Playboy Universe

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Playboy is an American men's magazine, originally founded in Chicago, by Hugh Hefner. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc - a company that has projects presence in multi mediums. In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide. The magazine has a long history of publishing short stories by such novelists as Arthur C. Clarke, Ian Fleming, Vladimir Nabokov, and Margaret Atwood, as well as monthly interviews of notable public figures, such as artists, architects, economists, composers, conductors, film directors, journalists, novelists, playwrights, religious figures, politicians, athletes and race car drivers.Playboy's original title was Stag Party, but an unrelated outdoor magazine, Stag, informed Hugh Hefner that they would protect their trademark if he were to launch his magazine with that name. Hefner and the magazine's co-founder met to arrange a new name. His co-founder's mother suggested "Playboy".The first issue was produced in December 1953, although was undated as it was uncertain whether there was to be a second issue!! The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe - the magazine was a instant hit - with the first issue selling out within a matter of weeks. This issue is hugely collectable - copies of it in mint to near mint condition sold for over $5,000 in 2002.The Playboy rabbit logo The logo was designed by art designer Art Paul for the second issue and has appeared ever since - it was chosen for its "humorous sexual connotation," and because the image was "frisky and playful."The magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary with the January 2004 issue. Celebrations were held at Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, and Moscow during the year to commemorate this huge event.

Hugh Marston Hefner was born April 9th 1926 in Chicago. He attended Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High School and then served in the U.S. Army during the closing months of World War II. Hefner graduated from the University of Illinois in 1949 with a major in psychology and a double minor in creative writing and art. Some of the ideas for the Playboy magazine were inspired during his student years. During his college years he edited the magazine Shaft and sold cartoons to magazines. His first salaried job was with a firm that produced and printed cardboard cartons. In 1949, Hefner also completed his time at Northwestern University, where he wrote a term paper examining U.S. sex laws in light of the newly published Kinsey Institute research on male human sexuality. After serving in the subscription department and as a copywriter for Esquire, he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. He then took his a big gamble in 1953 by lending his furniture for $600 and raising $8,000 from 45 investors, including his mother, to launch Playboy.He has 4 children; Christie Hefner (born November 8, 1952) and David Hefner (born August 30, 1955) with Mildred Williams, and Marston Hefner (born April 9, 1990) and Cooper Hefner (born September 4, 1991) with Kimberley Conrad.

He currently shares his home and life with his three girlfriends: Holly Madison, his number one girlfriend, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson. Their E! Reality show - The Girls Next Door - is a huge hit worldwide. The series focuses on the lives of the three girlfriends. Hefner is often on the show along with various Playmates and other celebrities. The series showcases events at the Playboy Mansion - Fight Night, Fourth of July celebration, the midsummer celebration - but also sheds light on other Playboy related events such as the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Playmate test shoots at Playboy Studio West, Operation Playmate, party night, birthday parties. More significantly the show concentrates heavily personalities and real lives of each of the Girls, and is captivating viewing.Holly Madison was born on the 2nd December 23, 1979. She is a super glamorous American model and television personality, appearing on The Girls Next Door. She has been dating Hugh Hefner for over 7 years and is his number one girlfriend. Holly was born Oregon, but her family moved to Alaska, where she was raised. She attended Portland State University for two years, has a double-major in theatre and psychology, and is completing her Masters degree online. In 1999, Holly moved to Los Angeles to attend University, and to make money she competed to become a Hawaiian Tropic model and worked at Hooters. This led to Holly being invited to the Playboy Mansion. Hugh Hefner asked Holly out on a date after a year of visiting the mansion and she soon after moved in and became an official live-in girlfriend. In 2003, Holly appeared in a pictorial for Playboy's Cyber Girl of the Week. More recently she has appeared on 3 Playboy covers and in 2 major pictorials for the magazine alongside Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson. Holly is an animal lover and recently appeared nude for PETA in a pictorial stating "I would rather go naked than wear fur". Holly is an ambitious lady and in Season 3 of The Girls Next Door she stated that she would like to become a photo editor for Playboy. She achieved this goal and has been seen in the show working first as an intern and then later progressing to a junior editor. She designed and helped produce the Girls Next Door Calendar for 2008. More recently she has been co-ordinating the search for 55th Anniversary Playmate for Playboy. Hooters recently named Holly in the "Top 25 Hooters Girls of all Time".

Bridget Marquardt was born on the 25th September 1973. She is a super cute glamorous model, actress and TV personality. She stars in The Girls Next Door with Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson. Bridget was born in Oregon after her family moved there from Lodi, California. Soon after her birth her family moved back to California, where she was raised. Bridget enrolled at San Joaquin Delta College. After graduating, she transferred to California State University, Sacramento. In 1998 Bridget entered Playboy's Millennium Playmate search and graduated with a B.A. in Communications and an emphasis on Public Relations from University. In 2001, Bridget moved to LA after earning her Master's Degree in Communications. She worked as a dancer before meeting Hugh Hefner. In October 2002, after a year visiting the Mansion, she was invited to move in and become one of Hef's girlfriends. Bridget loves party planning, theming out events, dressing up and furthering her education and career. She appeared in a cover pictorial in Playboy's November 2005 issue, and returned in the September 2006 and March 2008 issues. Most recently, Bridget commenced her "Bridget & Wednesday Friday Show" on Sirius Radio's Playboy station and In October 2007, she appeared as a contestant on the fox reality show The Search for the Next Elvira. She made the final 6 out of 20 contestants. Her new project is her own TV series, Bridget's Beaches, due to air soon on the Travel Channel.

Kendra Wilkinson was born on 12th June 1985). She is an all-action, super-hyper, athletic and glamorous model, TV personality. She stars in The Girls Next Door with Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. Kendra was born in San Diego. She grew up in Clairemont and attended Clairemont High School from where she graduated in 2003. She played softball for six years with the Clairemont Bobby Sox. She had a brief job working as an office assistant for a dentist, but mainly pursued glamour modelling. Kendra met Hugh Hefner at his 78th birthday party in 2004. She had been employed as a "painted lady". The story goes that he caught a glimpse of her picture on a fax machine and immediately wanted to know who she was. They went out on a date and shortly after he asked her to move in and be one of his official girlfriends. Kendra appeared in Akon's music video "Smack That" and, more recently, as a rapper on MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar in 2007. She took second place, eventually missing out to Shar Jackson. Kendra loves all sports, socialising and living life to the full. She is a huge supporter of the Chargers and became a regular columnist on the website of the Philadelphia Eagles. She has appeared alongside Holly and Bridget in the November 2005 issue of Playboy, and returned again for the September 2006 and March 2008 issues - appearing on the cover and in pictorials. She has two dogs - Raskal and Martini and lives at the Playboy Mansion. In 2007, she appeared in Nickelback's music video of "Rockstar", along with her Girls Next Door co-stars, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt.

The show's theme song is Nasty Tales' remix of "Come on-a My House;" words and music by William Saroyan and Ross Bagdasarian, who later, as David Seville, created The Chipmunks.