Playboy has had a pretty colorful history, with Hugh Hefner being a highly controversial figure throughout all of it.
Hefner passed away in 2017 due to sepsis as a result of an infection and a few years later, accusations from those who once associated with him followed in the Secrets of Playboy documentary.
In reference to these allegations, Playboy told UNILAD that 'today's Playboy is not Hugh Hefner's Playboy' and that the Hefner family was 'no longer associated with Playboy'.
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"Today, our organization is run by a workforce that is more than 80% female, and we will continue to confront any parts of our legacy that do not reflect our values today, and to build upon the progress we have made as we evolve as a company so we can drive positive change for our employees and our communities." they added.
With his death and the company’s eventual merger in 2020, the brand continues to live on - all under it's iconic rabbit mascot.
However, how did the rabbit come to be the face of brand?
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Upon Playboy’s launch in 1953, it was sold as the quintessential men’s magazine.
Originally named 'Stag Party', the logo resembled a male deer, but once the name was changed to Playboy and artist Arthur Paul retooled it, the result instead became the infamous bunny with a bowtie.
However, while the name change was out of necessity – with another magazine already using the name Stag when Hefner’s venture first began – the reason for the Playboy Bunny’s creation was no accident.
Hefner, Paul, and the rest of their team decided on the bunny rabbit because of it's 'humorous sexual connotation' - with the tuxedo 'to add the idea of sophistication', according to Hefner himself.
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Along with the bunny being an innuendo for someone who has sex a lot, the logo’s generally tame and silly vibe was also on purpose, too.
Talking to Illinois Tech Magazine in 2009, Hefner said: “The word ‘playboy’ itself is not a serious one.
“The rabbit is not serious; it was basically a signal that we could make fun of ourselves.”
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Hefner and Paul’s vision went on to become one of the most famous logos in the world, and the magazine became a staple of pop culture in the US and across the world for years to come.
Ultimately, Hefner credits Paul - who died in 2018 - for the logo’s creation and, in part, for the success of Playboy as a whole.
“He was the right guy in the right place at the right time… I couldn’t have done it without him,” he concluded.
Dylan Murray