Playboy’s first non-nude issue hit newsstands on Thursday, but the fact that it’s now “safe for work” isn’t the only way the iconic magazine has changed.
“There’s a lot that we’re keeping on the DNA of the magazine, but there’s a lot we’re evolving, too,” Playboy chief content officer Cory Jones told CNNMoney. The magazine will continue to publish its fiction section, feature interview, and 20 Questions, but it’s getting rid of its joke list and cartoons.
Playboy is trying to attract a younger audience, which is apparent in its choices to have a Snapchat-inspired cover and feature Comedy Central’s “Broad City” stars in its 20 Questions section. Unfortunately, millennials aren’t so keen on “dad jokes” and, as Jones explained Playboy’s decision to get rid of the joke list, “These were almost grandpa jokes.”
Getting rid of the cartoon was the most difficult change to get Hugh Hefner, founder and editor-in-chief, on board with, likely considering his own cartoonist background. As for the nudity, Hef told CEO Scott Flanders, “This is what I always intended Playboy Magazine to look like.”
Though there won’t be any full frontal nudity, Jones says the pictures will still show plenty—”It’s going to be sexy, but it’s going to be safe for work.” Flanders hopes nixing nudity makes Playboy more competitive, putting it up against players like Vanity Fair. It also opens it up to new advertising opportunities, including Dodge, the first Detroit automaker to appear in the magazine in 20 years.
