This first issue of Playboy is said to have sold over 54,000 copies. Hugh Hefner used Tom Kelley's now famous nude shot of Marilyn on a red velvet backdrop as the magazine's first Sweetheart of the Month. Hefner didn't date the first issue as he apparently didn't know whether it would be viable to publish any further editions. The maiden issue is said to have sold out in two weeks and in such numbers to ensure the magazine's future success.