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Chicago Stories

The Making of Playboy

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The Making of Playboy

Hyde Park native Hugh Hefner was a true Chicago original. In the conservative 1950s, he brought sex into the mainstream with the creation of his aspirational lifestyle magazine, Playboy – a glossy publication that paired risqué images and cartoons with thoughtful articles and newsmaking celebrity interviews. Its success led to the iconic Playboy Clubs with its “bunny”-clad cocktail waitresses and a television variety show hosted by Hefner himself. Trace Hefner s life and career, the evolution of the Playboy brand, and how we view it today. Audio-narrated descriptions of key visual elements are available.

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