Since its inception in 1953, Playboy magazine has turned itself into a pop culture staple for men (and women) around the globe. Known for its models and its high-quality articles alike, the publication has since become iconic, and its creator has become just as famous as the magazine itself.
Hugh Hefner has made a name for himself as both a businessman and a true playboy, and though he's almost 90 years old now, it's still hard to imagine him without a beautiful girl on each arm, surrounded by the luxuries in the Playboy Mansion.
Playboy might seem like a tasteless, pornographic magazine to some, but its prestige has called on numerous celebrities and writers to participate in its success. In fact, all of these vintage Hollywood stars have appeared on the pages of Playboy at one point or another! While there's no denying that the more recent models who have graced the magazine's pages are drop-dead gorgeous, there's something about the women of yesteryear that's just… different. Just like these real-life models who inspired some of history's most famous pin-up drawings, the models from the '60s and '70s have a beauty that is truly timeless, and many of them used Hefner's magazine to show it off.
Whether you love or hate the idea of a magazine that built up its fame by showcasing nude women, it's hard to deny the appeal of all the glitz and glamour that comes with being the man who started it all. Take a look at some of these vintage photos of Hef and the lovely women in his life, shared by the original playboy himself on his Instagram page. The lifestyle seems far too lavish for my tastes, but just imagine how cool it would be to spend just 24 hours in the Playboy Mansion back in the day!
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1. Hugh with a few of the "bunnies" in the Playboy club in 1979
2. Hugh and the bunnies taking a "roller disco break" in 1979
3. A young Hefner hard at work at his typewriter
4. Hef and the new Playboy jet bunnies of 1969
5. Lambert the llama takes a stroll around the mansion
6. Hugh stands with Rita Hayworth and her friend in front of the mansion's Hollywood sign in 1978
7. Hef and Barbi Benton spend Christmas together at the mansion
8. Hugh and company attend a Village People concert at the mansion
9. Hef plays cards in the mansion's game house
10. Hugh Hefner and friends pose for a photo at Playboy's 25th anniversary party
11. Hef enjoys his "first and last" birthday Olympics with the bunnies in 1979
12. Eddie Murphy and Hugh Hefner pose for a photo together
13. Hef and Barbi embrace in front of a Pan Am plane
14. Hugh visits the London Wax Museum with a few of the bunnies and poet Shel Silverstein in 1968
15. The Playboy bunnies are presented with a real bunny at the opening of Denver's Playboy club
16. Hef poses with all the St. Louis Playboy bunnies of 1962
17. Hugh feeds the mansion's resident monkeys in 1979
18. Hef and the bunnies play with the Playboy pinball machine
19. Hefner stops to feed a macaw while showing Regis Philbin around the Playboy Mansion
20. Hef and the bunnies celebrate Playboy's anniversary in 1978
Don't forget to SHARE these historic photos with everyone you know!
