It all started in the kitchen of his home. There he set up the first edition of the magazine that was to become the most famous man. The diary said it was 1953. We talk about the “Playboy” magazine and the creator of it Hugh Hefner (1926-2017). From that first edition until the time he managed to reach 7,000,000 copies and create a world empire, the distance was great and full of endless parties and “bunnies”. Farewell to this world, Hefner leaves behind an entire history in which he changed the world’s view of the naked in an America with many taboos and phobias around sex. It was from a point of view the proponent of the sexual revolution of the magazines.

Issue # 1 with Marilyn Monroe’s cover, was published in 1953, and published the first naked photos. This first period from 1953 to 1979 is essentially the one that built up the magazine’s myth.

The Gothic-style Holmby Hills mansion in Los Angeles became famous as it housed his life for the last 4 decades. The famous model bunnies of the magazine participated in the glamorous parties that everyone wanted to be invited, in the six-bedroom villa, gym, movie theater and zoo.

Hefner’s original Playboy Mansion was in Chicago, but Playboy acquired in 1971 this particular mansion, owned by world-renowned chess engineer Louis D. Statham. Built in 1927, the villa was acquired for just over $ 1 million.

Material from the first 25 years of Playboy is included in Hugh M. Hefner’s autobiography in 6 volumes released by Taschen in a limited edition of 1500 copies with an original 7X7 cm piece of Hugh’s silk … pajamas. It includes all 312 covers of the season as well as a host of unpublished photos of Hefner, his own and backstage, from the Playboy Mansion, the Playboy Clubs and of course the Big Bunny Jet. Also included are texts and articles of great names in literature published in Playboy, such as Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac and Ray Bradbury. In addition, some important interviews such as Martin Luther King, John Lennon, Richard Nixon and Roman Polanski are presented. There is also Hefner’s own writing for that era and how he designed and created his empire.

Hugh Marston Hefner was born in Chicago on April 9, 1926. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1949. He “left” the party at the age of 91. Bon Voyage Hugh.