I suppose it would be alright to call Hugh Hefner an American playboy. Hugh Hefner founded the popular men's magazine Playboy in the early 1960's and caused quite a stir. Playboy has evolved over the subsequent years and is the most recognized entertainment magazine for men world wide. Although I am not a subscriber or fan of Playboy, I have to admit it is tastefully done. Many of the magazines competing with Playboy are just in your face pornography. Playboy would best be described as soft porn interspersed with current event articles, jokes, and advise articles for men.
The playboy mansion Hugh Hefner built and the Playboy bunnie outfit are also recognized world wide. Hugh Hefner knew pornography sells and he was in the right place at the right time with a product bound to sell and become an icon among men's magazines. I have read that Hugh Hefner originally came up with the idea of Playboy as a young man returning home from World War II. Hefner observed the less inhibited sexual lifestyles of Europe and thought America was ready for a magazine like Playboy. He was right.
