By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
Playboy was one of the most influential magazines of the last 60 years. The men’s magazine founded by Hugh Hefner rode the sexual revolution of the 60s on the back of its Playboy Bunnies, the Playboy Clubs, and choosing to add articles in a magazine that would have sold as well without them. “I read Playboy for the articles” was a long-running joke, but the truth is, some famous authors have contributed stories to the magazine, including multiple time contributor, the Master of Horror, Stephen King.
Stephen King’s Playboy Articles
King has published six original works for Playboy over the years, starting in 1983, mostly short stories but a few poems as well, starting in 1983 with “Word Processor of the Gods” in the January 1983 issue. The story, the first King wrote on an electronic word processor, is about an electronic word processor that can alter reality, giving a disgruntled writer the opportunity to remove his ungrateful son and wife from existence. Collected in 1985’s Skeleton Crew, the original Playboy printing is a collector’s item for King fans to this day.
It wasn’t until the December 2006 issue that Stephen King contributed another work of fiction to Playboy, “Willa”, his return to the format following his recovery from a nearly fatal accident. The haunting love story is one of his personal favorite works. Under a year later, “Mute” was published in November 2007, bringing a King crime story to the men’s magazine. In addition to the short stories, King had contributed articles over the last few decades, including an early one in 1982 about the importance of horror movies. When he finally submitted a poem, no one knew it would be overshadowed as badly as it was by the issue’s cover model.
Sharing The Cover With Marge Simpson
In November 2009, Stephen King published the poem, “The Bone Church,” in Playboy. The poem follows a group lost in the jungle encountering a strange, cosmic horror. Yet the most horrifying part of the issue, which also included an interview with King, was the cover model: Marge Simpson. It’s one of the most infamous covers in Playboy history, and Marge has since been replaced on the cover by Victoria’s Secret model, Alina Puscau.
For obvious reasons, finding an original print of “The Bone Church” is very difficult, and very costly. King’s next two contributions were his last, coming in March 2010 with “Tommy” and December 2016 with “The Music Room,” which, perfectly in line with King’s prolific writing, he forgot he wrote. “The Music Room” was left out of a short story collection until the paperback version of You Like It Darker. Notably, both issues featured real women on the cover.
Playboy may be known for the centerfolds,but over its long and storied history the magazine has featured other famous authors including Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, Arthur C. Clarke, and Margaret Atwood. The monthly print magazine may be no more, but it lives on, as of 2025, with quarterly issues. If Stephen King somehow finds the time, he can still keep the tradition going for a new generation.
