# What magazines did you read in your childhood/teens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215 "2006-07-19T19:24:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/1 "2006-07-19T19:24:24Z")
When I was growing up I read a lot of _MAD_ magazines, along with its competitor, called _Cracked_. When I got older and into heavy metal music I bought issues of _Circus_ and _Hit Parade_ every month to keep up on the latest happenings in the rock music world. I also bought several magazines devoted to video games, but I don’t remember what they were called. Once I was out of high school I had a Tandy Color Computer 3, so I was an avid reader of its companion magazine, the _Rainbow_, which featured listings of BASIC programs that you could type in (some of these would take hours of painstaking work). Once I moved into the PC world I started buying \*Compute![i/] back when “blazing fast” 486 machines were cutting-edge technology. By then I was in my twenties. So what were your favorite magazines from your childhood and teen years? What magazines did you read as you moved into adulthood? For this thread, let’s leave out the porn magazines. I’m talking about magazines that you could openly buy at the corner newsstand or had a subscription for when you were growing up. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/2 "2006-07-19T19:44:26Z")
**Sassy** , back when it was good and snarky (prior to Seventeen purchasing it)…I swear! It was a pretty well-done rag for pre-teen girls back in the day. I think the editors from Jane used to run it prior to the buyout. **YM** & **Seventeen** **Time** was one of the first magazines I remember reading as a kid-there were stacks of it in our house. **Readers Digest** and I used to be on a big policy debate team in high school and was assigned a few newspapers and magazines to “cut cards” for throughout highschool. I remember WSJ and The Economist and there was another really random one for foreign policy that I don’t remember but I got dumped on me because my father had a library card to MIT and I was able to get it through him. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/3 "2006-07-19T19:46:09Z")
Childhood – _Mad_ and _American Girl_ (published by the Girl Scouts – is that still in existence?). Teens – _Ms_, _National Lampoon_. Hmph. Even I’m not sure what to make of that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/4 "2006-07-19T19:54:45Z")
_Boy’s Life_ and then later _Mad Magazine_. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/5 "2006-07-19T19:57:25Z")
Childhood: _[Ranger Rick](http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=81)_. I’d also look at _National Geographic_, but for the pictures as the articles tended to be over my head. Teens: _Glamour, Cosmo and YM_ Now I’m back into _National Geographic_, along with _Cooking Light_ and _Rolling Stone_. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/6 "2006-07-19T19:58:21Z")
When I was a pre-teen, my two favorite magazines were **MAD** and **Calling All Girls** (which later became **Young Miss** and then **YM** ). ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/7 "2006-07-19T20:10:19Z")
In the beginning, there was _Highlights_. I still find it in doctor’s offices, and it still warms my heart. (Damn you Goofus!). Somewhere between _Highlights_ and _Mad/Cracked_ there was something called Dynamite or Banannas or something like that. Lets see… Anyone else read/remember: \*321 Contact? Pennywise? Ranger Rick Schollastic somethingorother? Dragon Magazine \*(did that comic in the back ever get to sex and D&D?) _Games?_ I’ll also second _Boy’s Life_ and _National Lampoon_. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/8 "2006-07-19T20:11:50Z")
Childhood: Popular Mechanics, New Yorker, National Geographic. Teens: Penthouse, Playboy, Dragon. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/9 "2006-07-19T20:17:27Z")
_Boy’s Life, Reader’s Digest, National Geographic_ and _The Saturday Evening Post_ which shows how old I am. Could not afford to buy any of them back then, but I read them all in the library, as well as newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![Waldo\_Jeffers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Waldo\_Jeffers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waldo_Jeffers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/10 "2006-07-19T20:48:08Z")
I’m not much of a magazine reader, but I used to love **Nintendo Power** when I was a kid. I started reading **ChartAttack** as a teen, and I still like it. It’s got a great mix of stuff on independent music and very mainstream pop. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/11 "2006-07-19T21:21:22Z")
Childhood: _Cricket_ - I actually got a couple poems published in this one. _Ranger Rick Boy’s Life National Geographic Reader’s Digest_ Teens: Mostly just _Hit Parader_ and occasionally _Circus_. Frequently picked up _MAD Magazine_. In my twenties: _Scrye_ and _Inquest_ (collectible card game magazines), _Playboy, Hustler_ Nowadays: _Bass Player, Dragon_, and _Dungeon_. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/12 "2006-07-19T21:22:40Z")
Boys’ Life, Nintendo Power, Ranger Rick, Highlights, 3-2-1 Contact, Discover, Some other sciency magazine that became Discover (started with an E or I), Sports Illustrated, all at one time or another. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/13 "2006-07-19T21:28:54Z")
Boys Life Cracked Omni Field & Stream Car & Driver Not necessarily in that order. I think Omni was a constant companion through my teen years. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/14 "2006-07-19T21:31:00Z")
Oh, I remember Hit Parader and Circus. And Cream! I spent all my allowance money on records. Rolling Stone, back before it was glossy. I read Time if it was around the house, Reader’s Digest (for the jokes) at other peoples’ houses. Then Mademoiselle and Glamour. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/15 "2006-07-19T21:41:14Z")
Omni! So it was an O, not and E or I. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/16 "2006-07-19T21:59:18Z")
Beginning in 1973 and in roughly chronological order, I had subscriptions to: _Cricket_ _Boys Life_ _Cracked_ _Pizzazz_ _Sports Illustrated_ _Electronic Games_ I also read _Time_, _Readers Digest_, and _TV Guide_ (does that count as a magazine?), since my parents had subscriptions. As a young teenager I struggled through their copies of _Harper’s_ and _Smithsonian_. My younger brother got _Highlights_ and _Ranger Rick_, so I sometimes read those. At my grandparents’ house I was baffled by the _New Yorker_. I bought single issues of _MAD_ and of various annual football or baseball season-preview magazines. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/17 "2006-07-19T22:52:33Z")
Other than comic books? I never read many magazines as a preteen. Once I was a teenager, I was into Scientific American, Science Digest, Omni, and Harper’s. If I’d consistently been able to get my hand on The New Yorker, I’d have read that too. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/18 "2006-07-19T22:53:50Z")
> [@Skald the Rhymer](#): > > Other than comic books? > > I never read many magazines as a preteen. Once I was a teenager, I was into Scientific American, Science Digest, Omni, and Harper’s. If I’d consistently been able to get my hand on The New Yorker, I’d have read that too. Oh, I forgot that I also read confession magazines like True Story, Modern Romance, etc. once I started writing for money, which was when I was 17, as I figured them for a (relatively) easy sale. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/19 "2006-07-19T23:09:20Z")
I had a subscription to Highlights, so I read it. My parents subscribed to Reader’s Digest, and I read that too. However, my very favorite magazine was Analog (science fiction) and I enjoyed going over to my grandparents’ house where Grandpa would let me read just about any book or magazine in his collection. He subscribed to quite a few SF magazines, and had a wonderful book collection. He was a pompous old bastard, but he was delighted that one of his grandkids was interested in the field. ---
**Author:** ![SpectBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215/20 "2006-07-20T00:31:51Z")
Popular Mechanics Popular Electronics Mad Magazine - read reread and rereread them until the magazines fell apart. Playboy magazine (found my father’s stash). And I actually did read them for the articles (1960’s) National Lampoon [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-did-you-read-in-your-childhood-teens/365215.md?page=2)