''Playmen'' was an Italian

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. It was founded in 1967 by a mother of three, Adelina Tattilo, achieving fame as Italy's version of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' magazine. The magazine was published monthly and featured

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s of

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women, and articles on fashion, sport, consumer goods, and public figures. ''Playmen's'' use of "tasteful" nude photos is classified as softcore in contrast to hardcore pornographic magazines. It ceased publication in 2001.

Early years

During a running battle with the Italian police, the magazine reached a circulation of 450,000 within four years of its 1967 inception. It sold at about the equivalent of a US dollar per copy. ''Playmen'' was initially an imitator of ''Playboy'' magazine, although the first ''Girl of the Month'', Brigitte Bardot, held her hands to cover her breasts. ''Playmen'' later developed a style of its own, reflecting European tastes and not overly displaying breasts as per the American ''Playboy'' counterpart. The founder Tattilo was quoted as saying, "The U.S. is a matriarchy. I think this is the reason for the American male preference for women with exaggerated, voluminous bosoms." In the early years, with Italy still a religiously conservative society at the time, each month the Italian police in some cities would order a mass seizure of the magazine. ''Playmen'' rarely lasted more than 48 hours on the newsstands before either being sold out or seized by the police.

Content

Many actresses began their careers on the cover of ''Playmen'': Pamela Villoresi, the singer

Patty Pravo Nicoletta Strambelli (born 9 April 1948), known professionally as Patty Pravo, is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in p ...

, the actress Ornella Muti, the singer Amanda Lear and many others. The magazine contained notables such as Teresa Ann Savoy, Barbara Bouchet, Lilli Carati, and Camille Keaton. The July 1968 edition contains an article by Henry Miller. In the December 1972 issue, ''Playmen'' obtained an international scoop: it published the photo of

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

, then wife of

Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; , ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975) was a Greek and Argentine business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was marri ...

, while she was naked in the swimming pool of their villa in the island of Skorpios. The photos were not published in the United States until '' Hustler'' printed them in 1975. In addition to naked women ''Playmen'' occasionally also depicted naked men. It paid John Paul Getty III (who was 16 at the time) $1,000 for a naked photo spread and cover of the August 1973 issue – on newsstands a month after the oil empire heir had been kidnapped in Rome. The magazine contained interviews of significant people in literature, cinema, politics, and sport. In the 1990s, with the arrival on the market of pornographic videocassettes, the magazine's sales dropped significantly and advertising revenue sharply declined, causing Tattilo's empire to gradually enter a crisis, followed by the closure of ''Playmen'' in 2001.

''Adelina'' magazine

In 1979, Tattilo announced that she was planning on publishing — under the company name Chuckleberry Publications — an American edition of ''Playmen''. The magazine was titled "''Adelina''" (in honor of its publisher) with the

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

, "America's edition of Italy's ''Playmen''". ''

'' magazine objected and sought a restraining order. Despite this, a number of issues of ''Adelina'' were published in the U.S. in 1980. In 1981, a federal judge found in Playboy's favor, stating that ''Adelina'''s subtitle was "designed to promote ''Adelina'' in such a way as to trade on the Playboy mark. It promotes a 'subliminal association with Playboy.'" The judge also forbid Tattilo from renaming ''Adelina'' "''Playmen''" in the U.S.

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