A Less Playful Playboy

Usually, Hugh Hefner's girlfriends appear in Playboy leaving little to the imagination. However, the company is rolling out a new website that will require imagination when it comes to pictures of Hef's girlfriends.

Image: Elayne Lodge/Playboy via Eonline.com

One of the all-time claims for men around the world, "I read Playboy for the articles," is about to be put to the test.

The renowned men's magazine which, yes, has had its share of memorable literary moments, such as then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter's famous line of "I've committed adultery in my heart many times," is now putting its words in a safe-for-work (and safe-for-wife) website called "The Smoking Jacket," a nod to Hugh Hefner's fashion sensibilities.

According to the placeholder page on The Smoking Jacket website:

"TheSmokingJacket.com is the safe-for-work website that brings you everything you love about men's entertainment and the Internet—minus the stuff that'll get you into hot water at the office!"

Aside from Carter, there have been several notable interviews in the magazine that has lent it legitimacy, most notably in the monthly Playboy interview feature:

Alex Haley of Roots fame conducted the first Playboy interview with jazz icon Miles Davis in 1962. Haley also conducted Playboy interviews with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono also participated in the Playboy interview in January 1981. The magazine was on racks at the time of Lennon's murder.

Another non-pictorial feature that seems likely to be a part of The Smoking Jacket will be another Playboy tradition—all-American teams for college football and basketball. One wonders if the move will make players such as Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel reconsider their stance on being selected.

In the end, the move to bring the content from behind the gas-station counter and "privacy mode" browsing sessions is a move to broaden the magazine's audience in an attempt to stem the recent red ink seen at the company.

Playboy has not announced a specific launch date for The Smoking Jacket, but is soliciting email addresses to be alerted to the launch.