50th Anniversary Cover

[Steve Sloca]

Dan Stiffler wrote:
"A couple of days ago, I thought of a revision to this revision.  Instead of
Hefner, the gentleman rabbit, the original Mr. Playboy.  The set would be
similar to those in that great series of January covers, running from 1958
until 1977.  On the wall, only the framed Golden Dreams, PLAYBOY's very
first pin-up, published 50 years ago this December.  And just think of the
fun making the set and Mr. Playboy contemporary!"

The only problem with a cover featuring the Marilyn "Golden Dreams"
photo by itself is that it is completely nostalgic and backward
looking.  The 50th should be more than a celebration of the past,
although some celebration is certainly appropriate; but it should also
look forward to the "next 50" and the future of Playboy.  Thus, I
would pair the framed Golden Dreams photo in Dan's vision with a hot
new PM photo, perhaps of Christina Santiago (since she was denied the
cover of her PMOY issue) in a night club setting, partially dressed in
a golden, sparkly party outfit open in the center, with an aggressive
legs apart "are you man enough" pose.  (In other words, pair the
classic beauty of Playboy's beginning with the strong, assertive,
feminist beauty of today and tomorrow.)  Mr. Playboy would be front
and center on this cover, with his ears artfully covering those
portions of the framed pics that have to be covered for the sake of
the prudes who control the newstands; and he would be holding a
champagne glass full of bubbly and wearing silk pajamas (with the
rabbit head on the pocket).  However, this cover should be a double
cover, double fold out, so when you open the cover, you first see the
same cover scene twice as wide, this time without the ears in the way
and with Mr. Playboy toasting the two framed photos; and then when you
fold back both sides of the opened cover, you see the expanded "room"
in which the cover scene takes place with more framed CF's from the
past and present and framed Playboy covers of note on its walls, and
that the "room" is filled with bunting and balloons and the other
accouterments of a party.

Of course, given Kaminsky's and his ilk's ideas of what sells, what we
will probably get on the 50th anniversary cover will be a grossly
airbrushed picture of the "First Loser" from Survivor VIII, mostly
obscured with huge print screaming "Nude!"