The Mass Appeal to Yuppie Kids - The Washington Post

It was probably inevitable that the baroque and pricey strollersof the '80s would be followed by a children's magazine boom in the'90s.

University of Mississippi journalism professor Samir Husniestimates that 25 magazines for kids have been created since 1985,and the past 18 months have been particularly busy. 'It's a boomingmarket,' says Husni, head of the school's magazine program. 'We areseeing more and more magazines coming out and aiming at many of thechildren of the yuppies.'

Advertisers and publishers have realized that parents who workand spend less time with their kids-what Husni calls 'the guiltygeneration'-are loading their children down with money and gifts.Many of the new magazines are spinoffs of movies, TV and toys.There's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Barbie, Alf and otherpublications. Such magazines are not necessarily forever-He-Man andShe-Ra magazine has already died. So when there's anotherpre-adolescent trend, expect a magazine to follow.

Publishers are also appealing to parents with magazines likeSports Illustrated for Kids, Racing for Kids and Ladybug, moreserious publications with at least the promised purpose of improvingthe free time and/or imagination of children. Since children willprobably manage to find Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles magazinethemselves, the following are some that are less likely to driveparents mad.

SI for Kids

Launched in January 1989, SI for Kids is a slick and energeticminiature version of Sports Illustrated. Doubtless the hope is thatlittle SI readers will grow into big SI readers. Time Inc. says themagazine is for children 8 and up and promises that 85 percent of thereaders save every issue. That enthusiastic fact is typical of thepublication, which is endlessly peppy, much in the manner of a gymteacher. Given that most of the potential readers probably love gym,the tone seems right.

The August issue features a story by a 14-year-old who was thefirst girl in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to play Little League baseball, aday-in-the-life of Chicago Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston and a pieceon IronKids triathlons, which is enough to intimidate any adult outof ever venturing onto the playing field again.

Each monthly issue also profiles young athletes and asks a classof kids to opine on controversial sports issues such as 'Shouldbaseball players charge money for their autographs?' and 'Should a13-year-old be allowed to play professional sports?' There is amonthly poster and a page of sports cards, modified baseball cardsthat cover a number of sports and succumb to the Urge to Educate.(Monica Seles is from Yugoslavia, so what's the capital ofYugoslavia? ... Time's up. Belgrade.)

One year-$17.95. Write to Sports Illustrated for Kids, P.O. Box830609, Birmingham, Ala. 35283-0609.

A Magazine for Toddlers

Ladybug's premiere issue will not be out until September, but adshave been appearing in such suitably tasteful locations as the NewYorker, the magazine to which Ladybug's mother publication, Cricket,has long been compared. A monthly intended for toddlers,preschoolers and beginning readers, Ladybug features simple stories,games and poems in very large type.

Like Cricket, which describes itself as the only literarymagazine for children, Ladybug has attracted well-known authors andillustrators of children's books to contribute (Helen Oxenbury, knownfor her simple picture books, has created Leo and Popi, thecontinuing tale of a small boy and his toy monkey). The artthroughout is lovely, and the heavy paper the magazine is printed onsuggests that a certain amount of food could be splattered across thepages without irreversible damage. Given the appallingly high priceof children's books, Ladybug will seem a bargain for many parents andgift-givers.

Cricket itself published a 200th issue last month and continuesstrong. Neither it nor Ladybug accepts advertising, and to look atthe magazines you would believe all children live in a worlduntouched by television or any shadow of a Ninja Turtle. Many of thestories are folk tales or translated from foreign languages, thecovers are elegant enough to frame, and the small cricket and otheranimals that migrate through the pages defining words like'rambunctious' continue to be exceptionally witty.

These are the magazines that literate parents wish theirchildren would read. Gentle, sincere, classy, they are almost tooperfect-the educational television of kids' magazines. But theymanage to avoid sanctimony (something that plagues otherserious-minded magazines), and many children will love them.

For 12 issues of Ladybug send $24.97 to Ladybug, Box 58342,Boulder, Colo., 80322-8342. For 12 issues of Cricket send $29.97 toCricket, Box 51144, Boulder, Colo., 80322-2961.

Young Consumers

Yes, it sounds awful, but it's not-the magazine for kidspublished by Consumer Reports is fun. Where else can your childdiscover which bubble gum gives longer flavor, greater 'ease of chew'and admirable bubble blowability? (Bubble Yum won the thumbs up froma panel of 31 seventh graders.) And what with all their new-foundwealth, kids could probably use some guidance. The newly renamedZillions, formerly Penny Power, premieres this month.

In the August-September issue there are advice columns on suchthorny subjects as popularity, a discussion of the insidious use ofhidden advertisements in movies and a negative review of themuch-hyped The Pump, Reebok's newest $170 sneakers. Most of thearticles are written with a pleasant goofiness (in a test of how highthe pricey sneaker let them jump, kids measure their soar by pressingchocolate-covered fingers on the wall).

Of course, it's probably a hopeless battle. Much of the energyof childhood is involved in doing dumb stuff-buying the wrong thing,wanting to be incredibly popular, eating your way through theuniverse of chocolate ice cream bars rather than listening to adviceon which is best. But for the sophisticated kid who would enjoyoutsmarting television commercials, or for parents who hope some ofit might sink in, Zillions has much to be recommended.

For a one-year subscription of six issues, send $13.95 toZillions, P.O. Box 54861, Boulder, Colo., 80322-4861.

Charles Trueheart is on vacation.