# Porn Mags..Holy Sh.....What Changed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909 "2003-09-21T03:18:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flat\_pitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@flat\_pitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flat_pitch)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/1 "2003-09-21T03:18:36Z")
Hey Millions I like porn as much as any normal peson. I must confess however, that with the ease if the Net, I haven’t cracked open a Penthouse mag or the like for a few years. I was over at a buddies house and spotted a Penthouse as we were futzing around in the garage. I was shocked/amazed/delighted to see full penetration honest to goodness gosh darn sex! I remember from a few years ago, to all the way back as far as I could sneak a peak that full on intercourse was NEVER shown in the mainstream mags, although I had seen it in the “Porno Shop” stuff. Does Playboy show the split beaver now? What gives? Did some obcenity (sp?) laws get recinded? How are they getting around the censors? Is America just getting looser, or more tolerent? Please educate me. Flat… ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/2 "2003-09-21T05:08:26Z")
There was an article in one of the Toronto newspapers about this a few weeks ago. It’s in the pay archives, so I can’t link it directly, but the archive description is this: > [@](#): > > August 30, 2003 > **Ailing Penthouse subject of probe, company says** > _Holly Sanders_ > Length : Medium ( 308 words ) > subpoena documents and compel testimony. Penthouse International placed its biggest unit, publisher of its flagship Penthouse magazine, in Chapter 11 bankruptcy Aug. 12. Basically, Internet porn has eaten the magazines for lunch. Playboy has a few hundred thousand subscribers, down from millions in its heyday decades ago. Penthouse has pretty much gone broke, and the article mentioned that the most-recently-published issue was likely to be its last; the cover model hadn’t been paid. The hardcore turn of Penthouse was a desparate attempt to increase sales, but it turned out to be a sales disaster, because corner stores refused to display it, and the magazine lost its casual sales, which were something like 80 percent of the revenue. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/3 "2003-09-21T05:12:53Z")
Hmm. Actually, that might not be the right one. Hang on… it might be this one: > [@](#): > > August 2, 2003 > **Pornography unscrambled** > _Vinay Menon_ > Length : Long ( 1037 words ) > > Recently, Playboy announced a deal with Stan Lee, in which the doodling legend would develop a… I remember that it was a long article. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/4 "2003-09-21T05:24:07Z")
…Penis Extender with Superpowers ? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/5 "2003-09-21T05:43:39Z")
Most porno magazines went hardcore several years ago. There’s been threads here on the subject. I believe Hustler was the first “major” magazine to show penetration. Penthouse and others have followed. Playboy remains the least explicit magazine; they do show vaginas now but they have not shown open vaginas or penetration. Playboy now also hints at lesbianism, although not explicitly, in their newstand editions. Penthouse, as others have noted, is on the verge of collapse. I’ve heard payrolls haven’t been met and creditors are not being paid. At least one issue was not published because there was no money for the printing. As the main source of real income, their first priority has been to get new issues out on the newsstands. But at some point in the very near future, the magazine will cease publication. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/6 "2003-09-21T05:50:42Z")
Howyadoin, > [@](#): > > Ailing Penthouse subject of probe, company says Uh.huh…huh…huh…he said… **probe** … :eek: -Rav ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/7 "2003-09-22T15:07:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sunspace \* > … Penthouse International placed its biggest unit… \ ---
**Author:** ![Snetho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Snetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snetho)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/8 "2003-09-23T00:53:45Z")
Sunspace, I found the article, but I didn’t have to pay for it… [Pornography Unscrambled](http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1059648030809) [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article\_Type1&c=Article&cid=1059648030809](http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1059648030809) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/9 "2003-09-23T01:30:25Z")
Cool, **Snetho**. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porn-mags-holy-sh-what-changed/202909/10 "2003-09-23T02:02:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sunspace \* > \*\* > Playboy has a few hundred thousand subscribers, down from millions in its heyday decades ago. \*\* The FAQ on their website says “Playboy’s circulation is more than three million copies in the United States and 4.5 million worldwide.” It doesn’t say which year that figure is from. I’m not going to post the link because I’m not sure if it’s allowed (just google for “playboy circulation”).