Tween Zines

Selling to Kids,  April 19, 2000  

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In this month's Magazine Reader, we peer into the pages of magazines geared at younger kids and tweens. We give you the skinny on kids' favorite magazine features (according to them), and why some of these magazines continue to disappoint.

The hottest item out there this month was "Malcolm in the Middle's" Frankie Muniz. Whether he's talking about his show, or promoting his upcoming Disney movie, the kids mags are eating him up.

Advertising for "Viva Rock Vegas," the latest attempt to bring the Flintstones out of animation and onto the big screen, is heating up as well.

A new product from Kellogg's wins our stamp of approval: Snack 'Ums are "flavor blasted" cereal packaged for snacking out of the container. It's so obvious, we're surprised no one thought of it before.

Content in a few of the magazines is less exciting, however. Nickelodeon still has not achieved the smart, goofy, kid-flavored humor the company's other media offer. Silly, condescending content abounds, and even when the magazine wisely leverages the treasure trove of Nick properties, they somehow lose their edge.

American Girl, too, could stand to add more of its great characters to the mix.

And Crayola Kids loses some of its fun by veering back and forth between kid content and parent pages. The pub, to be discontinued after the May issue due to disagreements between the publisher and the licensor, is geared at an age group that likely needs some parent supervision. But making clear delineations between what's just for kids and what's for mom and dad is always helpful, and makes kids feel the magazine is designed for them. Magazine/Contact: American Girl, Lynn Newhouse, 608/836-4848 Overview: The magazine, as always, is jam-packed with real girls' stories. This special "All-Animal" issue makes the most of young girls' love of animals, from their pet hamsters to dolphins and horses. A girl who came up with her own board game, "PetWorld," provides the inspiration for an American Girl contest to find the best reader-designed Halloween board game. Girls' stories about their pets are part of the American Girl reader-driven model, and a quiz on animal know-how takes advantage of one of the best-loved elements of older girls mags. Articles on a girl who volunteers as a dolphin researcher and another who raises money to buy bulletproof vests for police dogs offer girl power inspiration. Ad Opps: American Girl carries no advertising, and the magazine actually does very little to pump its own properties. "Amelia's Notebook" is the only feature that comes close, with the promise of a "sneak peek" at her new book in the upcoming May/June issue.

Magazine/Contact: Crayola Kids, Jennifer Kendra, 212/551-7173 Overview: Kids' own pictures and projects give the magazine a kid-empowered flair, coupled with ideas and instructions for even more crafty play. This month a stargazing focus is the inspiration for homemade rockets made of film canisters and Alka-Seltzer (MacGyver would be proud), plus an article on Ellen Ochoa, an astronaut. Kids are invited to send pictures of what life would be like on Mars to Ochoa. You thought only adults were besieged with magazine pages devoted to the latest workout routines? Wrong. Apparently it's never too early to start thinking about fitness. A "fit for fun" feature gives young kids tips on everything from stretching to isometrics. Ad Opps: Since the magazine is geared toward a very young crowd whose moms will likely be supervising at least the crafts, if not the actual reading, much advertising is directed at parents. Some kiddie ads do appear, however, including a few for M&Ms minis, Handi-Snacks and Barbie minis collectibles.

Magazine/Contact: Nickelodeon, Herb Scannell, 212/258-6000 Overview: A special architecture issue has potential, but misses the boat. Where are kids' designs and stories about kids who have gotten involved in building and creating? Instead, editors resort to dreaming up fictitious architects whose designs include future homes which we will wear so we can transport them. Still, the issue does come up with a few creative ideas to involve kids in the mag. "Hall Side Attractions" offers a blueprint of the Nickelodeon office and snapshots of interesting items along the way. Another feature provides fun facts on the actual exteriors of buildings used on shows like "Friends" and "Malcolm in the Middle." And speaking of "Malcolm in the Middle," a Q&A with Malcolm himself, Freddie Muniz, gives kids a look at a real kid star. Ad Opps: Advertising in this issue includes Ralph Lauren for kids, Kool-Aid, Kellogg's Snack 'Ums, Disney videos, Nesquik, "Viva Rock Vegas," M&Ms, Cat-Dog gum and Wild Thornberry Crunch cereal.

Magazine/Contact: Sports Illustrated for Kids, Noreen Rafferty, 212/522-1212 Overview: As usual, SI for Kids offers plenty of kid-powered sports fun. Letters to the editor rave about a previous issue in which kids took over as editors and photographers. Readers especially loved Eliezer, the tween photographer who snapped very professional photos of an NFL game. Articles cover kid athletes, like a girl playing for a boys' hockey league, a rugby player, and a runner who got the gold at the Junior Olympics. Real athletes' embarrassing moments make sports heroes human for kids and provide one of kids' favorite magazine features. Bat-O-Matic, the magazine's new fantasy baseball league is available on the SI for Kids Web site. Ad Opps: Kool-Aid, Discovery Kids' Dino month, "Viva Rock Vegas," Kellogg's Snack 'Ums, Mega Warheads' sour face contest (offering kids a chance to win $1,000 and a spot in the next ad for the best sour face), Fox Kids' CGI animated "Action Man," and Frankie Muniz's new movie all get ad play.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Phillips Publishing International, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group