I've been contemplating this question for a few days and was wondering what everyone's opinions are (and it was a coincidence Luke posted the Larry Flynt shooting article today about his lawyer as I wondered what happened to him too):

I got stuck watching E!'s The Girls Next Door, (the Playboy Bunny show) and couldn't help but think how terrible Hugh Heffner looked. The guy's 80 now and looked like he could have croaked in any scene. A few friends were discussing Playboy and how instrumental he's been in its longevity (and they all still thought he fucked all the bunnies...tee hee...my friends were also surprised to hear Playboy's bleeding cash left and right with foolish business decisions.)

I've been thinking in general and strategically about the next five years in the world of porn; I doubt Hef will live that long to tell you the honest truth. Additionally, I doubt Larry Flynt will survive the next five years either. Realistically with the two male icons that have existed pretty much throughout the modern history of pornography in the United States passed on, what will happen to Playboy and Hustler given that so much of their brand recognition and respect (or what's left of it) depends on these two figures?

Are there contingency plans in the works for these companies in the event one of their founders/publishers croaks?

What will happen to their flagship magazines and brands? Continue on or die out?

I'm interested in everyone's opinions on this. Would you continue to buy their product or magazines once their founders are in the ground?

I haven't bought either magazine in years.

I think Heffner's daughter takes over when he croaks. Not sure about Flynt.

All things must pass. People once wondered how they would get on without Johnny Carson.

The Playboy empire probably has a better shot at long-term viability without Hugh, who may nonetheless live on forever as he may well be the anti-Christ. I bet he's here in five years. I think HUSTLER is the more leader-driven of the two. Both companies have moved beyond their magazines. Wisely.

Remember, Bob Guccione was once a competitive equal to Hefner and Flynt. Does anyone under 40 really miss him? Does anyone under 25 really know who he is?

Dinosaurs walk the earth.

Playboy and Hustler constitute about 0% of the porn I consume. I don't wish them ill will or anything, but if both franchises disappeared tomorrow it wouldn't bother me. fwiw I thought they were both dead already anyway.

I thought Christie Hefner had been overseeing the Playboy empire since the mid-'80s?

How is Playboy still around? What do they sell that people want? Does the magazine turn a profit? They do vids right? I've never watched one. Hustler I could see surviving they seem a little more current.

Hustler will continue on due in part to it's branching into making movies. As long as they can keep their movies current and give the consumer the kind of porno they want, they'll turn a profit. Playboy seems to have been dying a slow death ever since the internet explosion. The magazine sucks, no hardcore videos, and their website kinda sucks. The only thing they have to keep them going is the Playboy channel.

I meant to add above that Playboy will likely last as a brand name and a porn venue for those not really interested in porn. I too find all their product bland and useless, except for that rare example of exceptional--and invariably under-used--ass. I always loved the look of Hustler's photo sets, and little else, including the baked potato.

I think Playboy is still around because they bought Adult.com...This is where a good amount of revenue is coming in from. There are very few people who still subscribe to the notion that their "publishing" or print division still makes $$$.

Doesn't Playboy have a share of the newest tower at the Palms? I thought they named it after Hefner.

i think it's just a high-roller suite, not the whole tower. They have a Playboy store in the lobby and I think a section of the casino is Playboy-themed.

Yes, there was a crappy Club Jenna party there in January. The horror.

I always assumed Playboy made bank just off all the shit they sell with their bunny logo on it. Teenage girls eat that up. Especially in Japan.

Playboy doesn't even make that merchandise. They license it out to textile companies.

Hm. Shows what I know.

Bet those licensing fees are a nice piece of change for zero investment, even though a lot of the stuff you see around is probably Asian counterfeit.

According to This Article Flynt is opening a chain of strip clubs in London.

Playboy is going the way of Ford: seminal, once dominant corporations that are now increasinly unremarkable. Playboy may have invented the game in its modern form, but now it's becoming just another player.

History became legend, legend became myth and some things that... eh... that... eh... were lost?

What will happen? Most likely business as usual. (see: Ford, Disney, Hughes, Edison etc)

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The success of the Playboy brand in China has more to do with its famous rabbit logo than its titillating namesake magazine, writes Justin Mitchell.

Twenty-six-year-old Shenzhen resident Peng Xiaofeng has never seen a Playboy magazine, much less the famous centerfold itself because it's banned on the mainland as pornography.

Peng also has no clue as to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's "philosophy," fabled mansion, its pleasure grotto, or the 79-year-old's recirculating bevy of eternally young Playmates.

But he knows that rabbit-head logo and what it symbolizes - sex and perhaps sophistication. The latter is more or less what was promised on a promotional blurb for an upscale rabbit- branded fountain pen he looked at recently in a Shenzhen store that featured a selection of Playboy-licensed products.

"Playboy represents a most valuable living philosophy of dignity, being talent, noble-hearted and the leader of fashion [sic]," said the pen's instruction booklet.

In 2003, the Far Eastern Economic Review named Playboy the most popular brand in China. According to Playboy, there are about 650 outlets licensed to carry its merchandise, including department store counters, shops-in-shop, and freestanding shops, mainly in the northeastern and southwestern regions.

Full article

Also: Playboy flips to profit, shares up (Aug 07, 2007)

"History became legend, legend became myth and some things that... eh... that... eh... were lost?

What will happen? Most likely business as usual. (see: Ford, Disney, Hughes, Edison etc)"

Exactly. Which is why cries in the media for harsher antitrust laws are usually misguided in the long run. Not even actors with huge market shares survives in the long run when there are better alternatives. Instead the laws focus on blocking efficiency gains in the short run.