The First Playboy Cartoon is on the market (auctioned off by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas the 12th of december 07). The first Playboy cartoon made in 1953 by Ben Denison measuring approximately 11″x 8-1/2″ estimated at 12-18.000 $.
We’re not trying to make any suggestions here, if not that Mr. Hugh. M. Hefner built a world-wide cultural phenomenon with Playboy 
magazine, and an integral part of the magazine’s success was due to its smart and sexy cartoon illustrations, originally hand-picked by Mr. Hefner himself. “Ben Denison’s was the very first cartoon commissioned and published by Hefner in the pages of Playboy #1, the December 1953 debut often dubbed the ‘Marilyn Monroe issue.’ This was the cartoon that set the stage for all that followed, and as such, it holds a hallowed place both in Playboy lore and cartoon history.” said Ed Jaster, Heritage Auctions Vice President. The gouache on illustration board illustration has an image area that measures approximately 11″ x 8-1/2″; the somewhat risqué, and yet charmingly innocent, punch line asks, “Jeannie – what’s the past tense of ‘virgin’?” So was set a winning formula for the editorial direction of Playboy!
So, by this post we’re not saying you should buy this picture for your men! But for art purposes! It looks beautiful, it has such history and it would be great on the wall of a very stylish home, don’t you think?
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