The magazine was published by Drake from 1986 until 1993 when Drake was merged into Crescent Publishing Group, Inc. In 1986, Playgirl filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was subsequently acquired by Drake Publishers, Inc. As of 2016, the magazine had only approximately 3,000 subscribers. The magazine returned to print as a sometime quarterly beginning with its March 2010 issue.
From March 2009 to February 2010, Playgirl appeared only online. The magazine covered issues like abortion and equal rights, interspersed with sexy shots of men, and played a pivotal role in the sexual revolution for women. In 1977, Lambert sold Playgirl to Ira Ritter who took over as publisher. The magazine was founded in 1973 by Douglas Lambert during the height of the feminist movement as a response to erotic men's magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse that featured similar photos of women. In the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine printed monthly and was marketed mainly to women, although it had a significant gay male readership. Playgirl was an American magazine that featured general interest articles, lifestyle and celebrity news, in addition to nude or semi-nude men.
