Interactive Reading

Movies went 3D, followed closely by 3D TV and now the pages of Playboy will be the next form of entertainment to pop out at you.

The June issue of the magazine will come with 3D glasses allowing readers to get a more realistic view of the centerfold playmate of the year. Hugh Hefner says he isn’t a huge fan of 3D but after the success of “Avatar” decided scantily clad women might pay off even more.

This is the second attempt by Playboy to boost sales. A few months ago the magazine’s cover featured TV’s most famous animated mom Marge Simpson. Playboy’s Editorial Director Jimmy Jellinek says in today’s print environment you have to create newsstand events. Marge Simpson was an event and so is the 3D centerfold. And this isn’t the first three dimensional venture for Playboy. Hefner says when he launched the magazine in 1950 he hired a photographer to shoot women in 3D but the idea was scrapped because of the cost of glasses. Now he hopes the image of a playmate coming off the pages will boost circulation which has dropped by two million since 2006. Playboy is once again promoting taking it off in hopes the magazine will also take off.