"Gargoyle" was declared dead in 1950 when the Board in Control of Student Publications took offense to the issue "The Smooth Gargoyle". Publication continued off campus for a year, and when "Gargoyle" returned the next year, literary pieces were discontinued and the focus became solely humor. During the 1950s the magazine acquired a counterculture reputation, promoting everything from co-ed housing in the 1950s to Vietnam War protests in the 1960s. In response to the advent of "Playboy" in the 1950s and the sexual revolution of the 1960s, "Gargoyle" became progressively more risque. While sex, illegal drugs, and otherwise raunchy jokes have been common fare in issues of the "Gargoyle" since the 1970s, the magazine has generally tried to maintain a level of intelligence and artistry in its humor.