Created in 1934 by French journalist Paul Winkler, the weekly combining comics and current affairs “adapts to today’s readers” and reinforces its “edutainment” content, explains its editor-in-chief, Edith Rieubon.
First change, the disappearance of the iconic Walt Disney mouse in the logo of the newspaper, “the character of Mickey is aimed at toddlers and less at 9-12 years old, our core target”. It is therefore Donald, a “very funny” character full of “flaws” who makes the first cover of the new version.
Another novelty is an activity book entrusted to the Castors Juniors (the scouts Riri, Dewey and Loulou), thanks to which the children will learn to recognize the footprints of wild animals or even to make a hotel for butterflies.
Say goodbye to plastic toys
“To reaffirm its ‘weekly’ side”, the newspaper opens on pages of sports, cultural news, etc. with in particular an “investigation” deciphering a major question such as the celebrity of the Mona Lisa or the metaverse.
A sign of the times, plastic gifts are disappearing in favor of “paper surprises”, such as a poster on the conquest of the Moon, also designed for teachers. “We tried to give back all its strength to the paper” with pages that come off, collect, become horny or cross out according to the games, summarizes Edith Rieubon.
The “exponential” use of screens during the Covid-19 health crisis has “created a reaction” among parents, she underlines, confident in the future of the youth press. Sales in the sector fell only 2% in 2021 compared to 2020, compared to -5.3% for all of the magazine press, according to the Alliance for press and media figures.