Playboy (Brazil) was the Brazilian edition of the American men's lifestyle magazine Playboy. It was a local franchise of Playboy magazine, established in 1975 by Editora Abril, and was only the fourth international version of the magazine, following editions in Germany, Italy, and France.
History
Due to the military dictatorship in Brazil and its censorship policies, the Ministry of Justice initially vetoed the use of the name "Playboy." Minister Armando Falcão stated that "no publication under the name Playboy in Brazil, no matter its content" would be permitted. To circumvent this, Editora Abril founder Victor Civita's son, Roberto Civita, submitted the first issue under the title A Revista do Homem ("Men's Magazine"), which was approved. The first issue of Homem reached newsstands in August 1975, and the magazine was only allowed to use the Playboy trademark name starting in 1978.
Content and Format
The Brazilian edition followed the general guidelines of the original U.S. magazine, featuring trademark sections such as the monthly interview, the "20 Questions" interview, and the centerfold pictorial ("Miss of the month"). It also had unique sections, including Coelhinhas (Bunnies), which featured unknown models photographed by freelance photographers, and Click, which showcased candid pictures of celebrities in revealing situations.
The Brazilian edition made heavier use of celebrities—particularly telenovela actresses and TV hostesses—compared to the U.S. version. This strategy was facilitated by the general perception of Playboy in Brazil as a tasteful medium for nude pictorials, as opposed to other adult magazines. The Brazilian version of the reality show Big Brother (produced by Globo TV) became a major source of models, with 13 female participants posing for the magazine between May 2002 and August 2007.
Record Holders and Best-Selling Issue
The record holders for most covers are actress and former model Luma de Oliveira and dancer Scheila Carvalho, each appearing on five covers. The best-selling issue was the December 1999 edition featuring Joana Prado ("Feiticeira") on the cover, which sold 1.25 million copies.
Publishers and Shutdown
The magazine was published by Editora Abril from 1975 to 2015. In 2015, after 40 years and 487 published editions, Abril ceased publication due to diminishing circulation and licensing costs. A new deal was made with PBB Entertainment, which relaunched the magazine in March 2016 and published ten print issues of irregular periodicity. In April 2018, PBB announced that future editions would be digital only, and in July 2018, it was confirmed that the Brazilian Playboy was shut down after PBB Entertainment ended its contract with PLBY Group.
