Flesh! Ah-Ah! The Forgotten BBW Comics of Playboy (Patreon)

In the past, we’ve mused about how difficult it was for pervs of a certain age (i.e., me) as adolescents back in pre-Internet porn days. Things were OK if you had traditional tastes that jibed with the “you can never be too rich or too thin” times we grew up in, but BBW weren’t a thing yet and the only weight-gain pics to be found were in sleazy tabloids. Though I certainly wasn’t too proud to skulk in the supermarket check-out for paparazzi pics of Yasmine Bleeth, Alicia Silverstone, Tiffani Thiessen, or whichever unfortunate celebrity had recently gained weight on vacation, grainy snapshots of Delta Burke taken through a bush didn’t fully scratch my teenage itch.

Unfortunately, neither did the traditional porn most kids my age hid away lest it be trashed by our parents like in that Beastie Boys’ song.  In a particularly cruel twist of fate, my Bible Belt Father, who would have a belt when he got home and threaten a belt if I got out of line, stored his epic Playboy collection in my playroom on the bookshelves right above my Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy mysteries. (As a quick aside, I much preferred Nancy Drew--especially the stories that referenced her plump friend Bess--which could explain why my Father saw fit to plant such overtly hetero material close by.)  While I didn’t have it quite as bad as the stranded mariner in that Coleridge tale (“Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink!”) let’s just say I was one of the few fourteen-year-olds reading Playboy for the articles.

Still, I owe a great deal of my sexual development to my Dad’s Playboy stash. Although it was rare a centerfold piqued my interest (or anything else), I learned a lot about the ins-and-outs of the process, so to speak. And while the models were mostly tight and toned, the magazine’s fantastic comics and pin-ups—produced by classically trained artists who preferred curves over the bony dishes served on the center pages—featured a bevy of beauties that were much more my speed. Eventually, I plan to share some of my self-penned weight-gain comics here (Riptoryx already shared one of his efforts: https://www.patreon.com/posts/awkward-early-of-42001435), but I likely wouldn't have done them at all had I not been inspired by the graphic works of Playboy artists like Alberto Vargas, Eldon Dedini, Roy Raymonde and Doug Sneyd.

FYI, this musing evolved from my futile attempt to find a specific Playboy cartoon I remember from my childhood, but couldn’t find after spending more time trying to locate it than I’d care to admit. (It featured a renaissance artist escorting a skinny model from his studio with the caption: “Come back once you’ve gained 50 pounds!”) Although I couldn’t find the comic in question, I figured I’d share my walk down memory lane with you—both as a tribute to some fine artists (many of whom are gone now) and as a glimpse into my 1980s youth. I hope you enjoyed it on both fronts!

Best--

Maverick

PS: If you DO find the cartoon in question, please let me know! Some sort of reward would DEFINITELY be in order!