Playboy Magazine was founded in 1953 in Chicago, Illinios by Hugh Hefner. Today, Playboy is one the best known brands and publishes more than just a magazine but owns hotels and produces televsions shows and a cable network.

Originally Playboy was to be named "Stag Party" until Hefner was approached by another magazine claiming copyright to the name. The first issue was published in December of 1953 and Marilyn Monroe was the first centerfold. The first issue was sold for $.50 and sold out in weeks.

The greatest excuse men have for buying Playboy is "I buy it for the articles."  However, Playboy over the years has produced some of the most famous and far reaching political articles in history.

Take for instance Playboy's interview of the Presidential Candidate Jimmy Carter in 1976.  It was in that interview that the well known religious man admitted that he had committed "adultery" in his heart.  The interview (and the magazine) sold millions of copies and introduced and likened this unknown peanut farmer to the average American.  While it didnot cause his victory, Carter's Playboy interview helped his campaign to the White House.

Other notable interviews seen in Playboy are those of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Hoffa. 

There is no better example of corporate branding that the Playboy bunny. The Playboy bunny ears are known the world over and today have become a part of the ordinary American culture. It is not unusual to see women wearing tshirts with the Playboy bunny on them. It is also not unusual to see Playboy Bunny keychains, earings and even tatoos.

More than just the Playboy Bunny though, the creator of Playboy has become an American icon and brand himself. Of course this is Hugh Hefner. When one speaks of Playboy one cannot help to think of Hugh Hefner in his bathrobe surrounded by beautiful women. This image is as important to marketing Playboy than the product Hefner sells.

Lastly, there is the Playboy mansion.  The Playboy mansion has become a kind of Graceland to men around the world: a place they must see sometime in life.  The Playboy Mansion has twenty nine rooms, a private zoo, tennis courts and a swimming pool that includes the famous grotto. It has been featured in movies and television shows including Beverly Hills Cop II with Eddie Murphy.  The Mansion itself is part of the Playboy Brand as it is recognized the world over.

Fifty Five years after Playboy was introduced into the world, it still is running strong today. There is of course the magazine, which still has a circulation of 2.6 million subscribers.  However, Playboy has branched out from the magazine with a website, a cable channel, a radio broadcasts and television shows.

One of the best known shows today is "Girls Next Door" which focuses on Hugh Hefner and his "girlfriends." It runs of the E network and has been on the air for five seasons. The Girls Next Door shows the everyday lives of Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson who are "Hef's" girlfriends.

The show is ending after this season but it is obvious that the Playboy brand will live on. From what started as a "dirty magazine," Playboy has become an American icon.