Non-gendered kids magazines

[BuanoKubiamVej]

This isn't a TAAT but there was briefly an inappropriate thread where someone was doing market research for a new kids magazine without having gone through MNHQ for legitimate access to their market research options. So obviously that got deleted but I thought it wouldbe interesting to discuss the options that are out there for kids magazines that aren't heavily gender-specific.

Favourites in our house are The Beano, Aquila and NatGeoKids. We also get occasional lego magazines. Two of the above are by subscription rather than than bought in shops. Shop displays of magazines are often very heavily segregated but its more a segregation of "pink&sparkly" vs "not pink&sparkly" so the non-gendered stuff gets lumped together into what could be perceived as a "boys" section.

I'm all in favour of a magazine that doesn't presuppose that a child's interests are linked to their genetic chromosomes but I would avoid one that used the term "nonbinary" as that suggests that such a non-sexist attitude is somehow a "different" and "special" status rather than common sense. But I do think that shop keepers should be encouraged not to segregate their magazines so much, so that the "these magazines are for any child who is interested" ones aren't implicitly being categorised as "not for girls"

What other non-gendered kids magazines are popular and how do the displays in shops affect your children's choices?

WRD about Books.

Animal Planet.

The Week Junior.

First News.

Aquila.

Phoenix.

Whizz Pop Bang

OKIDO

Just buy from all the sections?

RSPB

The Wildlife Trust Nature Detectives.

Tbh, magazines seem the least stereotypically sexed product.

No idea about buying a shop. It is ALWAYS cheaper to get a subscription.

We don't buy magazines from shops very often (when the kids were younger, we used to as a pre holiday treat).
We currently subscribe to Aquila and The Week Jr.
Have previously had pheonix, whiz pop bang and okido. I don't think any of those are gendered.

We get the Phoenix by subscription. DD tends to choose magazines in shops by the free toys available, so it can be a mix of girls/ boys magazines. Often it’s a CBeebies magazine, which tend to be gender-neutral.

Loads of kids comics aren’t ‘gendered’ - the bias comes from parent perception. The Beano, for example, is just a kids comic full of cheeky stories about boys and girls. Only sexist parents of girls who think it isn’t ‘pink and sparkly’ enough see it as a boys comic, actually it’s perfectly suitable for boys and girls and there are many female main characters.

(It’s like parents who complain that ‘girls shoes’ are uncomfy and impractical, while writing off all the comfy practical shoes as ‘for boys’ when actually those comfy shoes are perfectly gender neutral...)

The Phoenix is another wonderful comic suitable for either sex. My son used to adore Peppa Pig and CBeebies comics when he was younger. Wildlife, The Week Junior, etc etc

There are loads.

This is a gender specific kids magazine, but Kookie is fully for girls without even a suggestion of the pink and sparkly stuff. No boys, make-up or even advertising. The content is aimed fully at the stuff that tween girls actually like - books, sport, making stuff, history, cooking, coping with social dilemmas with humour and confidence, strong women to look up to, dealing with parents etc.

My girls both love it and it restored my faith in marketing for girls without sexualising them or training them to like stuff that they don't naturally gravitate towards at their age (sex, makeup etc.).

It's a sexed product, yes, but without any of the stereotypes that go along with it.

Who cares if they are gendered? My dgs gets the pink sparkly ones regularly as he likes them. They are only gendered if you buy into gender so don't buy in

DD now aged 40 still wont read Motorcycle Mechanics. Nor will our son,
so it's even.

We've only ever bought NGKids.

That one sounds really interesting @astoundedgoat thank you.

I think it's a good point that it's in the minds of parents that the pick%sparkly=for girls happens. I am probably guilty of that a bit.

Kids pick what free gift appeals to them the most on the cover. The sparky nail varnish or the slime.

I try to steer my kids in the direction of NatGeo.

My son went through a stage of loving a mini animal figure one. He has hundreds of the plastic cats/dogs etc. the cover was pink, it was obviously aimed at girls, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. In contrast my daughter always picks the Lego ninja one.

Solely on the freebies- they rarely read the actual mags.

@NewName9273

Kids pick what free gift appeals to them the most on the cover. The sparky nail varnish or the slime.

I try to steer my kids in the direction of NatGeo.

My son went through a stage of loving a mini animal figure one. He has hundreds of the plastic cats/dogs etc. the cover was pink, it was obviously aimed at girls, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. In contrast my daughter always picks the Lego ninja one.

Solely on the freebies- they rarely read the actual mags.

Ugh. I hate the "Free gifts". #1 lesson to DC is to show how "not free" they are because the Beano with no free gift is £2.99 and all the magazines with so-called "Free Gifts" are £5.99 so it's not free is it. It's £3 for a tatty bit of plastic not really worth more than £1. But that's how they make their margins isn't it.

They come without the 'free' gifts when you subscribe too!

@BuanoKubiamVej I agree they are not free. But I meant more from the kids view- it's what attracts them to the magazine.

NatGeo is marginally better because they are all plastic free

Oh this is my favourite topic - magazines for girls. Do you remember the magazines Bunty and Mandy etc?

I loved them as a girl, and bought some off eBay recently for DD. The thing is they were fully for girls, but thh here are what I would call quality content. Not terrible marketing trash. They were full of really excellent stories where a girl was dealing with tricky situations and always coming out on top. It was just brilliant stories for girls.

I actually came really close to seeing if I could republish them for today's generation- didn't quite get round to it - but happy for anyone to steal my business idea and make it happen.

We get the Beano which DD loves, but really that's predominantly a comic about boys. With just one or two token girls in it.

I hate all the pink sparkly stuff, even Lego friends is pretty trashy.

The other non Gendered magazines sound a bit worthy rather than fun to me. Like national geographic kids. It's ok but it's all about learning and saving the planet etc.

Will check out Kookie though, I haven't heard of that one.