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(6) Walt Disney
Disney turned an animated steamboat-driving mouse into an industry that completely legitimized cartoons and gave him a massive fortune. In 1955, he used some of his massive bank balance and his beloved characters to design and build Disneyland, which he later paired with a sister park in Orlando to help cement the theme park’s place in American life.
(11) Hugh Hefner
Hefner built a media empire by embracing one simple truism: men will want to look at pictures of attractive naked ladies. After making a splash with Marilyn Monroe as his first centerfold, Hefner made it clear that the magazine wasn’t only about naked ladies. The magazine’s in-depth interviews with A-listers and fiction offerings from top writers from Nabokov to a serialization of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 made it plausible to say you “only read it for the articles.” Hefner’s reward? Millions of dollars and a grotto stocked with gorgeous women. (Grotto ownership is a sure sign of genius.)
The Breakdown
Here’s a classic battle of innocence versus experience. What’s more inspired: Disney’s adorable, funny animations or Hefner’s canny commercialization of men’s sex drives? Donald Duck’s unapologetic lack of pants or Hefner’s delightfully affected satin smoking jackets? Remember, no one’s watching you cast your vote.
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Comments (13)
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You know, at least Disney had the decency to die in dignity. Hugh Hefner is nothing but a walking chemically-induced erection. And Daisy Duck is hotter than any of the bunnies.
posted by OM on 3-17-2009 at 2:10 pm
“You Had Already Voted For This Poll. Poll ID #11.”
Hmm… no I haven’t voted for this one… curious.
posted by Jason! on 3-17-2009 at 2:34 pm
After watching South Park this week, I’m not sure which of these two is/was actually better at selling sex.
posted by Chris on 3-17-2009 at 2:42 pm
something else to think about… Walt was horrible with the financial side of his business, so if it weren’t for his brother Roy’s marketing (Mickey Mouse watch, anyone?) and management of the Disney assets Walt might have been another failed entrepreneur. I think that Hugh actually handles his own finances, or at least he did in the beginning.
posted by whirlybird on 3-17-2009 at 3:05 pm
I’ll take Hefner’s contributions to great literary arts over Disney’s complete bastardization of classic tales and history any day.
posted by JenPo on 3-17-2009 at 3:10 pm
Disney was a genius because parents have to hear about how their kids want everything Disney and they give in to have them shut up. It’ll never die.
posted by angela on 3-17-2009 at 4:15 pm
Grotto? Perhaps you should look up that word in the dictionary.
posted by middy on 3-17-2009 at 4:54 pm
I had to vote for Disney…whatever the Hef’s financial genius might have been that’s been overshadowed in my mind by the damage that the mainstreaming of pornography has done to our society. Sorry to be a prude, but I’ve seen waay too much about kids taking and sending nude pictures of each other with their cameraphones…and while part of that is induced by natural teenage curiousness and the access to the technology, a lot of that is caused by the fact that kids see porn stars as role models now, which I don’t think is so much healthy.
/end rant
posted by Fruppi on 3-17-2009 at 4:59 pm
Wow, touch choice. Mickey Mouse or Bunnies…
posted by Reddkatz on 3-17-2009 at 6:12 pm
I can tell already.. Some of these will be extremely one sided, and some will be a dead draw. Can’t wait!
posted by Jane on 3-17-2009 at 8:43 pm
Disney’s empire is still going strong, but Hefner’s has been gutted by the internet.
posted by gibson8or on 3-17-2009 at 10:56 pm
Uh, who has contributed something positive and pasting to our world? Disney will be remembered long after Hefner is dust.
posted by Valerie on 3-17-2009 at 11:53 pm
Lasting…
posted by Valerie on 3-17-2009 at 11:54 pm