By that time, nearly one-quarter of all American college men were buying or subscribing every month, according to the New Yorker. But by the s the franchise was struggling. Hefner's public profile surged once again in the early s with the release of his reality television show on E! The program, titled "The Girls Next Door," depicted the lives of his three blonde girlfriends at the Playboy Mansion and ran from to I went to my family and asked if I could borrow some money from them, or whether they would invest in the magazine.
My father declined. He was an accountant, and he didn't feel that a magazine was a good business investment. She didn't believe in the magazine, but she believed in her son. You don't start a national magazine with that kind of money. It was later revealed that Holly Madison, a former Playmate, and Playboy Mansion resident, had allegedly found documents pertaining to where the inheritance would go. After looking over the documents, Madison claimed that they stated that after death tax, Hef's fortunes "would be divvied up starting with roughly 50 percent to his charitable foundation and the bulk of the remainder divided evenly between his four children: Christie, David, Marston, and Cooper.
A post shared by Bridget Marquardt bridgetmarquardt. But what happened to all those bunnies? Known to many as the fan-favorite of the reality show The Girls Next Door, Bridget Marquardt, while not technically a Playboy Playmate, she nonetheless made a name for herself on the show as an avid lover of, well, the chefs quarters in the basement. Bunnies throwing pillow fights in the boudoir, Marquardt throwing pillow pasta with some pinot noir.
Also a travel buff, beyond jetting out of the mansion, Bridget parlayed her success into the short-lived travel show Bridget's Sexiest Beaches. A post shared by Holly Madison hollymadison.
Self-appointed ring-leader of the Girls of the Playboy mansion, Holly Madison was heir-apparent to Hef's fortune, whether she admitted it or not. In her memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole , Madison alluded that for her, it was never about the money. Hefner and his first wife divorced in after having had two children, Christie and David. As a single man, Hefner had many girlfriends and became known for his romantic, unpretentious presence.
Yet he also earned a reputation for being controlling and trying to enforce double standards. In the s, Hefner became the persona of Playboy : the urbane sophisticate in the silk smoking jacket with a pipe in hand.
He adopted a wide range of pursuits and socialized with the famous and wealthy, always in the company of young, beautiful women. As the magazine's increased success came to the attention of the mainstream public, Hefner was happy to portray himself as the charismatic icon and spokesperson for the sexual revolution of the s. This was also Playboy 's golden age as ever-increasing circulation allowed Hefner to build a vast enterprise of "private key" clubs that, among other traits, were racially inclusive in a time where segregation was still legally enforced.
Hostesses, known as Playboy Bunnies for their scanty outfits made up of rabbit ears and puffy tails, staffed these high-end establishments. The Bunnies often did quite well financially via tips and were directed to keep a certain professional distance from ordinary patrons. The women also had strict conditions placed on them in regards to appearance, including size. Over the years, Hefner's Playboy Enterprises also built hotel resorts, started modeling agencies and operated a number of media endeavors.
Both programs were weekly talk shows set in a bachelor pad full of Playboy Playmates, who chatted with Hefner and his special guests about various subjects. The publication itself began to garner a reputation for serious journalism, as author Alex Haley launched the "Playboy Interview" in with jazz great Miles Davis.
But Hefner's success didn't come without controversy. In , he was arrested and stood trial for selling obscene literature after an issue of Playboy featured nude photos of Hollywood actress Jayne Mansfield. The jury couldn't reach a verdict, and the charge was eventually dropped. The publicity didn't affect the reputation of Hefner or Playboy Enterprises. In , Hefner founded the Playboy Foundation to support endeavors related to fighting censorship and researching human sexuality.
By , Hefner had built Playboy Enterprises into a major corporation. Hefner also began dividing his time between two large mansions, one in Chicago and the other in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. When he wasn't home, he was globetrotting in the Big Bunny, a converted black DC jet complete with a living room, a disco, movie and video equipment, a wet bar and sleeping quarters. The jet also featured a circular bed for Hefner himself. In the mids, however, Playboy Enterprises fell on hard times.
The United States hit a recession, and Playboy faced increasing competition from more explicit men's magazines such as Penthouse , helmed by rival Bob Guccione.
At first, Hefner responded by presenting more revealing photos of women in less wholesome poses and circumstances. Some advertisers rebelled, and circulation fell even further. From then on, Hefner concentrated the company's operations on magazine publishing.
Playboy Enterprises eventually divested itself from its unprofitable clubs and hotels and downsized its ancillary media endeavors. The magazine kept its new photography standards and began presenting features like "Girls of the Big Ten. However, the magazine has also been targeted by critics who take issue with its objectification of women and barely veiled emphasis on commercialism.
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