Playboy (USA) Year 1956 Magazine Back Issues
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Playboy Jan 1956
Holiday
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Playboy January 1956 Features
Covergirl Jean Moorehead (Not Nude)
Playmate of the Month is Lynn Turner photographed by Peter Gowland
Advice About Women by Erskine Caldwell
Will She or Won't She? by Jules Archer
Last Will and Testament by Rex Fabian
Dearth of a Salesman by Addison North | |
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Playboy Feb 1956
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Playboy February 1956 Features
Covergirl Pat Lawler, Margaret Scott, and Eve Meyer (Not Nude)
Playmate of the Month is Marguerite Empey photographed by Ken Paker
"Will Success Spoil Jayne Mansfield?" by Earl Wilson, photos by Hal Adams
"The Crack of Doom" by Don Marquis
"Playwright on a Hot Tin Roof" by Ray Russell
"How to Get Stoned on Fifty Cents" by Mack Reynolds | |
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Playboy Mar 1956
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Playboy March 1956 Features
Covergirl & Playmate of the Month Marian Stafford (Nude & Centerfold) photographed by Ruth Sondak
"The Curry With the Singe on Top" by Thomas Mario
"Fit to be Tied" by Jack J. Kessie
"Dry and Dapper" by Blake Rutherford
"The Great Guessing Game" by Jules Archer
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Playboy Apr 1956
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Playboy April 1956 Features
Playmate of the Month is Rusty Fisher photographed by Sam Wu
"Samba City" by Patrick Chase
"Goodman A La King" by Benny Goodman
"The Sport of Sports Car Racing" by Jack Olsen
"The Cruise of the Aphrodite" by H.E. Heckelmann
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Playboy May 1956
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Playboy May 1956 Features
Covergirl Dolores Taylor (Not Nude) photographed by Arthur James
Playmate of the Month is Marion Scott photographed by Herman Leonard
To Victor (Borge) Belongs the Spoils by Albert C. Lasher
The Splendid Source by Richard Matheson
How Now, Brown Cow? by James F. Peirce
The Shooting of Judge Price by Erskine Caldwell | |
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Playboy Jun 1956
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Playboy June 1956 Features
Covergirl The Playboy Bunny (Not Nude)
Playmate of the Month is Gloria Walker photographed by Herman Leonard
Nunc Dimittis by Roald Dahl
A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
A Short, Happy History of Chess by Al Horowitz
How To Keep Your Wife In Love With You by Shepherd Mead | |
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Playboy Jul 1956
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Playboy July 1956 Features
Covergirl Unidentified Models (Not Nude)
Playmate of the Month is Alice Denham photographed by Mike Shea
"Some Guys Get It" by Harlan Draper
"The Truckdriver" by Alberto Moravia
The Newport Jazz Festival" featuring Jimmy Rushing and Lester Young, Wild Bill Davidson and More!
"The Deal" by Alice Denham. | |
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Playboy Aug 1956
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Playboy August 1956 Features
Covergirl Erotic Paintings (Not Nude)
Playmate of the Month is Jonnie Nicely photographed by Hal Adams
You Can't Have Them All by Charles Beaumont
The Death of Painting by Evelyn Waugh
Walk to the Station by Stanley Cooperman
The Ekberg Bronze by Robert Seaver | |
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Playboy Sep 1956
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Playboy September 1956 Features
Covergirl Diane Harmsen (Not Nude)
Playmate of the Month is Elsa Sorensen photographed by Peter Gowland
Personality: Ernest Hemingway by Jed Kiley
"Love, Incorporated" by Robert Sheckley
"Boxing's Child of Destiny Floyd Patterson
"Get Out of My Life" by John Wallace | |
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Playboy Nov 1956
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Playboy November 1956 Features
Playmate of the Month is Betty Blue photographed by Hal Adams
"A Flourish of Strumpets" by Richard Matheson
"The Abdicating Male" by Philip Wylie
"The Lover of the Coral Glades" by Adrian Conan Doyle
"The Flip Side" by Charles Einstein
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Playboy Dec 1956
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Playboy December 1956 Features
Covergirl & Playmate of the Month Lisa Winters (Nude & Centerfold) photographed by Bunny Yeager
"The Dark Music" by Charles Beaumont
"Confessions of an American Button Man" by Shel Silverstein
"The Bitch in Heat" by Robert Slater
"The Hundred Dollar Suicide" by Henry Gregor Felsen
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1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020Playboy's original title was to be "Stag Party," but an unrelated outdoor magazine, Stag, contacted Hefner and informed him that they would legally protect their trademark if he were to launch his magazine with that name. Hefner and co-founder and executive vice president Eldon Sellers met to discuss the problem and to seek a new name. Sellers, whose mother had worked for the short-lived Playboy Automobile Company in Chicago, suggested the name "Playboy".
The first issue, published in December 1953, did not carry a date, as Hugh Hefner was unsure whether there would be a second issue. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used had originally been taken for a calendar, rather than for Playboy. The first issue was an immediate sensation; it sold out within a matter of weeks. Known circulation was 53,991 (Source: Playboy Collector's Association Playboy Magazine Price Guide). The cover price was 50¢. Copies of the first issue in Mint to Near Mint condition fetched over $8,000 in 2007.
The famous logo, depicting the stylized profile of a rabbit wearing a tuxedo bow tie, was designed by art designer Art Paul for the magazine's second issue and has appeared on every issue since; a running joke in the magazine involves hiding the logo somewhere in the cover art or photograph. Hefner said that he chose the rabbit as a mascot for its "humorous sexual connotation", and because the image was "frisky and playful".
An urban legend started about Hefner and the Playmates of the Month because of markings on the front covers of the magazine. From 1955 to 1979 (except for a six month gap in 1976), the "P" in Playboy had a number of stars printed in or around the letter. The legend stated that this was either a rating
that Hefner gave to the Playmate according to how attractive she was, the number of times that Hefner had slept with her, or how good she was in bed. The stars, which ranged in number between zero and twelve, actually indicated the domestic
or international advertising region for that printing.
Since reaching its peak in the 1970s, Playboy has seen a decline in circulation and cultural relevance because of increased competition in the field it founded — first from Penthouse, Oui, and Gallery in the 1970s; later from pornographic videos; and more recently from lad mags such as Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. In response Playboy has attempted to re-assert its hold on the 18–35 male demographic it once controlled through slight changes to its content and focusing on issues and personalities more appropriate to its audience—such as hip-hop artists being featured in the Playboy Interview.
Christie Hefner, a daughter of Hugh Hefner, became the CEO of Playboy in 1988 and is now also the Chairman of the Board.
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 event.
The best-selling Playboy edition was the November 1972 edition, which sold 7,161,561 copies. One-fourth of all American college men were buying the magazine every month. It is interesting to note that although this issue is available in abundance, it is very difficult for collectors to find this issue in excellent condition. The black ink on the cover wore off easily and it is difficult to find this issue with a bright clean crisp black color. A Near Mint copy of this issue is a hard find.
Perhaps coincidentally, a cropped image of the issue's centerfold (which featured Lena Soderberg) became a standard image for testing image processing algorithms. It is known simply as the "Lenna" (also "Lena") image in that field.
Many people ask about Playboy UK, Playboy USA is the same issue that was issued in the UK because there was no need to translate the magazine. So, Playboy USA and Playboy UK are the same magazine.
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