Claude in Playboy: The Ascent of Man

On the demise of the Playboy cartoon:

"I think it’s a stupid move," says Pulitzer Prize and Oscar-winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer, who drew for Playboy in the late 1950s to early 1960s. "If it’s simply a matter of rebranding, why not just change the type of cartoons they run? There are more and better cartoonists today writing in alternative media and graphic novels. It’s a whole new golden age for cartoonists."

—Susan Karlin

"The Playboy Revamp Continues: How The Magazine Is Redrawing Its Cartoon Lines, Too"

fastcocreate.com

The Playboy cartoon wasn't always all that funny, but it did require its cartoonists to dream up all sorts of unlikely scenarios in which there was female nudity. An original 1969 cartoon by Claude Smith that was offered on eBay last year is a good example of this. The cartoon makes it clear that no place is safe for nude sunbathers. See, your mother was right.

Claude Smith, "Oh! Pardon me!"
Detail of original art, Playboy, February 1969, page 170

Claude Smith, "Oh! Pardon me!"
Original art, Playboy, February 1969, page 170

Playboy copyright stamp

Claude Smith's signature

Playboy, February 1969

Claude Smith, "Oh! Pardon me!"
Playboy, February 1969, pages 170-171

Caption

Claude Smith, "Oh! Pardon me!"
Playboy, February 1969, page 170

eBay Listing Ended January 26, 2015

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-Art-PLAYBOY-Cartoon-Claude-Smith-includes-Playboy-Feb-1969-/151531060369?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2347f47c91

Note:  There is much sequential cartoon art by Claude Smith in the blog archives.

You can't find Playboy cartoons in Playboy anymore, but you can still find a couple herein.

01799