Author: nick

Jessica Alba
Alba in May 2016
Born	Jessica Marie Alba (1981-04-28) April 28, 1981 (age 43) Pomona, California, U.S.
Other names	Jessica Warren[1]
Occupations	Actress businesswoman
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Cash Warren ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	3

Jessica Marie Alba (/ˈælbə/ AL-bə; born April 28, 1981)^[2] is an American actress. She began her acting career at age 13 in Camp Nowhere (1994), followed up by The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 as the lead actress of the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.^[3][4][5]

Her big screen breakthrough came in Honey (2003). She soon established herself as a Hollywood actress, and has starred in numerous box office hits throughout her career, including Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Good Luck Chuck (2007), The Eye (2008), Valentine's Day (2010), Little Fockers (2010), and Mechanic: Resurrection (2016).^[6] She is a frequent collaborator with director Robert Rodriguez, having starred in Sin City (2005), Machete (2010), Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011), Machete Kills (2013), and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014). From 2019 to 2020, Alba starred in the Spectrum action crime series L.A.'s Finest.

In 2011, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells baby, personal and household products.^[7] A number of magazines, including Men's Health, Vanity Fair and FHM, have included Alba on their lists of the world's most beautiful women.

Early life[edit]

Jessica Marie Alba was born in Pomona, California^[8] on April 28, 1981, to Catherine Louisa (née Jensen) and Mark David Alba. Her mother has Danish, Welsh, German, English and French ancestry, while her paternal grandparents, who were born in California, were children of Mexican immigrants.^[9] She has a younger brother, Joshua. Her third cousin, once removed, is writer Gustavo Arellano.^[10] Her father's Air Force career took the family to Biloxi, Mississippi, and Del Rio, Texas, before they settled in Claremont, California when she was nine years old.^[4] Alba has described her family as "very conservative… a traditional, Catholic, Latin American family", and herself as very liberal; she says she identified as a "feminist" as early as age five.^[11]

Alba's early life was marked by a multitude of physical maladies. During childhood, she suffered from pneumonia four to five times a year and had partially collapsed lungs twice as well as a ruptured appendix and tonsillar cyst. She has also had asthma since she was a child.^[4] She became isolated from other children at school because she was hospitalized so often, no one knew her well enough to befriend her.^[12] She has said that her family's frequent moving also contributed to her isolation from her peers.^[11] She graduated from Claremont High School at age 16 and subsequently attended the Atlantic Theater Company.^[13]

Acting career[edit]

1992–1999: Beginnings[edit]

Alba expressed an interest in acting from age five. In 1992, the eleven year old Alba persuaded her mother to take her to an acting competition in Beverly Hills, where the grand prize was free acting classes. She won the grand prize, and took her first acting lessons. An agent signed her nine months later.^[4][14] Her first film appearance was a small role in the 1994 feature Camp Nowhere as Gail. She was originally hired for two weeks but her role turned into a two-month job when one of the prominent actresses dropped out.^[3]

Alba appeared in two national television commercials for Nintendo and J. C. Penney as a child. She was later featured in several independent films. She branched out into television in 1994 with a recurring role as the vain Jessica in three episodes of the Nickelodeon comedy series The Secret World of Alex Mack.^[15] She then performed the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the 1995 television series Flipper.^[3][15] Under the tutelage of her lifeguard mother, Alba learned to swim before she could walk, and was a PADI certified scuba diving skills which were put to use on the show, which was filmed in Australia.^[15][16]

In 1998, she appeared as Melissa Hauer in a first-season episode of the Steven Bochco crime drama Brooklyn South, as Leanne in two episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, and as Layla in an episode of Love Boat: The Next Wave.^[17] In 1999, she appeared in the Randy Quaid comedy feature P.U.N.K.S..^[3] After Alba graduated from high school, she studied acting with William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was developed by Macy and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and film director, David Mamet.^[14][18] Alba rose to greater prominence in Hollywood in 1999 after appearing as a member of a snobby high school clique tormenting an insecure copy editor in the romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, opposite Drew Barrymore, and as the female lead in the little seen comedy horror film Idle Hands, alongside Devon Sawa.^[6]

2000–2006: Worldwide recognition[edit]

Her big break came when James Cameron picked Alba from over 1000 candidates for the role of the genetically engineered super-soldier Max Guevara on the FOX sci-fi television series Dark Angel.^[19] The series ran for two seasons, until 2002, and earned Alba critical acclaim, a Golden Globe nomination, the Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress, and a Saturn Award for Best Actress.^[6][20] Her role has been cited as a feminist character and is considered a symbol of female empowerment. Writing for the University of Melbourne, Bronwen Auty considered Max "the archetypal modern feminist hero—a young woman empowered to use her body actively to achieve goals", citing Max's refusal to use firearms and instead using martial arts and knowledge as weapons.^[21] In 2004, Max was ranked #17 in TV Guide's list of "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends".^[22][23] Her Dark Angel role led to significant parts in films. She had her big screen breakthrough in 2003 when she starred as an aspiring dancer-choreographer in Honey.^[24] Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus was: "An attractive Jessica Alba and energetic dance numbers provide some lift to this corny and formulaic movie".^[25] Budgeted at US$18 million, the film made US$62.2 million.^[26]

Alba next played exotic dancer Nancy Callahan, as part of a long ensemble cast, in the neo-noir crime anthology film Sin City (2005), written, produced, and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. It is based on Miller's graphic novel of the same name.^[27] She had not heard about the novel prior to her involvement with the film, but was eager to work with Rodriguez.^[28] The film was a critical darling and grossed US$158.8 million. She received a MTV Movie Award for Sexiest Performance.^[29][30]

Alba portrayed the Marvel Comics character Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four (also 2005), alongside Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon.^[31] The Guardian, in its review for the film, noted: "Feminists and non-feminists alike must absorb the Fantastic Four's most troubling paradox: having been admitted to the story on the grounds of her beauty, [Alba's] superpower is to be invisible".^[32] The film was a commercial success despite negative reviews, grossing US$333.5 million worldwide. At the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, Alba earned nominations for Best Hero and Best On-Screen Team. Her last 2005 film was the thriller Into the Blue, where she portrayed, opposite Paul Walker, one half of a couple who find themselves in trouble with a drug lord after finding the illicit cargo of a sunken airplane. The film saw moderate box office returns, with a US$44.4 million worldwide gross.^[33] She hosted the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and performed sketches spoofing the movies King Kong, Mission: Impossible III and The Da Vinci Code.^[34]

2007–2010: Romantic comedies[edit]

Alba reprised her role in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, released in June 2007. According to Alba, Tim Story's direction during an emotional scene almost made her quit acting. "[He told me] 'It looks too real. It looks too painful. Can you be prettier when you cry? Cry pretty, Jessica.' He was like, 'Don't do that thing with your face. Just make it flat. We can CGI the tears in.'" According to Alba, this experience filled her with self-doubt: "And then it all got me thinking: Am I not good enough? Are my instincts and my emotions not good enough? Do people hate them so much that they don't want me to be a person? Am I not allowed to be a person in my work? And so I just said, 'Fuck it. I don't care about this business anymore.'"^[35] The film grossed US$290 million globally.^[36]

In Good Luck Chuck (also 2007), Alba portrayed the love interest of a womanizer dentist. She posed for one of the Good Luck Chuck's theatrical posters parodying the well-known Rolling Stone cover photographed by Annie Leibovitz featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono in similar poses. While the film was heavily panned by critics, it made almost US$60 million upon its release.^[37] Her third starring vehicle in 2007 was the psychological thriller Awake, portraying the girlfriend of a wealthy man who is about to have a heart transplant.^[38] Reviews were lukewarm, but Roger Ebert praised her performance,^[39] and budgeted at around US$8 million, the film made US$32.7 million.^[40]

In February 2008, she hosted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Science and Technical Awards.^[41] Alba made her acting transition to the horror genre in the film The Eye, a remake of the Hong Kong original, in which she obtained the role of a successful classical violinist who receives an eye transplant that allows her to see into the supernatural world.^[42] Though the film was not well received by critics,^[43] her performance itself received mixed reviews. She garnered a Teen Choice for Choice Movie Actress: Horror–Thriller^[44] and a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress (shared with The Love Guru).^[45] In 2008, she also played a salesgirl in the independent romantic comedy Meet Bill, alongside Logan Lerman and Elizabeth Banks, and starred in the comedy The Love Guru, as a woman who inherits the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, opposite Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake.^[46] Mick LaSalle, of the San Francisco Chronicle, noting that she was "prominently" in the film, felt that she "finally seems relaxed on camera".^[47] The Love Guru was a critical and commercial flop.^[48]

While Alba did not have any film release in 2009, five high-profile films released throughout 2010 featured her in significant roles. Her first role in the year was that of a prostitute in The Killer Inside Me, an adaptation of the book of the same name, opposite Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to polarized reactions from critics.^[49][50][51] Her next film was the romantic comedy Valentine's Day, in which she played the girlfriend of a florist as part of a long ensemble cast consisting of Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Taylor Lautner and Julia Roberts, among others. Despite negative reviews, the film was a commercial success, with a worldwide gross of US$216.5 million.^[52] In the action film Machete, Alba reunited with director Robert Rodriguez, taking on the role of an immigration officer torn between enforcing the law and doing what is popular in the eyes of her family. Machete made over US$44 million globally.^[53]

The drama An Invisible Sign of My Own, which Alba filmed in late 2008, premiered at the Hamptons Film Festival. In it, she portrayed a painfully withdrawn young woman.^[54][55][56] Her last 2010 film was the comedy Little Fockers, in which she played an extrovert drug representative, reuniting with Robert De Niro, who was also in Machete. Despite negative reviews from critics, the film grossed over US$310 million worldwide.^[57] For all her 2010 roles, she received a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.^[58]

2011–present: action and independent media productions[edit]

In 2011, Alba worked for the third time with Robert Rodriguez in the film Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, portraying a retired spy who is called back into action. To bond with her new stepchildren, she invites them along.^[59] The film paled at the box office in comparison to the previous films in the franchise, but was still a moderate success, taking in US$85 million around the globe.^[60] Alba next appeared with Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Jane Lynch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Catherine O'Hara in the comedy A.C.O.D. (2013), portraying what the Washington Post described as a "fellow child of divorce", with whom Scott's character "almost cheats on" her girlfriend.^[61] ScreenRant critic Ben Kendrick wrote: "[Winstead] and [Alba] also deliver in their contributions – though both of their characters are mainly designed to be mirrors for Carter to examine his own life and choices."^[62] A.C.O.D. received a limited theatrical run in North America.^[63] In 2013, Alba also made her voice acting debut in the moderately successful animated film Escape from Planet Earth.^[64]

Alba worked once again with director Rodriguez for two film sequels. She reprised her role of an Immigration Officer, in an uncredited cameo appearance, in Machete Kills (2013), which flopped with critics and audiences,^[65] and her much larger role of stripper Nancy Callahan, seeking to avenge her late protector, in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, which was released in August 2014, on 2D and 3D.^[66][67][68] Unlike the first film, A Dame to Kill For was a commercial failure, grossing US$39 million against its US$65 million production budget,^[69] and received mixed reviews from film critics. Variety felt it was a "late, limp attempt to turn Alba's character from an exploited figure into an empowered one".^[70] She next took on the roles of a cabaret show performer in the dramedy Dear Eleanor (2014), the athletic girlfriend of a successful and well-respected English professor in the romantic comedy Some Kind of Beautiful (2014), a receptionist at a limo company in the thriller Stretch (also 2014), an emotionally vulnerable weapons trafficker in the crime comedy Barely Lethal (2015), and that of a documentary filmmaker in the horror film The Veil (2016); all films were released for limited theatrical runs and VOD.^[71][72][73]

In the action film Mechanic: Resurrection (2016), alongside Jason Statham, Alba played the girlfriend of a retired hitman. She did Krav Maga to get into shape for the film,^[74] and was drawn to the strength her character exhibited, remarking: "I think for these types of movies you don't often get to see the female romantic lead kind of kick butt. I mean, it's usually she's being saved by the guy, and so it's nice that I got to come to the table with a toughness, and a real heart".^[75] The film made US$125.7 million worldwide.^[76]

She will star in and executive produce a new documentary series for Disney+ called Parenting Without Borders (working title) which will focus on families around the world and their beliefs and culture.^[77]

Other endeavors[edit]

The Honest Company[edit]

In January 2012, Alba and business partner Christopher Gavigan launched The Honest Company, selling a collection of household goods, diapers, and body care products.^[7] The company was successful, and was valued at US$1 billion as of 2014^[update].^[78]

In early 2013, Alba released her book, The Honest Life, based on her experiences creating a natural, non-toxic life for her family. The book became a New York Times Best Seller.^[79][80] In October 2015, Alba launched a collection of skin care and beauty products called Honest Beauty.^[81][82]

As of April 2022, Alba owned 6.5 percent of the company. She was employed as the company's chief creative officer, receiving an annually base salary of $700,000 and restricted stock valued $1,500,000.^[83] Alba stepped down as chief creative officer in April 2024.^[84]

Charity and activism[edit]

Alba posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election. The ads, photographed by Mark Liddell,^[85][86] feature Alba wrapped in and gagged with black tape, and drew national media attention.^[86] Alba said of doing the advertisements that "it didn't freak me out at all." Alba also said, "I think it is important for young people to be aware of the need we have in this country to get them more active politically...People respond to things that are shocking."^[86]

Alba endorsed and supported Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the 2008 primary season.^[87] She also endorsed Hillary Clinton's campaign for president.^[88]

In June 2009, while filming The Killer Inside Me in Oklahoma City, Alba was involved in a controversy with residents when she pasted posters of sharks around town.^[89] Alba said that she was trying to bring attention to the diminishing population of great white sharks. Media outlets speculated that Alba would be pursued and charged with vandalism.^[90] On June 16, 2009, Oklahoma City police said that they would not pursue criminal charges against Alba, because none of the property owners wanted to pursue it.^[91][92] Alba apologized in a statement to People magazine and said that she regretted her actions.^[91] She later donated an undisclosed amount of money (over US$500)^[93] to the United Way, whose billboard she had obscured with one of the shark posters.^{[94][95][96][97]}

In 2011, Alba participated in a two day lobbying effort in Washington D.C. in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, a revision of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.^[98][99] Alba returned to Capitol Hill in 2015 to lobby lawmakers as they once again debated a replacement for the 1976 Substances Control Act.^[100] She has also been a strong supporter of gay rights and on June 27, 2013, she expressed her delight with the Supreme Court's decision to strike down DOMA on her Twitter account. She tweeted "#equality #love".^[101]

Alba's charity work has included participation with Clothes Off Our Back, Habitat for Humanity, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Project HOME, RADD, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SOS Children's Villages, Soles4Souls, Step Up and Baby2Baby.^[102][103] Alba is an ambassador for the 1Goal movement to provide education to children in Africa.^[104] She has also served as a Baby2Baby "angel" ambassador, donating and helping to distribute items such as diapers and clothing to families in Los Angeles.^[105] In 2015, Alba and The Honest Company sponsored a laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The lab was announced to be a specialized room designed to keep out dust and particles, where a team of epidemiologists would research links between household chemicals and autism.^[106]

Public image[edit]

Posted on November 29, 2007January 7, 2008

Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster theme by michael_djn

Download: CookieMonster.p3t

(1 background)

Character from the television series Sesame Street

This article is about the Muppets and Sesame Street character. For other uses, see Cookie Monster (disambiguation).

"Om nom" redirects here. For the video game character, see Cut the Rope.

Fictional character

Cookie Monster
Sesame Street character
Cookie Monster singing his signature song "C Is For Cookie"
First appearance	1966; 58 years ago (1966): unaired Wheels, Crowns and Flutes commercials (as the Wheels-stealer)
Created by	Jim Henson
Performed by	Frank Oz (1969–2004) David Rudman (2001–present)
Birthday	November 2[1]
In-universe information
Full name	Sidney Monster
Alias	Alistair Cookie, Arnold, Wheel-Stealer
Species	Muppet Monster (Wheel-Stealer in 1966)
Gender	Male

Cookie Monster is a blue Muppet character on the PBS/HBO children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating catchphrases, such as "Me want cookie!" As his name suggests, his preferred food is cookies; though he eats almost anything, including inedible objects. Chocolate chip cookies are his favorite kind. His speech is often grammatically nonstandard; for example, he always uses "Me" to refer to himself in place of "I", "My", and "Mine".^[2] Despite his voracious appetite for cookies, Cookie Monster shows awareness of healthy eating habits for young children and also enjoys fruits and vegetables.

In a song in 2004, and later in an interview in 2017, Cookie Monster revealed his real name as "Sid,"^[3][4][5][6] though in the first season he was referred to as both "tiny" and "Harry."^[7] He is known to have a mother, a younger sister, and a cousin, identical in design, who does not like cookies. All three share his characteristic blue fur and "googly eyes". He also has a father, who appeared in a Monsterpiece Theater sketch promoting energy conservation, water conservation and environmentalism. Cookie Monster's mother and father both share his enormous appetite and craving for cookies.

Origin[edit]

The book Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles explains Cookie Monster's origin as follows: "In 1966, Henson drew three monsters that ate cookies and appeared in a General Foods commercial^[8] that featured three crunchy snack foods: Wheels, Crowns and Flutes. Each snack was represented by a different monster. The Wheel-Stealer was a short, fuzzy monster with wonky eyes and sharply pointed teeth. The Flute-Snatcher was a speed demon with a long, sharp nose and windblown hair. The Crown-Grabber was a hulk of a monster with a Boris Karloff accent and teeth that resembled giant knitting needles."^[9]

"These monsters had insatiable appetites for the snack foods they were named after. Each time the Muppet narrator, a human-looking fellow, fixes himself a tray of Wheels, Flutes and Crowns, they disappear before he can eat them. One by one, the monsters sneak in and zoom away with the snacks. Frustrated and peckish, the narrator warns viewers that these pesky monsters could be disguised as someone in your own home, at which point the monsters briefly turn into people and then dissolve back to monsters again."^[9]

As it turns out, these commercials were never aired — but all three monsters had a future in the Muppet cast. The "Crown-Grabber" was used in a sketch on The Ed Sullivan Show, in which he ruins a girl's beautiful day. Known from then on as the Beautiful Day Monster, he made a number of appearances on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. The "Flute-Snatcher" turned into Snake Frackle, a background monster from The Great Santa Claus Switch and The Muppet Show.^{[citation needed]}

In 1967, Henson used the "Wheel-Stealer" puppet for an IBM training film, Coffee Break Machine. In the sketch, "The Computer Dinner", the monster (with frightening eyes and fangs) devours a complex coffee-making machine as it describes its different parts. When he is finished, the machine announces the monster has activated the machine's anti-vandalism system, which contains the most powerful explosives known to man. The monster promptly explodes. This sketch was also performed in October 1967 on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was also later performed on the George Burns episode of The Muppet Show using the Luncheon Counter Monster.^{[citation needed]}

Two years later, Henson used a similarly-designed and equally hungry monster for three commercials selling Munchos, a Frito-Lay potato snack. This time, the puppet was named Arnold, the Munching Monster. After the three ads were produced, Henson had the opportunity to renew the contract. He chose not to, because at that point he was working on Sesame Street — and that monster puppet was moving on to the next stage in his career.^{[citation needed]} According to Frank Oz, in a later routine the then unnamed monster won a quiz show and for winning was "given the choice of $10,000 cash, a new car, a trip to Hawaii, or a cookie." He took the cookie and from then on he was Cookie Monster.^[10]

Cookie Monster, still unnamed, made his Sesame Street debut in the first episode, interfering with Kermit the Frog's "famous W lecture" by eating a model "W" bit by bit. He turns it into an "N", a "V", and finally an "I", to Kermit's frustration. He then tries to eat Kermit.^{[citation needed]}

It was during the first season that Cookie Monster got his name and began using the growly vernacular (e.g., "Me eat cookie!") that would become part of his character. His signature song, "C Is For Cookie", was first aired during the 1971–72 season, and it became one of the best-known songs from Sesame Street.^{[citation needed]}

Cookies and nutrition[edit]

Over the years, different approaches to the cookies have been tried. The cookies must be thin and soft so they shatter satisfactorily, preferably into many pieces.^[11] They must also not make a mess on the expensive puppet.^[11] The ones made of rice crackers crumbled well, but the crumbs tended to stick to Cookie Monster's fur.^[11] Artificial foam cookies did not look like cookies when they broke apart.^[11] In 2000, Lara MacLean developed a fat-free cookie recipe with no added sugar.^[11] The main ingredients are dry pancake mix, puffed rice, Grape-Nuts cereal, and instant coffee (for color), mixed together with water and decorated with brown hot glue (to look like chocolate chips or raisins).^[11] The glue is inedible, and the edible parts of the cookie do not have an appealing flavor.^[11]

In 2005, in response to growing concerns about record levels of childhood obesity in the United States, Sesame Street began airing segments titled Healthy Habits for Life. In these segments, the Muppet characters of Sesame Street talk about healthy habits, such as eating properly and exercising. The Healthy Habits for Life segments spawned Internet rumors that Cookie Monster's name had been changed to Veggie Monster or would be taken off the show entirely.^[12][13] Since then, Cookie Monster has eaten not only cookies (and the plate they are served on) but also fruits and vegetables.^[11] There is a small hole in the puppet's mouth, so that something like an apple or banana can be "swallowed" by the puppet.^[11]

In a 2007 appearance on Martha Stewart's TV program, Cookie Monster explained his new philosophy that "Cookies are a sometimes food."^[14]

On February 10, 2008, NPR host Elizabeth Blair interviewed Cookie Monster for the All Things Considered segment In Character. He answered the Proust Questionnaire, as well as revealing some of his favorite and non-favorite things.^[12][15]

In a June 19, 2008, appearance on The Colbert Report, Cookie Monster again explained that "Cookies are a sometimes food." Colbert had asked agitatedly why Cookie Monster had "abandoned the pro-cookie agenda" and thus caused fruit to become the favorite snack of American children, according to a study Colbert had heard. Colbert criticized Cookie Monster for not wearing a cookie lapel pin. Cookie Monster also claimed to have "crazy times during the '70s and '80s", referring to himself as "the Robert Downey Jr. of cookies." After eating a cookie to prove he still likes cookies, Cookie Monster asked if the Peabody Award, a round medallion on a small pedestal, was a cookie.^[16] When Colbert returned to speak to Cookie Monster at the end of the show, the award had disappeared and Cookie Monster was wiping his mouth with a napkin.^[16]

On November 24, 2010, Cookie Monster started a Facebook page as part of a campaign to host Saturday Night Live.^[17] Though his bid to host Saturday Night Live failed, he was allowed to appear with Jeff Bridges when Jeff hosted the show and sang the Christmas song "Silver Bells".^[18]

Casting history[edit]

Main performers

• Frank Oz – From 1969 to 2001; occasionally until 2004
• David Rudman – From 2001 to present

Rudman officially became Cookie Monster's performer in Sesame Street's 2002 season (taped 2001). Oz continued to occasionally perform Cookie Monster until 2004.^[19]

Merchandise[edit]

Various toys and other icons of the Cookie Monster have been produced over the years. The most obvious is a cookie jar, of which numerous types have been available.

Numerous children's books featuring Cookie Monster have been published over the years:

• Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster
• Cookie Monster's Kitchen
• Cookie Monster's Christmas
• A Cookie Gone Wrong - Monster's Story
• Biggest Cookie in the World
• Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree
• Cookie Monster's Good Time to Eat
• Cookie Monster's Blue Book
• Cookie Monster, Where are You?
• Cookie Monster!
• Cookie Monster's Activity Book
• Cookie Monster Mammoth Color
• Cookie Monster's Book of Cookie Shapes
• Monster and the Surprise Cookie
• Sesame Street: Wanted, the Great Cookie Thief

Cultural references[edit]

Familiar to generations of Sesame Street watchers, Cookie Monster is remembered for his gluttony and his deep, rumbly distinctive voice.

Immoderation[edit]

In 1990 U.S. Budget Director Richard Darman wrote an introduction to the federal budget with a section "Green Eyeshades and the Cookie Monster" in which he called Cookie "the quintessential consumer", and the enormous budget "the Ultimate Cookie Monster."

As all monsters are, Cookie Monster is initially intimidating. His manner is gruff. His clumsiness occasionally causes damage. But quickly, Cookie Monster comes to be seen as benign—indeed, downright friendly. He has a few bad habits. He cannot resist gobbling up anything and everything that might be consumed, especially cookies. And he cannot quite control the way he spews forth crumbs. He is the quintessential consumer... The budget, for all its intimidating detail, might be seen similarly: as the Ultimate Cookie Monster. ... Its massive presence might be understood as little more than a compilation of cookies received, cookies crumbled, and crumbs spewed forth. Yet, apt though the Cookie Monster perspective may be, it does not suffice...

— U.S. Budget Director Richard Darman, unpublished version of the introduction to President Bush's 1991 Federal budget^[20][21]

In the Food Network program Good Eats episode "Three Chips for Sister Marsha" (first aired December 13, 2000), a puppet named Maj. Wilfred D. Cookie who looks like a green version of Cookie Monster appears. Asked about his well-known "brother", he responds, "I told you never to mention that ruffian. All he knows about cookies is how to shovel them into his face."^[22] In the Fox animated series Family Guy episode "Model Misbehavior", Cookie Monster is shown in a psychiatric hospital, repeatedly foiling drug rehab-styled efforts to cure his cookie addiction.^[23]

In the Sesame Street parody Avenue Q, the character of Trekkie Monster is loosely based on Cookie Monster, sharing his speech pattern and addictive personality.

We wanted his name to indicate that he was obsessed, like Cookie Monster is obsessed with cookies. So we used "Trekkie" both because it sounded like "cookie" and because Trekkies are, by definition, obsessive fanatics.

— Jeff Marx, Avenue Q composer and lyricist^[24]

Music[edit]

The guttural singing style in death metal bands is commonly (if facetiously) compared to Cookie Monster's low-pitched, gravelly voice.^[25]

John Lennon's song "Hold On", recorded in 1970 (only a year after Sesame Street debuted), features Lennon shouting "Cookie!" in Cookie Monster's voice, in the middle of the instrumental break in an otherwise calm, quiet song. Ringo Starr, aware of Lennon's love for Cookie Monster, also screams "Cookie!" in Cookie Monster's voice in his song "Early 1970", released in 1971.

Entertainment[edit]

In the Family Guy episode "Back to the Pilot", due to alterations in the past, Stewie thinks Cookie Monster could have invented Facebook; in this timeline, he would have called it "Cookiebook".^[26] In The Empire Strikes Back spoof "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side", Cookie Monster is cast as the Wampa.^[27]

In another sci-fi related takeoff, the Star Wars spoof Hardware Wars features "Chewchilla the Wookiee Monster" in the role of Chewbacca.^[28]

Cookie Monster also appears in Mad, first in "Mouse M.D", a parody of House M.D., then as the main character in "Cookie Blue", a parody of Rookie Blue.^{[citation needed]}

Apple[edit]

When the Apple personal assistant Siri is asked the question, "what is zero divided by zero", Siri responds with the answer: "Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn’t make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad that you have no friends."^[29][30]

On March 16, 2016, Apple released an ad titled "Timer" starring Cookie Monster, where he uses the "Hey Siri" feature in the iPhone 6S to set a timer and play an album while he waits for cookies to bake.^[31]

Other[edit]

A popular internet parody of The Great Wave off Kanagawa, titled "Sea is for Cookie", was created for a Reddit Adobe Photoshop competition. The piece features the wave with googly eyes and cookies in the crest, resembling Cookie Monster eating cookies.^[32]

See also[edit]

• Cookie Monster Munch
• C Is For Cookie
• Cookie Monster vocals

References[edit]

This article incorporates Creative Commons license CC-BY SA 3.0 text from the Muppet Wiki article "Cookie Monster".

1. ^ @sesamestreet (November 2, 2015). "https://twitter.com/sesamestreet/status/661209890292109321" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
2. ^ "CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES w/ COOKIE MONSTER! - NERDY NUMMIES". YouTube. 1 November 2016. Event occurs at 0:47. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. We're gonna be making my favorite chocolate chip cookie. That me favorite too! Chocolate chip cookie.
3. ^ "Cookie Monster curbs cookie habit". BBC News. 2005-04-11. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
4. ^ Sesame Street - "The First Time Me Eat Cookie". May 4, 2007. Event occurs at 0:30. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Me was just a mild-mannered little kid. In fact, back then, me think me name was Sid. Yeah, yeah.
5. ^ "Cookie Monster: Me wasn't ..." Sesame Street (sesamestreet) on Twitter. 10 August 2010. Me wasn't born with name "Cookie Monster." It just nickname dat stuck. Me don't remember me real name… maybe it was Sidney?
6. ^ "The Cast of 'Sesame Street' Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions". WIRED Autocomplete interview. 22 February 2017. Event occurs at 7:22. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Is Cookie Monster's real name Sid? Yeah, truly it is. Me real name Sid Monster.
7. ^ Roe, Ryan (2022-10-17). "Cookie Monster Said His "Real Name" Is Sid, But Don't Get Too Worked Up About It". ToughPigs. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
8. ^ Jim Henson's 1966 test commercial for General Foods Canada snack products Wheels, Flutes and Crowns on the Jim Henson Company's YouTube official channel.
9. ^ ^{a b} Inches, Allison (February 2001). Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook. New York City: Harry N. Abrams. p. 93. ISBN 9780810932401.
10. ^ "Not My Job: We Quiz Frank Oz On L. Frank Baum, Author Of 'Wizard Of Oz'". NPR.
11. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Deb, Sopan (2023-11-27). "Nom Nom Nom. What's the Deal With Cookie Monster's Cookies?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
12. ^ ^{a b} Blair, Elizabeth (2008-02-11). "Cookie Monster: A Sweet, Sensual Id, Unfiltered". All Things Considered: In Character. NPR. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
13. ^ Carter, Chelsea J (2005-04-07). "Cookie Monster: 'Me eat less cookies'". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
14. ^ Adamick, Mike (November 20, 2007). "Why is Cookie Monster eating carrots?". SF Gate (blog).
15. ^ Graham, Trey (2008-02-11). "On Air: Cookie Monster". The 'In Character' Blog. NPR. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
16. ^ ^{a b} Cookie Monster (2008-06-19). "Cookie Monster". The Colbert Report (Interview: video). Interviewed by Stephen Colbert. Comedy Central. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
17. ^ "Cookie Monster auditions to be 'SNL' host – The Marquee Blog". CNN. 2010-11-24.
18. ^ "'SNL' Clip of Jeff Bridges Dueting With Cookie Monster Becomes Viral Video Hit". The Hollywood Reporter. 2010-12-19.
19. ^
    Posted on November 28, 2007

    Playboy #3

    Playboy theme by 1_BAD_SOLDIER

    Download: Playboy_3.p3t

    
    (1 background)
    

    American lifestyle and entertainment magazine

    This article is about the magazine. For the lifestyle that inspired the magazine's name, see Playboy lifestyle. For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation).

    Playboy

    CEO	Ben Kohn
    Categories	Men's magazines
    Frequency	Monthly (1953–2016) Bimonthly (2017–2018) Quarterly (2019–2020) Online (since 2020)
    Publisher	PLBY Group
    Total circulation (2017)	400,000[1]
    Founder	Hugh Hefner
    Founded	1953[2]
    First issue	December 1, 1953
    Final issue	March 17, 2020 (print)
    Country	United States
    Based in	Beverly Hills, California
    Language	English
    Website	Official website
    ISSN	0032-1478

    Playboy (stylized in all caps) is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.^[3]

    Known for its centerfolds of nude and semi-nude^[4] models (Playmates), Playboy played an important role in the sexual revolution^[5] and remains one of the world's best-known brands, with a presence in nearly every medium.^[6] In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide, including those by licensees, such as Dirk Steenekamp's DHS Media Group.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

    The magazine has a long history of publishing short stories by novelists such as Arthur C. Clarke,^[12] Ian Fleming,^[12] Vladimir Nabokov,^[13] Saul Bellow, Chuck Palahniuk, P. G. Wodehouse,^[12] Roald Dahl,^[14] Haruki Murakami, and Margaret Atwood.^[12] With a regular display of full-page color cartoons, it became a showcase for cartoonists such as Jack Cole,^[15] Eldon Dedini,^[16] Jules Feiffer,^[17] Harvey Kurtzman, Shel Silverstein,^[18] Doug Sneyd, Erich Sokol,^[12] Roy Raymonde,^[19] Gahan Wilson, and Rowland B. Wilson.^[20] Art Paul designed the bunny logo. Leroy Neiman drew the Femlin characters for Playboy jokes. Patrick Nagel painted the headers for Playboy Forum and other sections.

    Playboy features monthly interviews of public figures, such as artists, architects, economists, composers, conductors, film directors, journalists, novelists, playwrights, religious figures, politicians, athletes, and race car drivers. The magazine generally reflects a liberal editorial stance, although it often interviews conservative celebrities.^[21]

    After a year-long removal of most nude photos in Playboy magazine, the March–April 2017 issue brought back nudity.^[22]

    Publication history[edit]

    1950s[edit]

    By spring 1953, Hugh Hefner—a 1949 University of Illinois psychology graduate who had worked in Chicago for Esquire magazine writing promotional copy; Publisher's Development Corporation in sales and marketing; and Children's Activities magazine as circulation promotions manager^[23]—had planned out the elements of his own magazine, that he would call Stag Party.^[24] He formed HMH Publishing Corporation, and recruited his friend Eldon Sellers to find investors.^[24] Hefner eventually raised just over $8,000, including from his brother and mother.^[25] However, the publisher of an unrelated men's adventure magazine, Stag, contacted Hefner and informed him it would file suit to protect their trademark if he were to launch his magazine with that name.^[23][26] Hefner, his wife Millie, and Sellers met to seek a new name, considering "Top Hat", "Gentleman", "Sir'", "Satyr", "Pan" and "Bachelor" before Sellers suggested "Playboy".^[26][27]

    The first issue, in December 1953, was undated, as Hefner was unsure there would be a second. He produced it in his Hyde Park kitchen. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used originally was taken for a calendar rather than for Playboy.^[28] Hefner chose what he deemed the "sexiest" image, a previously unused nude study of Monroe stretched with an upraised arm on a red velvet background with closed eyes and mouth open.^[29] The heavy promotion centered on Monroe's nudity on the already-famous calendar, together with the teasers in marketing, made the new Playboy magazine a success.^[30][31] The first issue sold out in weeks. Known circulation was 53,991.^[32] The cover price was 50¢. Copies of the first issue in mint to near-mint condition sold for over $5,000 in 2002.^[33]

    The novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, was published in 1953 and serialized in the March, April and May 1954 issues of Playboy.^[34]

    An urban legend started about Hefner and the Playmate of the Month because of markings on the front covers of the magazine. From 1955 to 1979 (except for a six-month gap in 1976), the "P" in Playboy had stars printed in or around the letter. Urban legend stated that this was either a rating that Hefner gave to the Playmate according to how attractive she was, the number of times that Hefner had slept with her, or how good she was in bed. In truth, stars, between zero and 12, indicated the domestic or international advertising region for that printing.^[35]

    1960s–1990s[edit]

    

    In the 1960s, the magazine added "The Playboy Philosophy" column. Early topics included gay rights,^[36] women's rights, censorship, and the First Amendment.^[36] Playboy was an early proponent of cannabis reform and provided founding support to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in 1970.^[37]

    From 1966 to 1976, Robie Macauley was the fiction editor at Playboy. During this period the magazine published fiction by Saul Bellow, Seán Ó Faoláin, John Updike, James Dickey, John Cheever, Doris Lessing, Joyce Carol Oates, Vladimir Nabokov, Michael Crichton, John le Carré, Irwin Shaw, Jean Shepherd, Arthur Koestler, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Bernard Malamud, John Irving, Anne Sexton, Nadine Gordimer, Kurt Vonnegut and J. P. Donleavy, as well as poetry by Yevgeny Yevtushenko.^[38]

    In 1968, at the feminist Miss America protest, symbolically feminine products were thrown into a "Freedom Trash Can". These included copies of Playboy and Cosmopolitan magazines.^[39] One of the key pamphlets produced by the protesters was "No More Miss America!", by Robin Morgan, which listed 10 characteristics of the Miss America pageant that the authors believed degraded women;^[40] it compared the pageant to Playboy's centerfold as sisters under the skin, describing this as "The Unbeatable Madonna–Whore Combination".^[41]

    Macauley contributed all of the popular Ribald Classics series published between January 1978 and March 1984.^{[citation needed]}

    After reaching its peak in the 1970s, Playboy saw a decline in circulation and cultural relevance due to competition in the field it founded—first from Penthouse, then from Oui (which was published as a spin-off of Playboy) and Gallery in the 1970s; later from pornographic videos; and more recently from lad mags such as Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. In response, Playboy attempted to re-assert its hold on the 18–35-year-old male demographic through slight changes to content and focusing on issues and personalities more appropriate to its audience—such as hip-hop artists being featured in the "Playboy Interview".^[42] In February 1974, Ratna Assan became the first women of Indonesian descent to be featured, shortly after a positively received role in the film Papillon (1973).^[43]

    Christie Hefner, daughter of founder Hugh Hefner, joined Playboy in 1975 and became head of the company in 1988. She announced in December 2008 that she would be stepping down from leading the company, effective in January 2009, and said that the election of Barack Obama as the next President had inspired her to give more time to charitable work, and that the decision to step down was her own. "Just as this country is embracing change in the form of new leadership, I have decided that now is the time to make changes in my own life as well", she said.^[44] Hefner was succeeded by company director and media veteran Jerome H. Kern as interim CEO, who was in turn succeeded by publisher Scott Flanders.^[45][46]

    2000–present[edit]

    The magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary with the January 2004 issue. Celebrations were held at Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, and Moscow during the year to commemorate this event. Playboy also launched limited-edition products designed by fashion houses such as Versace, Vivienne Westwood and Sean John. As a homage to the magazine's 50th anniversary, MAC Cosmetics released two limited-edition products, namely a lipstick and a glitter cream.^[47]

    The printed magazine ran several annual features and ratings. One of the most popular was its annual ranking of the top "party schools" among all U.S. universities and colleges. In 2009, the magazine used five criteria: bikini, brains, campus, sex and sports in the development of its list. The top-ranked party school by Playboy for 2009 was the University of Miami.^[48]

    In June 2009, the magazine reduced its publication schedule to 11 issues per year, with a combined July/August issue. On August 11, 2009, London's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Hugh Hefner had sold his English manor house (next door to the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles) for $18 m ($10 m less than the reported asking price) to another American, Daren Metropoulos, the President and co-owner of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and that due to significant losses in the company's value (down from $1 billion in 2000 to $84 million in 2009), the Playboy publishing empire was for sale for $300 million.^[49] In December 2009, the publication schedule was reduced to 10 issues per year, with a combined January/February issue.

    On July 12, 2010, Playboy Enterprises Inc. announced Hefner's $5.50 per share offer ($122.5 million based on shares outstanding on April 30 and the closing price on July 9) to buy the portion of the company he did not already own and take the company private with the help of Rizvi Traverse Management LLC. The company derived much of its income from licensing, rather than from the magazine.^[50] On July 15, Penthouse owner FriendFinder Networks Inc. offered $210 million (the company is valued at $185 million), though Hefner, who already owned 70 percent of voting stock, did not want to sell.^[51] In January 2011, the publisher of Playboy magazine agreed to an offer by Hefner to take the company private for $6.15 per share, an 18 percent premium over the price of the last previous day of trading.^[52] The buyout was completed in March 2011.^[53]

    2016–2018 changes and brief ending of full-frontal nudity[edit]

    This is what I always intended Playboy Magazine to look like.

    — Hugh Hefner, when asked about ending nudity in Playboy^[54]

    In October 2015, Playboy announced the magazine would no longer feature full-frontal nudity beginning with the March 2016 issue.^[55] Company CEO Scott Flanders acknowledged the magazine's inability to compete with freely available internet pornography and nudity; according to him, "You're now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it's just passé at this juncture".^[56] Hefner agreed with the decision.^[57] The redesigned Playboy, however, would still feature a Playmate of the Month and pictures of women, but they would be rated as not appropriate for children under 13.^[57] The move would not affect PlayboyPlus.com (which features nudity at a paid subscription).^[58] Josh Horwitz of Quartz argued that the motivation for the decision to remove nudity from the magazine was to give Playboy Licensing a less inappropriate image in India and China, where the brand is a popular item on apparel and thus generates significant revenue.^[59]

    Among other changes to the magazine included ending the popular jokes section and the various cartoons that appeared throughout the magazine. The redesign eliminated the use of jump copy (articles continuing on non-consecutive pages), which in turn eliminated most of the space for cartoons.^[60] Hefner, himself a former cartoonist, reportedly resisted dropping the cartoons more than the nudity, but ultimately obliged. Playboy's plans were to market itself as a competitor to Vanity Fair, as opposed to more traditional competitors GQ and Maxim.^[54]

    Playboy announced in February 2017, however, that the dropping of nudity had been a mistake and furthermore, for its March/April issue, reestablished some of its franchises, including the Playboy Philosophy and Party Jokes, but dropped the subtitle "Entertainment for Men", inasmuch as gender roles have evolved. The announcement was made by the company's chief creative officer on Twitter with the hashtag #NakedIsNormal.^[61]

    In early 2018, and according to Jim Puzzanghera of the Los Angeles Times, Playboy was reportedly "considering killing the print magazine", as the publication "has lost as much as $7 million annually in recent years".^[62] However, in the July/August 2018 issue a reader asked if the print magazine would discontinue, and Playboy responded that it was not going anywhere.

    Following Hefner's death, and his family's financial stake in the company, the magazine changed direction. In 2019, Playboy was relaunched as a quarterly publication without adverts. Topics covered included an interview with Tarana Burke, a profile of Pete Buttigieg, coverage of BDSM and a cover photo representing gender and sexual fluidity.^[1]

    Online-only[edit]

    In March 2020, Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy Enterprises, announced that the spring 2020 issue would be the last regularly scheduled printed issue and that the magazine would now publish its content online. The decision to close the print edition was attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic which interfered with distribution of the magazine.^[63]

    Publicly traded[edit]

    In autumn 2020, Playboy announced a reverse merger deal with Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp.—a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). In February 2021, the stock of a combined company, PLBY Group, began trading on the Nasdaq exchange as "PLBY".^[64][65]

    Circulation history and statistics[edit]

    In 1971, Playboy had a circulation rate base of seven million, which was its high point.^[66] The best-selling individual issue was the November 1972 edition, which sold 7,161,561 copies. One-quarter of all American college men were buying or subscribing to the magazine every month.^[67] On the cover was model Pam Rawlings, photographed by Rowland Scherman. Perhaps coincidentally, a cropped image of the issue's centerfold (which featured Lena Söderberg) became a de facto standard image for testing image processing algorithms. It is known simply as the "Lenna" (also "Lena") image in that field.^[68] In 1972, Playboy was the ninth highest circulation magazine in the United States.^[69]

    The 1975 average circulation was 5.6 million; by 1981 it was 5.2 million, and by 1982 down to 4.9 million.^[66] Its decline continued in later decades, and reached about 800,000 copies per issue in late 2015,^[56] and 400,000 copies by December 2017.^[70]

    In 1970, Playboy became the first gentleman's magazine to be printed in braille.^[71] It is also one of the few magazines whose microfilm format was in color, not black and white.^[72]

    Features and format[edit]

    Rabbit logo[edit]

    

    Playboy's enduring mascot, a stylized silhouette of a rabbit wearing a tuxedo bow tie, was created by Playboy art director Art Paul for the second issue as an endnote, but was adopted as the official logo and has appeared ever since.^[73][74] A running joke in the magazine involves hiding the logo somewhere in the cover art or photograph. Hefner said he chose the rabbit for its "humorous sexual connotation", and because the image was "frisky and playful". In an interview Hefner explained his choice of a rabbit as Playboy's logo to the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci:

    The rabbit, the bunny, in America has a sexual meaning; and I chose it because it's a fresh animal, shy, vivacious, jumping - sexy. First it smells you then it escapes, then it comes back, and you feel like caressing it, playing with it. A girl resembles a bunny. Joyful, joking. Consider the girl we made popular: the Playmate of the Month. She is never sophisticated, a girl you cannot really have. She is a young, healthy, simple girl - the girl next door ... we are not interested in the mysterious, difficult woman, the femme fatale, who wears elegant underwear, with lace, and she is sad, and somehow mentally filthy. The Playboy girl has no lace, no underwear, she is naked, well washed with soap and water, and she is happy.^[75]

    

    The jaunty rabbit quickly became a popular symbol of extroverted male culture, becoming a lucrative source of merchandizing revenue for the company.^[76] In the 1950s, it was adopted as the military aircraft insignia for the Navy's VX-4 fighter-evaluation squadron.

    The Playboy Interview[edit]

    Besides its centerfold, a major part of Playboy for much of its existence has been the Playboy Interview, an extensive (usually several-thousand-word) discussion between a publicly known individual and an interviewer. Writer Alex Haley served as a Playboy interviewer on a few occasions; one of his interviews was with Martin Luther King Jr.; he also interviewed Malcolm X and American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell.^[77] The magazine interviewed then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter in the November 1976 issue, in which he stated "I've committed adultery in my heart many times."^[78][79] David Sheff's interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared in the January 1981 issue, which was on newsstands at the time of Lennon's murder; the interview was later published in book format.

    Another interview-type section, entitled "20Q" (a play on the game of Twenty Questions), was added in October 1978. Cheryl Tiegs was the first interviewee for the section.^[80]

    Rock the Rabbit[edit]

    "Rock the Rabbit" was an annual music news and pictorial feature published in the March edition.^[81] The pictorial featured images of rock bands photographed by music photographer Mick Rock. Fashion designers participated in the Rock the Rabbit event by designing T-shirts inspired by Playboy's rabbit head logo for each band. The shirts were sold at Playboy's retailers and auctioned off to raise money for AIDS research and treatment at LIFEbeat: The Music Industry Fights AIDS.^[81] Bands who were featured include: MGMT, Daft Punk, Iggy Pop, Duran Duran, Flaming Lips, Snow Patrol, and The Killers.^[82]

    Photographers[edit]

    The photographers who have contributed to Playboy include Ken Marcus,^[83] Richard Fegley,^[84] Arny Freytag,^[85] Ron Harris,^[86] Tom Kelley,^[83] David Mecey,^[87] Russ Meyer,^[88] Pompeo Posar,^[89] Suze Randall,^[90] Herb Ritts,^[91] Stephen Wayda,^[91][92] Sam Wu,^[93] Mario Casilli,^[94] Ana Dias,^[95] Ellen von Unwerth,^[96] Annie Leibovitz,^[91] Helmut Newton,^[91] and Bunny Yeager.^[97]

    Celebrities[edit]

    For a full listing, see List of people in Playboy 1953–1959, 1960–1969, 1970–1979, 1980–1989, 1990–1999,

    Posted on November 28, 2007January 13, 2008

    Call of Duty 4 #6

    Call of Duty 4 theme by Draicus

    Download: CallofDuty4_6.p3t

    
    (3 HD backgrounds, no SD backgrounds)
    

    Redirect to:

    • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Playboy

CEO	Ben Kohn
Categories	Men's magazines
Frequency	Monthly (1953–2016) Bimonthly (2017–2018) Quarterly (2019–2020) Online (since 2020)
Publisher	PLBY Group
Total circulation (2017)	400,000[1]
Founder	Hugh Hefner
Founded	1953[2]
First issue	December 1, 1953
Final issue	March 17, 2020 (print)
Country	United States
Based in	Beverly Hills, California
Language	English
Website	Official website
ISSN	0032-1478

Playboy (stylized in all caps) is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.^[3]

Known for its centerfolds of nude and semi-nude^[4] models (Playmates), Playboy played an important role in the sexual revolution^[5] and remains one of the world's best-known brands, with a presence in nearly every medium.^[6] In addition to the flagship magazine in the United States, special nation-specific versions of Playboy are published worldwide, including those by licensees, such as Dirk Steenekamp's DHS Media Group.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

The magazine has a long history of publishing short stories by novelists such as Arthur C. Clarke,^[12] Ian Fleming,^[12] Vladimir Nabokov,^[13] Saul Bellow, Chuck Palahniuk, P. G. Wodehouse,^[12] Roald Dahl,^[14] Haruki Murakami, and Margaret Atwood.^[12] With a regular display of full-page color cartoons, it became a showcase for cartoonists such as Jack Cole,^[15] Eldon Dedini,^[16] Jules Feiffer,^[17] Harvey Kurtzman, Shel Silverstein,^[18] Doug Sneyd, Erich Sokol,^[12] Roy Raymonde,^[19] Gahan Wilson, and Rowland B. Wilson.^[20] Art Paul designed the bunny logo. Leroy Neiman drew the Femlin characters for Playboy jokes. Patrick Nagel painted the headers for Playboy Forum and other sections.

Playboy features monthly interviews of public figures, such as artists, architects, economists, composers, conductors, film directors, journalists, novelists, playwrights, religious figures, politicians, athletes, and race car drivers. The magazine generally reflects a liberal editorial stance, although it often interviews conservative celebrities.^[21]

After a year-long removal of most nude photos in Playboy magazine, the March–April 2017 issue brought back nudity.^[22]

Publication history[edit]

1950s[edit]

By spring 1953, Hugh Hefner—a 1949 University of Illinois psychology graduate who had worked in Chicago for Esquire magazine writing promotional copy; Publisher's Development Corporation in sales and marketing; and Children's Activities magazine as circulation promotions manager^[23]—had planned out the elements of his own magazine, that he would call Stag Party.^[24] He formed HMH Publishing Corporation, and recruited his friend Eldon Sellers to find investors.^[24] Hefner eventually raised just over $8,000, including from his brother and mother.^[25] However, the publisher of an unrelated men's adventure magazine, Stag, contacted Hefner and informed him it would file suit to protect their trademark if he were to launch his magazine with that name.^[23][26] Hefner, his wife Millie, and Sellers met to seek a new name, considering "Top Hat", "Gentleman", "Sir'", "Satyr", "Pan" and "Bachelor" before Sellers suggested "Playboy".^[26][27]

The first issue, in December 1953, was undated, as Hefner was unsure there would be a second. He produced it in his Hyde Park kitchen. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used originally was taken for a calendar rather than for Playboy.^[28] Hefner chose what he deemed the "sexiest" image, a previously unused nude study of Monroe stretched with an upraised arm on a red velvet background with closed eyes and mouth open.^[29] The heavy promotion centered on Monroe's nudity on the already-famous calendar, together with the teasers in marketing, made the new Playboy magazine a success.^[30][31] The first issue sold out in weeks. Known circulation was 53,991.^[32] The cover price was 50¢. Copies of the first issue in mint to near-mint condition sold for over $5,000 in 2002.^[33]

The novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, was published in 1953 and serialized in the March, April and May 1954 issues of Playboy.^[34]

An urban legend started about Hefner and the Playmate of the Month because of markings on the front covers of the magazine. From 1955 to 1979 (except for a six-month gap in 1976), the "P" in Playboy had stars printed in or around the letter. Urban legend stated that this was either a rating that Hefner gave to the Playmate according to how attractive she was, the number of times that Hefner had slept with her, or how good she was in bed. In truth, stars, between zero and 12, indicated the domestic or international advertising region for that printing.^[35]

1960s–1990s[edit]

In the 1960s, the magazine added "The Playboy Philosophy" column. Early topics included gay rights,^[36] women's rights, censorship, and the First Amendment.^[36] Playboy was an early proponent of cannabis reform and provided founding support to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in 1970.^[37]

From 1966 to 1976, Robie Macauley was the fiction editor at Playboy. During this period the magazine published fiction by Saul Bellow, Seán Ó Faoláin, John Updike, James Dickey, John Cheever, Doris Lessing, Joyce Carol Oates, Vladimir Nabokov, Michael Crichton, John le Carré, Irwin Shaw, Jean Shepherd, Arthur Koestler, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Bernard Malamud, John Irving, Anne Sexton, Nadine Gordimer, Kurt Vonnegut and J. P. Donleavy, as well as poetry by Yevgeny Yevtushenko.^[38]

In 1968, at the feminist Miss America protest, symbolically feminine products were thrown into a "Freedom Trash Can". These included copies of Playboy and Cosmopolitan magazines.^[39] One of the key pamphlets produced by the protesters was "No More Miss America!", by Robin Morgan, which listed 10 characteristics of the Miss America pageant that the authors believed degraded women;^[40] it compared the pageant to Playboy's centerfold as sisters under the skin, describing this as "The Unbeatable Madonna–Whore Combination".^[41]

Macauley contributed all of the popular Ribald Classics series published between January 1978 and March 1984.^{[citation needed]}

After reaching its peak in the 1970s, Playboy saw a decline in circulation and cultural relevance due to competition in the field it founded—first from Penthouse, then from Oui (which was published as a spin-off of Playboy) and Gallery in the 1970s; later from pornographic videos; and more recently from lad mags such as Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. In response, Playboy attempted to re-assert its hold on the 18–35-year-old male demographic through slight changes to content and focusing on issues and personalities more appropriate to its audience—such as hip-hop artists being featured in the "Playboy Interview".^[42] In February 1974, Ratna Assan became the first women of Indonesian descent to be featured, shortly after a positively received role in the film Papillon (1973).^[43]

Christie Hefner, daughter of founder Hugh Hefner, joined Playboy in 1975 and became head of the company in 1988. She announced in December 2008 that she would be stepping down from leading the company, effective in January 2009, and said that the election of Barack Obama as the next President had inspired her to give more time to charitable work, and that the decision to step down was her own. "Just as this country is embracing change in the form of new leadership, I have decided that now is the time to make changes in my own life as well", she said.^[44] Hefner was succeeded by company director and media veteran Jerome H. Kern as interim CEO, who was in turn succeeded by publisher Scott Flanders.^[45][46]

2000–present[edit]

The magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary with the January 2004 issue. Celebrations were held at Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, and Moscow during the year to commemorate this event. Playboy also launched limited-edition products designed by fashion houses such as Versace, Vivienne Westwood and Sean John. As a homage to the magazine's 50th anniversary, MAC Cosmetics released two limited-edition products, namely a lipstick and a glitter cream.^[47]

The printed magazine ran several annual features and ratings. One of the most popular was its annual ranking of the top "party schools" among all U.S. universities and colleges. In 2009, the magazine used five criteria: bikini, brains, campus, sex and sports in the development of its list. The top-ranked party school by Playboy for 2009 was the University of Miami.^[48]

In June 2009, the magazine reduced its publication schedule to 11 issues per year, with a combined July/August issue. On August 11, 2009, London's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Hugh Hefner had sold his English manor house (next door to the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles) for $18 m ($10 m less than the reported asking price) to another American, Daren Metropoulos, the President and co-owner of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and that due to significant losses in the company's value (down from $1 billion in 2000 to $84 million in 2009), the Playboy publishing empire was for sale for $300 million.^[49] In December 2009, the publication schedule was reduced to 10 issues per year, with a combined January/February issue.

On July 12, 2010, Playboy Enterprises Inc. announced Hefner's $5.50 per share offer ($122.5 million based on shares outstanding on April 30 and the closing price on July 9) to buy the portion of the company he did not already own and take the company private with the help of Rizvi Traverse Management LLC. The company derived much of its income from licensing, rather than from the magazine.^[50] On July 15, Penthouse owner FriendFinder Networks Inc. offered $210 million (the company is valued at $185 million), though Hefner, who already owned 70 percent of voting stock, did not want to sell.^[51] In January 2011, the publisher of Playboy magazine agreed to an offer by Hefner to take the company private for $6.15 per share, an 18 percent premium over the price of the last previous day of trading.^[52] The buyout was completed in March 2011.^[53]

2016–2018 changes and brief ending of full-frontal nudity[edit]

In October 2015, Playboy announced the magazine would no longer feature full-frontal nudity beginning with the March 2016 issue.^[55] Company CEO Scott Flanders acknowledged the magazine's inability to compete with freely available internet pornography and nudity; according to him, "You're now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it's just passé at this juncture".^[56] Hefner agreed with the decision.^[57] The redesigned Playboy, however, would still feature a Playmate of the Month and pictures of women, but they would be rated as not appropriate for children under 13.^[57] The move would not affect PlayboyPlus.com (which features nudity at a paid subscription).^[58] Josh Horwitz of Quartz argued that the motivation for the decision to remove nudity from the magazine was to give Playboy Licensing a less inappropriate image in India and China, where the brand is a popular item on apparel and thus generates significant revenue.^[59]

Among other changes to the magazine included ending the popular jokes section and the various cartoons that appeared throughout the magazine. The redesign eliminated the use of jump copy (articles continuing on non-consecutive pages), which in turn eliminated most of the space for cartoons.^[60] Hefner, himself a former cartoonist, reportedly resisted dropping the cartoons more than the nudity, but ultimately obliged. Playboy's plans were to market itself as a competitor to Vanity Fair, as opposed to more traditional competitors GQ and Maxim.^[54]

Playboy announced in February 2017, however, that the dropping of nudity had been a mistake and furthermore, for its March/April issue, reestablished some of its franchises, including the Playboy Philosophy and Party Jokes, but dropped the subtitle "Entertainment for Men", inasmuch as gender roles have evolved. The announcement was made by the company's chief creative officer on Twitter with the hashtag #NakedIsNormal.^[61]

In early 2018, and according to Jim Puzzanghera of the Los Angeles Times, Playboy was reportedly "considering killing the print magazine", as the publication "has lost as much as $7 million annually in recent years".^[62] However, in the July/August 2018 issue a reader asked if the print magazine would discontinue, and Playboy responded that it was not going anywhere.

Following Hefner's death, and his family's financial stake in the company, the magazine changed direction. In 2019, Playboy was relaunched as a quarterly publication without adverts. Topics covered included an interview with Tarana Burke, a profile of Pete Buttigieg, coverage of BDSM and a cover photo representing gender and sexual fluidity.^[1]

Online-only[edit]

In March 2020, Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy Enterprises, announced that the spring 2020 issue would be the last regularly scheduled printed issue and that the magazine would now publish its content online. The decision to close the print edition was attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic which interfered with distribution of the magazine.^[63]

Publicly traded[edit]

In autumn 2020, Playboy announced a reverse merger deal with Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp.—a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). In February 2021, the stock of a combined company, PLBY Group, began trading on the Nasdaq exchange as "PLBY".^[64][65]

Circulation history and statistics[edit]

In 1971, Playboy had a circulation rate base of seven million, which was its high point.^[66] The best-selling individual issue was the November 1972 edition, which sold 7,161,561 copies. One-quarter of all American college men were buying or subscribing to the magazine every month.^[67] On the cover was model Pam Rawlings, photographed by Rowland Scherman. Perhaps coincidentally, a cropped image of the issue's centerfold (which featured Lena Söderberg) became a de facto standard image for testing image processing algorithms. It is known simply as the "Lenna" (also "Lena") image in that field.^[68] In 1972, Playboy was the ninth highest circulation magazine in the United States.^[69]

The 1975 average circulation was 5.6 million; by 1981 it was 5.2 million, and by 1982 down to 4.9 million.^[66] Its decline continued in later decades, and reached about 800,000 copies per issue in late 2015,^[56] and 400,000 copies by December 2017.^[70]

In 1970, Playboy became the first gentleman's magazine to be printed in braille.^[71] It is also one of the few magazines whose microfilm format was in color, not black and white.^[72]

Features and format[edit]

Rabbit logo[edit]

Playboy's enduring mascot, a stylized silhouette of a rabbit wearing a tuxedo bow tie, was created by Playboy art director Art Paul for the second issue as an endnote, but was adopted as the official logo and has appeared ever since.^[73][74] A running joke in the magazine involves hiding the logo somewhere in the cover art or photograph. Hefner said he chose the rabbit for its "humorous sexual connotation", and because the image was "frisky and playful". In an interview Hefner explained his choice of a rabbit as Playboy's logo to the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci:

The rabbit, the bunny, in America has a sexual meaning; and I chose it because it's a fresh animal, shy, vivacious, jumping - sexy. First it smells you then it escapes, then it comes back, and you feel like caressing it, playing with it. A girl resembles a bunny. Joyful, joking. Consider the girl we made popular: the Playmate of the Month. She is never sophisticated, a girl you cannot really have. She is a young, healthy, simple girl - the girl next door ... we are not interested in the mysterious, difficult woman, the femme fatale, who wears elegant underwear, with lace, and she is sad, and somehow mentally filthy. The Playboy girl has no lace, no underwear, she is naked, well washed with soap and water, and she is happy.^[75]

The jaunty rabbit quickly became a popular symbol of extroverted male culture, becoming a lucrative source of merchandizing revenue for the company.^[76] In the 1950s, it was adopted as the military aircraft insignia for the Navy's VX-4 fighter-evaluation squadron.

The Playboy Interview[edit]

Besides its centerfold, a major part of Playboy for much of its existence has been the Playboy Interview, an extensive (usually several-thousand-word) discussion between a publicly known individual and an interviewer. Writer Alex Haley served as a Playboy interviewer on a few occasions; one of his interviews was with Martin Luther King Jr.; he also interviewed Malcolm X and American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell.^[77] The magazine interviewed then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter in the November 1976 issue, in which he stated "I've committed adultery in my heart many times."^[78][79] David Sheff's interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared in the January 1981 issue, which was on newsstands at the time of Lennon's murder; the interview was later published in book format.

Another interview-type section, entitled "20Q" (a play on the game of Twenty Questions), was added in October 1978. Cheryl Tiegs was the first interviewee for the section.^[80]

Rock the Rabbit[edit]

"Rock the Rabbit" was an annual music news and pictorial feature published in the March edition.^[81] The pictorial featured images of rock bands photographed by music photographer Mick Rock. Fashion designers participated in the Rock the Rabbit event by designing T-shirts inspired by Playboy's rabbit head logo for each band. The shirts were sold at Playboy's retailers and auctioned off to raise money for AIDS research and treatment at LIFEbeat: The Music Industry Fights AIDS.^[81] Bands who were featured include: MGMT, Daft Punk, Iggy Pop, Duran Duran, Flaming Lips, Snow Patrol, and The Killers.^[82]

Photographers[edit]

The photographers who have contributed to Playboy include Ken Marcus,^[83] Richard Fegley,^[84] Arny Freytag,^[85] Ron Harris,^[86] Tom Kelley,^[83] David Mecey,^[87] Russ Meyer,^[88] Pompeo Posar,^[89] Suze Randall,^[90] Herb Ritts,^[91] Stephen Wayda,^[91][92] Sam Wu,^[93] Mario Casilli,^[94] Ana Dias,^[95] Ellen von Unwerth,^[96] Annie Leibovitz,^[91] Helmut Newton,^[91] and Bunny Yeager.^[97]

Celebrities[edit]

For a full listing, see List of people in Playboy 1953–1959, 1960–1969, 1970–1979, 1980–1989, 1990–1999,

Posted on November 27, 2007

Disgaea

Disgaea theme by haru

Download: Disgaea.p3t

(1 background)

This article is about the video game franchise. For the first game, see Disgaea: Hour of Darkness.

Video game series

Disgaea
Disgaea 3 logo for English version of the series
Genre(s)	Tactical role-playing game
Developer(s)	Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher(s)	JP: Nippon Ichi Software NA: Atlus USA, NIS America EU: NIS Europe, Koei, Square Enix Europe AU: Ubisoft Australia, AFA Interactive
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Linux, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Android, iOS
First release	Disgaea: Hour of Darkness January 30, 2003
Latest release	Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless October 3, 2023

Disgaea (魔界戦記ディスガイア, Makai Senki Disugaia, lit. "Hell Chronicles Disgaea") is a series of tactical role-playing video games created and developed by Nippon Ichi. The series debuted in Japan on January 30, 2003, with Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, later re-released as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness and Disgaea DS. One of Nippon Ichi's most popular franchises, it has branched off into both a manga and anime series. The Disgaea games are known for complex gameplay, extremely high maximum stats and humorous dialogue. The Disgaea series has shipped 5 million copies as of 2021.^[1]

Common elements[edit]

Gameplay[edit]

Each Disgaea game consists of a number of missions that the player undertakes from a central hub. In the hub, the player can manage equipment and team members, heal their party, and other functions. When the player is prepared, they can then travel to the next available mission as well as replay any mission they have already completed. Missions are usually arranged in a number of chapters with cutscenes before and after to advance the plot.

Each mission requires the player to complete an objective, all missions can be completed by defeating all the enemy forces. The mission takes place on an isometric grid-based board with spaces at various heights. The player and the computer alternate turns. During the player's turn, they can summon members of their party from a starting point, up to ten. Each character, once on the board, can move and then perform an action, including melee attacks and special abilities. Once a character has performed an action, they may no longer move that turn unless they attack before moving. The player can move as many characters as desired and plan their actions at a time, then issuing an "Execute" command to carry out those actions. If the player has characters that can still move and perform actions at this time, they can do so, otherwise, they will end their turn. The computer opponents then perform their actions. When the player successfully completes a mission, they are given bonus items based on their overall bonus score, which is earned through combo attacks, special attacks, and other features of the game.

The player can arrange to have allies next to each other to fight a foe with a chance to launch a combo attack, which can do more damage and boost the mission's scoring meter. Players can also have characters lift and throw other characters or objects on the level for various effects: for example, a character can throw another character to an empty space as to allow that second character to move farther than if on foot, or certain monsters called Prinnies can be thrown at others to cause explosive damage. It is possible for characters to pick up a character that is already carrying another character, and so forth, allowing for one character to move within a single turn to the far side of the map. However, any character that is still carrying another character at the end of the turn will take damage. While a character is holding others they can attack, when this is done each character adds to the damage.

Across some boards are glowing colored spaces which are either red, green, blue, yellow, purple, cyan, and special objects called "Geo Symbols" which are either null, red, green, blue, yellow, purple. When these are placed on a colored field, they impart a bonus or penalty to all battle participants on the same colored field; such bonuses can also stack if multiple Geo Symbols are on the same field. A character can destroy a Geo Symbol which will cause all the field spaces it affects to cause some damage to the characters on them as they turn to another color determined by the destroyed Geo Symbol. It is possible to arrange a chain of these effects, each chain increasing the amount of damaged earned and increasing the bonus score for the mission. As with characters, Geo Symbols can also be lifted and thrown as to affect the board's bonuses.

In addition to maintaining their party at the central hub, the player can create new characters to the party based on experience each character earned in battle, or, with enough experience, attempt to alter the features of the central hub, such as having better weapon or armor at the stores. This itself involves convincing the Dark Assembly to agree to such changes, and it is possible to initiate combat in the same manner as the missions to convince the creature to see otherwise. There is also an Item World gateway; here, the player can select any item in the party's inventory and enter it. The Item World for an item is randomly generated but depends on a number of factors based on the item itself such as its rarity or power. By descending through the Item World, each level similar to one of the main missions featuring a random map and a number of creatures as well as an exit portal to the next level, the player can improve the abilities of the item as well as free Guardians that live in the item. These Guardians impart certain benefits to the item, such as increased in attack or defense values, and once they are freed, they can be moved between items freely.

The game can be played through multiple times, as each game features multiple endings. However, each time, the player's party, with all characters, items, and abilities, are carried over. This New Game Plus allows the player to develop extremely powerful characters, approaching the maximum character level of 9999 and 186,000 combined levels in reincarnation through repeated playthroughs.

The series exists for the moment only in Japanese, English and French languages.

Setting[edit]

All Disgaea games take place mostly in the "Netherworld", a parallel universe inhabited by demons where moral values are reversed from those of humans. Multiple Netherworlds exist, each with their own Overlord. Other areas include the human world, shown to possess a futuristic level of technology in Hour of Darkness, and "Celestia", a heavenly realm inhabited by angels. Rather than being purely good or purely evil, inhabitants of the Netherworld and Celestia possess human-like qualities, but are swayed far more towards either moral extreme. It is shown in Disgaea 4 that both the Netherworld and Celestia are dependent on energy from the human world for survival, and that if humans begin to fear themselves, more than they would fear demons and monsters, the Netherworld will fall apart.

Recurring characters[edit]

Most major characters from previous games make a cameo appearance, or lend their services to characters in later ones. The main characters of the first Disgaea game Laharl, Etna and Flonne are playable in every subsequent main title so far. Due to the large number of different Netherworlds being magically connected, characters from other Nippon Ichi games and series, such as La Pucelle: Tactics, Marl Kingdom, Makai Kingdom, Phantom Brave, Soul Nomad, Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman, The Witch and the Hundred Knight, Battle Princess of Arcadias and The Guided Fate Paradox have also appeared in Disgaea games.

Baal, the most powerful enemy in the Disgaea series, is a legendary overlord that appears as a recurring boss throughout the different games. Known as the Lord of Terror, he is a collection of evil souls that can transfer into other bodies when defeated. He often appears in a towering, monstrous form, though he is forced into more diminutive ones after being defeated.

The Prism Rangers are a troupe of gag characters heavily inspired by the protagonists of the Super Sentai/Power Rangers universes. Each of the members are named after the colors of the rainbow with the word Prism preceding it, with their leader being "Prism Red". The Prism Rangers tend to be portrayed as weak, having been taken down in one shot or being unable to do the slightest bit of damage to their opponent.

Asagi is a character meant to be the main character in a development hell Nippon Ichi title, Makai Wars. She constantly attempts to become the star of other games.

Pleinair Allaprima (プレネール・アラプリマ, Purenēru Arapurima) is a mascot character for the artist and character designer of the series, Takehito Harada. She makes various appearances throughout the series. She is typically portrayed as a petite, blue-haired girl with red eyes, wearing a red ribbon, a white dress, white stockings, and sometimes glasses. She is also known for being mute, with characters at times referencing her refusal (or perhaps inability) to speak; This can be used to comical effect such as when she is a co-anchor, despite herself, for a Netherworld news show that plays between chapters in Disgaea 2. She is often accompanied by a stuffed rabbit named "Usagi-san" and a stuffed shark named "Same-san".

Prinnies[edit]

Main article: Prinny

Prinnies (プリニー, Purini) are common servants, and one of the protagonists as well as enemies in the series. They resemble small pouch-wearing penguins with disproportionately small bat wings and two peg legs for feet. Their personalities are upbeat, and they are required to use the word "dood" at the end of their sentences to signify their status ("-ssu" in the Japanese dialogue). While Prinnies use machetes as their primary weapons, they are also able to use "Prinny Bombs" from their pouch and fire a laser called the "Pringer Beam". They are created when a human who has led a worthless life or committed a mortal sin in life dies, leading to the soul being sewn into the body of a Prinny. After being reborn, they serve as maids and domestic servants in Celestia, where their good deeds lead to their reincarnation, or as servants and slaves (and sometimes cannon fodder) in the Netherworld, where they obtain money towards their reincarnation, often under lords who treat them horribly for little pay.

Prinnies explode when thrown due to the human soul being unstable, and thus, a jostling, such as being tossed, will cause them to do as such.^[2] Prinnies are also mass-produced with demon souls, which leaves them stable. During a certain time of the year a red moon appears in the sky of the Underworld; when this happens, all the Prinnies meet together and Prinnies who have earned enough money are allowed to reincarnate.

Media[edit]

Games[edit]

Main article: List of Disgaea video games

Timeline of release years

2003	Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
2004	Mugen Keitai Disgaea (spin-off)
	Phantom Brave (related)
2005	Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome (spin-off)
2006	Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
	Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
2007	Soul Nomad & the World Eaters (related)
2008	Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
	Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (spin-off)
	Disgaea DS
2009	Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days
	Disgaea Infinite (spin-off)
2010	Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! (spin-off)
2011	Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
2012	Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention
2013	Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness
2014	Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited
2015	Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
2016	Disgaea PC
2017	Disgaea 2 PC
	Disgaea 5 Complete
2018	Makai Wars (spin-off)
	Disgaea 1 Complete
2019	Disgaea 4 Complete+
	Disgaea RPG JP (spin-off)
2020	Disgaea 1 Complete (iOS/Android)
2021	Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny
	Disgaea RPG Global (spin-off)
2022	Disgaea 6 Complete
2023	Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless

The first two Disgaea installments were released for the PlayStation 2. The series debuted in Japan with Disgaea: Hour of Darkness in 2003 on the PlayStation 2 and has since been re-released on the PlayStation Portable as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, Nintendo DS as Disgaea DS and the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as Disgaea 1 complete with new content. It was known for many uncommon elements previously unseen in the strategy RPG genre, such as complex gameplay, extremely high maximum stats and a maximum level of 9999, and humorous dialogue. Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories, released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006 in Japan, has been re-released on the PlayStation Portable under the title Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days with new content. Both of these games were later ported to the PC as Disgaea PC in 2016, and Disgaea 2 PC in 2017 respectively. Both are based on the PlayStation Portable versions, with additional content and redone graphics. The series then moved on to the PlayStation 3 for Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, released in Japan in 2008, and was re-released on the PlayStation Vita as Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention in 2012. Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten was released in Japan in 2011 and re-released on the PlayStation Vita as Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited in 2014. A direct sequel to the first game, Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2013. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance was released in 2015, moving the series to the PlayStation 4, and was ported to the Nintendo Switch as Disgaea 5 Complete in 2017. The next game, Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, was announced on September 17, 2020 and both were released on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch and most notably, 3D models are now used for the characters, which is a first in the series and the standard maximum level of 9999 increased to 99,999,999. ^[3] Disgaea 6 Complete was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC through Steam in June 2022. Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless was announced in August 2022, and was released in Japan on January 26, 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.^[4]

Re-released Disgaea titles have the tradition of featuring an alternate story-line to freshen up gameplay. In the first two re-releases, Etna Mode in Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness and Axel Mode in Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days, feature alternate story-lines with new main characters.

Disgaea has also spawned several spin-off titles. The first such spin-off, Mugen Keitai Disgaea was released in 2004 as a Japanese mobile game.^[5] Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome in 2005, released on the PlayStation 2, starred Lord Zetta as an overlord of an alternate Netherworld with gameplay similar to the original Disgaea series. The Prinnies were then featured in the side-scrolling adventure game, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? in 2008 and Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! in 2010, for the PlayStation Portable. The first Android-based game, Disgaea: Netherworld Unbound, was released in 2011 as a free-to-play game with optional paid-content available.

The PlayStation Portable title, Disgaea Infinite, is a visual novel in the same setting as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, and the story-line of a Prinny being ordered to investigate the attempted assassination of Laharl. Gameplay is very simple compared to other Disgaea titles, with the primary interactive element being the ability to switch characters in order to solve a mystery.

Anime[edit]

Main article: Makai Senki Disgaea

Makai Senki Disgaea is an anime series based on the video game Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Makai Senki Disgaea follows the same general plot as the game, but with several alterations to character roles and the chronology of events.

Manga[edit]

While not necessarily canon, a Disgaea manga, Makai Senki Disgaea, illustrated by Arashi Shindo, follows the basic storyline. Many events in the manga, while similar, have been altered completely and the humor is more offbeat (e.g. Laharl, Etna, and Flonne believe that Mid Boss may be a pedophile due to his recurring presence among the three). Many characters also appear to have different personalities (e.g. on occasion, Lamington will be seen baking a cake). The art style is also very different as many of the characters appear somewhat more mature and the art is very shōjo-like. Broccoli Books released the manga in September 2006. Makai Senki Disgaea 2 ran from 2006–07 in Japan, and Makai Senki Disgaea 3: School of Devils has been ongoing in Japan since 2009.

Merchandise[edit]

Nippon Ichi Software's online store sells various merchandise such as several different Prinny plushies,^[6][7] and in Japan Nippon Ichi has released several pieces of Prinny merchandise and has used kigurumi of the characters to promote the release of Prinny: Can I Really be the Hero? in Akihabara.^[8][9] Additionally four Prinny avatars for the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Home were also released for sale, modeled after the different unique Prinnies in the original Disgaea.^[10]

Novels[edit]

A set of novels written by Sow Kamishiro and illustrated by Chou Niku (although they were aided by Takehito Harada in the beginning). These novels begin with a novelization of the first game and then continue the story ten years later. The novels introduce many new characters including Laharl's relatives, Flonne's family, and Gordon and Jennifer's daughter. The novels take place in a separate canon from the mainline games, and are unlikely to be revisited by Nippon-Ichi due to the ending of their contract with Kadokawa books. There are 22 Disgaea-related novels:

• Disgaea: Enter the Maoh - Retelling of the first Disgaea
• Disgaea: Revelations - Original story about Laharl's extended family
• Disgaea: Returned - Original story primarily about Flonne's extended family
• Disgaea: On Love (Parts 1 & 2) - Original story about Etna & Flonne time travelling to meet Laharl's mother in the past
• Disgaea: Battle of Maohs - Original story involving the casts of Disgaea and Makai Kingdom
• Disgaea 2: Mask of the Maoh (Parts 1 & 2) - Retelling of Disgaea 2
• Disgaea: Heart of the Maoh - Original story involving Laharl's mother
• Disgaea: School of the Maoh - Original story involving the characters from multiple games attending a school for demons
• Disgaea 3: Brave and the Maoh (Parts 1 & 2) - Retelling of Disgaea 3
• Disgaea: Three Dash! - Original story involving the casts of Disgaea 1, 3, and Makai Kingdom
• Disgaea: War of Prinny - Retelling of Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero, Dood?
• Disgaea 4: Power of Iwashi - Retelling of Disgaea 4
• Disgaea: Maoh of the Dead - Original story involving Laharl, Etna, and Flonne filming a zombie movie
• Disgaea D2: Revisit - Retelling of Disgaea D2
• Phantom Brave: A Small Wish, Sulphur's Counterattack, & Return of the Brave - 3-part Retelling of Phantom Brave
• Phantom Kingdom: Tales of the Universe's Strongest Overlords - Retelling of Makai Kingdom
• Puppet Princess of Marl Kingdom: An Angel's Song of Love - Retelling of Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

Development[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2008)

The gameplay mechanic of throwing characters was developed as a "strong and unique" aspect of gameplay that would attract players. New gameplay ideas were added to each game until the "majority of staffers" were "not sure" whether they were necessary, hence its complexity.^[11]

Reception[edit]

Aggregate review scores

Game	Metacritic
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness	(NDS) 82/100[12] (NS) 76/100[13] (PC) 74/100[14] (PS2) 84/100[15] (PS4) 83/100[16] (PSP) 87/100[17]
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories	(PC) 81/100[18] (PS2) 84/100[19] (PSP) 83/100[20]
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice	(PS3) 78/100[21] (Vita) 78/100[22]
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten	(NS) 85/100[23] (PS3) 80/100[24] (PS4) 83/100[25] (Vita) 82/100[26]
Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness	(PS3) 74/100[27]
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance	(NS) 81/100[28] (PS4) 80/100[29]
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny	(NS) 73/100[30] (PC) 71/100[31] (PS5) 68/100[32]
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless	(NS) 83/100[33] (PS5) 84/100[34]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2008)

The Disgaea series has been received positively by reviewers, particularly praising the amount of content, solid battle system and humor while criticizing the large learning curve and dated graphics. The highest score was received by Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness for PSP, at a score of 87% at Gamerankings and Metacritic. Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny for PlayStation 5 received the lowest average score of the series, at around 68% at Metacritic, with reviewers saying that while its accessibility is among the highest for any Disgaea title, that is the only main factor in its limited success. It has sold rather poorly in its first week by the standards of the series.

Prinnies have been described as some of the most notable characters in the Disgaea series,^[35] and the mascots of the series.^[36] In a preview of the upcoming game starring the character in PlayStation: The Official Magazine, Chris Hudak asked "What better sign that you've warmed the cold hearts of videogamers worldwide than to have your own beloved, signature character?", additionally comparing in great detail the Prinny to fellow video game mascots Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Dragon Quest's Slime.^[37] PSX Extreme described them as "one of the most recognizable – and curiously lovable – characters" in the Disgaea series.^[38] They are featured strongly in Nippon Ichi's marketing, such as the annual Tipsy Prinny press events.^[39] The third event, held in the Zebulon Bar San Francisco on June 5, 2008, featured green prinnies suspended from every banister and light fitting.^[40]

See also[edit]

• List of Japanese role-playing game franchises

References[edit]

Specific

1. ^