl". It's more personal. Porn today doesn't offer that touch. Maybe with webcam but I'm pretty sure that's just more hardcore porn too. 🤔😳

[@karinasaldivar8894]

There’s people out there..a very decent %, who have a playboy bunny somewhere tattooed on their body

[@ahwabanmukherjeecse2206]

They could make anything from nightclubs to condoms to porn if they wanted to and people would still buy that just because of the brand

[@yasmineelboubsi6038]

Its basically hooters

[@valiant1743]

You can have Ezra Miller nudes 😂

[@danielleandrade6345]

The logo is literally on Instagram Snapchat filter and it’s so popular

[@Lpsjulie2121]

Danielle Andrade really ?☠️

[@irondragonmaiden]

Honestly, they could be making money off of the logo alone if they play their cards right

[@remorbits]

cloutmother yea

[@remorbits]

irondragonmaiden exactly, like there’s so many people selling jewelry off the logo.

[@hanifansari5093]

Danielle Andrade 8738892121

[@nohemy9202]

I wish they talked more about how badly they treated the “bunnies”, they just glossed over it :(

[@adamgilchrist665]

Honestly don't you think that's why they died?

[@awdc2830]

@@adamgilchrist665 nope anyone will let you treat them like dirt if u pay them enough and when your showing your to any for a bit of change your self respect clearly isn't high

[@Rose-xe4ct]

CHARLES SCOTT my dude that’s fucked up. no wonder you’re ugly, greasy, lonely and single. cause the only way you’ll ever come in contact with a woman is by staring at half naked girls in bunny costumes. even real bunnies get more action than you :)

[@lolhiho1]

WHO fuking cares go and cry in a corner or take it as man since you woman strive to be men

[@nohemy9202]

lolhiho1 dude why are you mad lol

[@kingofmedia30]

Playboy is a legacy both my grandparents bought shares in Playboy in 1971 because they wanted to own a piece of at that time the largest adult entertainment companies in the US

[@jkay3735]

Hugh was actually recruited by the CIA, if I remember correctly he was used as a honeypot. Essentially invite prominent people over to the playboy mansion, offer them a girl who was underage, film the encounter via CCTV etc, and forever have said person by the balls for life. Infact the Playboy mansion actually had underground tunnels which lead to neighbouring houses, who were owned by other celebs etc.

[@LiveYourLifeWithJoy]

Like who? Source?

[@LikaLaruku]

"The magazine is rebranding to appeal to a younger generation." I'm picturing centerfolds & pinups of fursuits & cosplay waifus, the articles replaced with fanart, fanfics, & memes.

[@AnthonySforza]

No... At least those people would pay money for such a thing. They're going for the... "Everything is wrong with the world and none of it is my fault" crowd... Who don't buy anything. Hence the three activists mentioned. Hugh's son is completely flailing in the wind and having them in the magazine it the brand's swan song.

[@vitormlb1199]

Count on millenials to save Playboy is a really joke \o/. They are more worried about smartphoning and social media these days

[@padpachan]

*-shivers-*

[@sidvacant9382]

Onlyfans

[@yesi726]

Haha

[@ghivifahmi4252]

Playboy clubs are just non weeb-adult version of maid cafes

[@zxbcv]

dis boi be spittin straight fax

[@noiz1762]

Isn't that just American host clubs

[@ranelgallardo7031]

They’re like a fancy Hooters.

[@yaphace]

I literally thought of cat girls when they said playboy clubs

[@NaomiMJS]

True

[@louieg7676]

Playboy: We will reopen the Playboy club like in our glory days. Covid-19: I would have to stop you there son.

[@ywoodstock]

They should expand into general photography and brand themselves as a art magazine that just happens to focus on women

[@cehn6453]

the logo is still iconic though- i think

[@Sweetgirl-ev6bs]

Ana M. It's not lego it my country

[@yaphace]

It is. But the value and affiliation has changed

[@remorbits]

it is

[@sarcographic]

Ana M. It turned into something very trashy that you would fine at your local thrift store

[@bbysatan]

Ana M. I have the logo tattooed on my ass cheek

[@cheesecakelasagna]

I think we just realised predatory dirty old rich men ain’t cool anymore.

[@casacambio8382]

Nah porn is free online that's why.

[@stopreplyingtome]

They never were?

[@pauskie6]

Sugar daddies are

[@GRANOLA77]

Hugh Hefner was never predatory at all like Weinstein or Bill Cosby though.

[@zico739]

CheesecakeLasagna Hefner was 27 when he started Playboy and there’s nothing predatory about playboy.

[@dorotapeniasko]

my heart jumped when i saw the beatles article

[@benalexender3046]

Thanks from Egypt 🇪🇬

[@bsherman8236]

In the future: "how virtual reality ended real life porn".

[@luffystrolls6837]

B Sherman also in the future “how robots destroyed VR sex.

[@lem2004]

Also in the future, how skynet take over the robots

[@pixelpudding3914]

ProjektMelody

[@blackhokage1744]

@Lady Fervor a sweet one 😉

[@s.m2895]

@@pixelpudding3914 another fan we find each other in weird places

[@dopeygang6719]

Marilyn made them famous. End of discussion

[@doneflounder7086]

Actually, that first magazine sold much less than the other that featured "common" women instead of models like Marilyn

[@dopeygang6719]

@@doneflounder7086 playboy is known by people due to Marilyn and it sold less because it was the beginning of the magazine. They were so desperate they wanted girls nude on cover.

[@doneflounder7086]

@@dopeygang6719 Playboy? That entire empire is known to people because of one o their first magazines that didn't even sold that much and didn't had that much marketing? C'mon that is just stupid

[@doneflounder7086]

@@dopeygang6719 Desperate? That's how you define the company? It was a magazine for men, It had naked women posters but also most of the magazine were interesting articles, interviews, politics sometimes, they really were doing something new, it wasn't just porn Go read a little about their story, those guys were geniuses

[@dopeygang6719]

@@doneflounder7086 you yourself explained it in detail..why I said they were desperate to make it famous 😂 you don’t have to sell naked stuff but that was the theme of playboy magazine this is how they attracted those who used to think from their genitals. And this shitty strategy is the reason why no one started giving a shit about magazine by 2000s. They tried to bounce back by integrating social issues with women but failed. And yes boy I read and then type. Learn to digest somethings.

[@kairinase]

Good work Business Insider... you guys enabled us to gain some info, without having to experience the real stuff!

[@zoesoutlet]

playboy is pretty iconic . the literal aesthetic of it is so prominent . recognized in music , tattoos , filters , clothes , even shoes . personally , i love the bunny logo . i have it tattooed behind my ear .

[@aileenaiko2757]

I mean ,he died. He lived his life at the best he ould and he built his empire ,if he didn't want to pursue it and let it end with him it's fine like that

[@kmp8985]

He lived his whole life surrounded by beautiful women. All things come to an end but he was damn successful at what he did.

[@aileenaiko2757]

@@kmp8985 exactly

[@alfx5432]

I think about how those girls were just used for rich ugly dirty old men.😂

[@aileenaiko2757]

@@alfx5432 oh absolutely, but you should never forget that none of those girls (from what we know at least) were forced to be part of playboy, they willingly did it :/ for a reason or another

[@alfx5432]

@@aileenaiko2757 young women at that age do stupid things most were just used for sex.

[@x0xxx007i]

*_Where’s Company Man when you need him?_*

[@Anonymous-eo2er]

Too “not advertiser friendly” for a single creator. This brand can easily handle loses, he would have more trouble

[@codycast]

aspacebytheneedle what do you mean by “company man” ?

[@MyBrandingIsBad]

@@codycast there's a KZbin channel called company man that explains the rise and fall of companies.

[@paulagooding8441]

I actually taught this was his video when I clicked on it

[@docsays]

I know. I thought this was 1 of his

[@ducks7015]

This type of companies are so interesting to see into. How different they are from companies today. I would like to see a version of playboy today. Like, Hooters, but classy and respectful. It be neat.

[@edvard4068]

It's hard to survive as a company if your only quality is chock factor and taboo breaking. your market disappears with taboo.

[@carolyna4484]

Playboy became irrelevant over a decade ago. His children didn’t have the skills to adapt the business and the public didn’t buy Hefner’s manufactured, sleazy image anymore.

[@katherinechase3674]

So true!

[@tiffprendergast]

Carolyn A yup

[@erk44]

He just got too old. Its not appealing to see an 80 year old man with a bunch of bunnies. Maybe its ok when theyre in their 40s maybe even 50s. Beyond that. No one wants to see grandpa like that

[@deejin25]

@@erk44 uh that show was immensely popular, people tuned in to see the girls., they would have done that even if he was a robot or a dog.

[@erk44]

@@deejin25 idk. You can see girls anywhere nowdays. I would argue it was the brand. Hefs playboy bunnies. You know they had to be quality.

[@TheSongwritingCat]

Interesting that you interpret "the new secretary at your office or the girl who sells you shirts and ties" as "a wholesome women you can meet in real life" and not a subordinate you can sexually harass or a woman in the sales industry incentivized to pay attention to you.

[@LSSYLondon]

Yup that thought is inescapable now.

[@miriamhavard7621]

I was thinking that, too.

[@justtam321]

PREACH!!!!! It's pathetic.

[@777jones]

It’s a good point, but no one forced these women to do this. They applied for the jobs and were paid. As for the thoughts of the Bloomberg host, she did not provide a citation so maybe they are her own thoughts.

[@AnthonySforza]

If that's where your mind went upon such a thing being mentioned, it actually says more about you than it does them. The aspect mentioned was more about the women resembling those you'd see out and around your normal life and not the overly glamorized Liz Taylor types, which the average guy would have pretty much zero chance of running into (Hugh even demanded that the women not be airbrushed in the centerfolds and such, so that when people saw then at the mansion, they'd look the same... What a trailblazer of wokeness). Apologies for the statement not adhering to your over stimulated and oft inflated sensibilities.

[@carlyherman4027]

I once saw someone put it quite perfectly: “back then, playboy and being a bunny seemed extravagant and exciting; today, it’s gross.”

[@pamelamays4186]

In my high school drama class we did a production of Frosty The Snowman. For some reason, the magician's rabbit ended up looking a lot like a Playboy Bunny.

[@Sarah-rf5rj]

Bro all that and Monroe didn't get any credit 😂😂

[@raychelwasserman-nix1508]

RIGHT 🎯

[@genxx2724]

More exploitation. Would it have killed him to compensate her?

[@LiveYourLifeWithJoy]

She got paid. Then the photographer sold the pics to Hugh

[@owlright]

In the era where you can get basically anything virtual for free, magazine just a ruin in the past.

[@patrickarana4470]

"Pornhub has enter the chat"

[@guyyplacencia4811]

I was over at my grandmas when I was barely 6. I remember there was separate bathrooms for the men and women guests, I needed to pee real bad and I was always told to use the women’s restroom, well someone was using it and the men’s was available so I went and used it. Smelled like piss and beer but I relieved myself, then my eyes drew towards a hamper or something of the sort and opened it and boom. Probably about 300+ playboy magazines stacked to the brim. I guess that’s why I was told to use the women’s restroom.. I know it’s there still somewhere I hope it’s worth money.

[@helenadavies7775]

And Kylie Jenner and Travis just posed for them so theyre not looking too bad

[@m-jane2881]

Helena francis they broke up

[@Lafemmefutile]

They broke up and this is how you know that magazine is so starving they can’t even do real due diligence.

[@helenadavies7775]

Yeah I don't live under a rock, I know they've broken up. But still they got the association with the Kardashians which is better then nothing

[@marcelalopez9053]

@@helenadavies7775 considering Kylie posts waaaay more provocative photos in IG then it's a bad deal tbh.

[@Naomi-xu4hq]

Madeleine r .. exactly she’s literally posted nude photos worst than that. And she probably demanded a ridiculously high price.

[@biel9206]

I used to see this logo when I was a kid. I thought it was cute and for kids. Once, I saw a magazine on my uncles boxes and saw this logo (I can't read at that time yet) I was confused why they snatched it away from me so quickly cause I thought the woman on the cover was Barbie dress in a bunny suit.😂

[@-Gous-]

Guess many people are naive in a young age, I always knew something was fishy about it 😂

[@yasmineelboubsi6038]

Same lmao my father had a bodyspray with the playboy logo on it and i always wondered what it meant. Now I know

[@marikkelaszlo3355]

I remember seeing this logo back in 2008-2011 and thinking it was a cutesy, girly brand for teen girls like hello kitty or juicy couture, it feels weird now knowing it’s actually targeted for adults 😨🙄

[@aclown36]

Dad: *Awww, my kid is reading* Dad: *wait where Is my playboy magazine* Dad: *oh no*

[@johnsegreti8367]

Lmao

[@tokeykwong]

Wauuu amazing articles my friend

[@rosiesaysanime]

My aunt was a playboy bunny... if only she had gotten with a rich guy instead of looking for love. 😔

[@Pro-dd4dv]

Wut seriously?

[@rosiesaysanime]

@@Pro-dd4dv yes theres photos. It was in the 60s when my aunt was in her 20s. She said rich guys hit on her but she didn't want to do any "hanky panky" (her words) as she was looking for love. She realizes now that she could have been rich if she got with one of those guys.

[@Pro-dd4dv]

@@rosiesaysanime wow thanks for sharing the story its sad if she regrets her decision.

[@whatsgood6440]

Dogan TV Well not if she’s smart and saves the money.

[@whatsgood6440]

Dogan TV Well I didn’t mean “prostitution” in its true form. But having multiple rich suitors who’s giving her money/gifts for a chance. Plus poor sounds ok til you’re on your 3rd day without a real meal.

[@milokaw4193]

Hold up, playboy isn't a school bag brand? 😂

[@boogardnougat1291]

How in the hell you think that it was a brand of bag?

[@pcabanban25]

I smell a Hypebeast😂😂

[@yuno2512]

Completely understand 😂😂

[@Someone-gj3go]

That was bad boy

[@frostedcherrybon]

No honey, no it isn't.

[@NYCfrankie]

I'm glad that they mentioned the articles done by playboy I know my Nonna bought @least 8 playboy magazines to read specific articles which I found hilarious

[@robdobson5056]

Back to a much simpler and fun time! Miss those days!

[@pooltokyo7418]

The logo will forever be iconic

[@jamielancaster01]

What happened?! THE INTERNET HAPPENED!

[@ranelgallardo7031]

Jamie Lancaster I think VHS/DVD porn in the 80s and 90s and the 90s cable porn also kind of started to kill it. Then the Internet made it worse

[@tr7287]

Without watching this video, I can tell you what killed Playboy: Porn on the Internet.

[@12DAMDO]

it's actually really simple thought.... rise: it had no competition fall: it has competition now

[@hairyputter5363]

Fall: porn is free

[@dennysdonuts4918]

There's a Drunk History on about how terrible the work conditions could be. I feel that interview definitely skimped over some parts of what it was like.

[@maryredenbach970]

They skipped over a lot!! Hugh Hefner was under investigation since the 70s for drugs & how easily people forget the Bobbie Arnstein case and her suicide.. how easily people forget the drug parties & videos of those parties in Hef’s bedroom... how easily people forget about the demise & destruction of so many young women who entered the playboy world..how easily people forget about Dorothy Stratton...the internet did not destroy Playboy....Playboy destroyed itself from within

[@DaPeePeePooPooCheck]

Playboy still holds major cultural value in the streetwear communities. While I don't think the articles/magazine will make a return, in print or online, if they play their cards right they could potentially have a larger presence in the fashion world

[@ZhangtheGreat]

In other words, get with the times or get left behind. It's something all business know, but not every business can follow because of so many risks.

[@wickandde]

I really love these failed business case studies, pretty sad about MM not being paid a dime for a centerfold that was essentially stolen.

[@777jones]

MISSed Bandwagon Marilyn Monroe willingly did the photo session and was paid it seems. Later, Playboy bought the rights from the owner of the material.

[@AnthonySforza]

Here's the thing, she WAS paid for the photos... By the guy who shot them XYZ years prior. As per law, the person shooting photos, owns the rights to them. If I'm not mistaken, I believe they were for a calendar, at the time. So Hugh eventually came across them and paid for them fair and square. There was nothing "shady" or unethical which happened. The same thing happened to Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell in the late 90s... Where's everyone's bleeding heart for her?

[@casualxxgamerxx9662]

You are relating to her position. As in "imagine if suddenly my nudes appeared on a magazine years later and I didn't even get paid". Thing is, she did get paid when she first got them taken, she sold the rights to her nude pictures to the photographer or the agency. She DID get paid. Playboy bought the rights to those images and it probably didn't cost a lot. Marilyn should've bought the image rights back when she had money if she was bothered about them.

[@USA-qm2bk]

Except the business didn’t feel and has a billion dollar mercy licensing business

[@USA-qm2bk]

‘Hefner bought” “Monroe wasn’t paid”. You need a bridge: the person he paid is the person who would’ve paid Marilyn

[@LeoLeo-yi5yx]

5:18 he smiled

[@carmensimps6086]

wait ew-

[@shampoo4273]

Black Jack YO WTFF😂😂😂

[@whymakemelikegobruuh767]

Edited

[@ekyasamahardika5253]

Oh my god

[@thehyperactivesloth6824]

Eeeeeee wth

[@mashedpotato9482]

I told on of my friends to enter the pharmacy and ask for play boy magazine. He got kicked out and hit. 🤣🤣 good times!

[@TinRapper]

"Activists" Good luck.

[@sidvacant9382]

@Alika Fifi 90% of playboy bunnies are blonde white women...

[@modernlegacy5555]

Could you imagine being Marilyn Monroe? She had just become famous yet had to sit back and watch someone else become rich by selling naked photos that she never gave him. I'm not sure but I don't think Hef made it through those pearly gates.

[@karawigley6231]

I get what you’re saying but Marilyn Monroe actually spoke about this & her exact words were “the fans, my public, cheered when I admitted it was me, and that calendar and that Playboy first-issue publicity helped my career.” Instead of denying it was her she confirmed it was indeed her & explained the circumstances behind the photos. By doing this she gained the sympathy of the public, interest in her movies increased & she started getting top billing. So, while it was done in poor taste it helped her career more than it harmed her & catapulted her into stardom. All this, again, Marilyn Monroe admitted herself & I’m not saying it was right or defending it, it’s just interesting to know the whole story.

[@LizRealGirlBeauty]

That's not how modeling works. The model doesn't own the photographs unless they're paid for them. MM posed when she was young and needed money, knowing they'd be used in a calendar, and had no ownership of the images. The photographer paid her. She consented to being photographed and knew the terms when it happened. When she had money she could have gone to the photographer and purchased them from him, but she didn't. HMH didn't sneak into her house and photograph her without her knowledge and then published those illegally obtained images. The photographer who owned them sold them. She was happy to make the money posing, the photographer was happy to make the money selling them. I do find it creepy that he wanted to be buried next to her. But that's my own opinion, and he bought the crypt, there was no reason he couldn't be buried there.

[@LTCloud9]

Atleast do one google amount of research before spouting bs.

[@alkinurdotran1053]

There was a chance and he took it, its just business

[@angela1984a]

Religion is a complete and utter Delusion. So no - since there are no "peary gates".

[@upsc_motivation3463]

This is how everybody got addicted to porn

[@etxsports5836]

No, you can find vintage porn from the 1920's that's before Hugh Hefner...Roman days their was always an orgy going and naked statues same with Greek empire

[@bloodyblades549]

And Indians are addicted to saying girls *show me bobs and vagina*

[@JoshxCate]

@@bloodyblades549 bobs and vegana to be precise ahahahaha

[@BigD1983]

That is absolutely true.

[@definitionofinsanity161]

People having sex for spectators entertainment was going on in Europe way before Playboy.

[@D.I.G.]

Never new it went that deep!!

[@LetsGoAlready]

Legend 👀

[@jesusramirez523]

Girl: “So what happened” Internet: Allow me to introduce myself...

[@ScorpioSoul-pe2pm]

My childhood ballet teacher was on the cover of Playboy👯‍♀️.

[@Mr-Damage]

Name please bro

[@velocityhdmi8140]

Proof or it didn't happen

[@JustJohn505]

Gonna comment incase it happends

[@vabk2013]

Yo send proof m8

[@hairyputter5363]

.

[@scvandy3129]

Overall, I enjoyed the report. In addition to the magazine, "memberships" (with keys), clubs, resorts and casinos it should be noted the company's less-than-successful attempts for a feature film division in Hollywood. And Hef's early 19'70s relocation from Chicago's Playboy Mansion to the new west coast variety in Holmby Hills (Beverly Hills - adjacent).

[@ElJorro]

Playboy actually did host several high profile writers such as Ray Bradbury and Ursula LeGuin.

[@kazutama3902]

he made empire alone. thats respectful. If he decide to close hes business、thats hes own business.

[@cottonhairedaesthetic2005]

Kazu Tama he’s dead so he doesn’t care

[@kazutama3902]

@@cottonhairedaesthetic2005 damn right

[@asterirxse7146]

He made an empire out of exploiting women and giving porn addictions to men.

[@etxsports5836]

@@asterirxse7146 Grown Women chose to be there...they weren't kids, they wanted to be there and quit when got tired of it, like any other strip club.

[@asterirxse7146]

@@etxsports5836 Those women were also exploiting themselves and other women.

[@princessmarlena1359]

“Internet killed the magazine star!” 🎶 But seriously, I always wanted an authentic Bunny Girl suit (not those lousy cheap knockoffs)....

[@diegorojas6497]

My grandpa still has his playboy magazines from the 60s and 70s

[@marksinger6537]

The roaring 20s could be back and nostalgia could come back as well

[@jackieb.2484]

I feel like it’s making a comeback Now with clothing

[@TerribleT666]

I got earrings because I like the logo ngl lol

[@padpachan]

*oh, the irony*

[@Tr1Dylan]

Wouldn’t that take away what it used to be?🤣

[@helpabrothawithasubisaiah5316]

Lol ain't nobody wanna see clothed models, they ain't making no come back doing that

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

It may also be making a comeback as a result of BACKLASH to all the HYPER politically correct bullshit that people of MANY sexes are peddling.😂😂😂

[@lorddoma6637]

I used to buy cheap Playboy cologne at Walmart. 🤣

[@theonemelol7835]

This was only fans on 20th century

[@fitforfreelance]

Gotta stay adaptive to stay in business!

[@che.rry_k1sses]

if they would open the old playboy clubs i swear ppl would go because “oh vintage! grunge aesthetic!”

[@LizRealGirlBeauty]

They opened one at the Palms in Vegas but it didn't last long.

[@PetePuebla]

I used to love that show, The Girl Next Door. I forgot all about that show. I wonder where Kendra is now

[@tiffprendergast]

Pete Puebla raising kids & fighting with her mom on tv

[@tj-8422]

So many businesses lost their edge by not going online soon enough (cough Forever 21, cough). It's fascinating.

[@averlost6477]

If playboy came out now as "the magazine for men" full of naked women, it would never survive

[@j.ptracey2769]

@Retro Man porn is also far more accessible

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

I dunno, at the local adult store even though I didn't see any Playboys for sale, there are STILL paper magazines for sale that have PLENTY of "naked girls and women"

[@melanieram]

The girls next door were everythinggg

[@coleparker]

In my younger days in the 60s and 70s I read interesting playboy articles by Mike Wallace and other noted columnists. They were interesting and informative. By the mid 2000s the articles had become mind numbing, and sophomoric.

[@MrMannyhw]

My hero :)

[@bendanafabian9058]

OnlyFans: Allow me to introduce myself

[@Dr.Nantiwa]

I was around 8-10 years old. So i was playing around with one of my brother's computer and it had a bunny logo. I thought it was just a friendly game but when i opened it my whole life changed.

[@thesenuts3219]

@@Hndjdj400 *Bobs and vegina*

[@thesenuts3219]

@@Hndjdj400 Right😂

[@mandystop1077]

@@thesenuts3219 whom r u talking to , I can't see Jennifer

[@thesenuts3219]

@@mandystop1077 She deleted her comment.

[@mandystop1077]

@@thesenuts3219 what did Jennifer said?