Playboy is an American men's magazine, founded in Chicago, Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., reaching into every form of media. The magazine is published monthly and features photographs of nude women, along with various articles on fashion, sports, consumer goods, and public figures. It also has short fiction by top literary writers, such as Arthur C. Clarke, Ian Fleming, Vladimir Nabokov, and Margaret Atwood. The magazine is known to express liberal opinions on most major political issues. Playboy's use of "tasteful" nude photos is classified as "softcore" in contrast to the more "hardcore" pornographic magazines that started to appear in the 1970s.
The first issue, published in December 1953, was undated, as Hefner was unsure whether or not there would be a second issue. He produced it in his Hyde Park kitchen. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used originally was taken for a calendar, rather than for Playboy. The first issue was an immediate sensation; it sold out in weeks. The cover price was 50¢. Copies of the first issue in mint to near mint condition sold for over $5,000 in 2002.
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 Playmate 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 particular printing.
Celebrities who have modelled in the magazine include Jayne Mansfield, Ursula Andress, Nancy Sinatra, Farrah Fawcett, Samantha Fox, Tiffany, Deborah Gibson, Linda Evans, Kim Basinger, Shannen Doherty, Drew Barrymore, Daryl Hannah, Denise Richards, and Amanda Beard, among many others.
Lin Felton aka QUIK is one of the prominent graffiti-inspired painters that emerged out of the 1980s New York art scene. He has showcased his work extensively throughout the most reknown museums of the Netherlands, where QUIK has periodically resided and worked over the past 15 years. QUIK maintains a special versatility as an artist working in the past along with the Netherlands avant-garde theatre world as a director’s assistant, production coordinator, set designer, and performance art actor.
QUIK has become a renowned figure in the Netherlands and Germany for his lecture work in elementary, high schools, universities and various art institutions. For a brief period, he worked with the New York City Department of Education/Special education Division in several high schools of the South Bronx, Harlem, Spanish Harlem, and throughout Manhattan.
