Five Of The Best Kids Magazines Published In The 1970s

In the time before the internet, kids from the 1970s got their culture by reading entertainment magazines designed for people their age. Every trend and all the latest news were printed on those glossy pages, offering an escape from the conservative influence of parents and teachers.

These magazines were a source for the latest info on monsters, TV personalities, popular movies, and cartoons. No hip teenager would be caught dead without these five on-trend magazines from the '70s:

The Iconic Dynamite Magazine

Back in the '70s, kids who didn't get a copy of Dynamite were missing out on a whole lot of fun. Its covers usually featured pop culture personalities on a plain background. But what made Dynamite magazine so loved by the kids of that generation was the fact that it contained articles by Goosebumps author, R.L Stine, a regular joke section, and a cover story.

As the astute among you will have picked up, the Dynamite issue on the right says “For the 1980s Kid.” The magazine was such a hit that it continued to be a favorite all throughout the '80s.

Ugandan Asian children in a classroom in the UK, having been expelled from Uganda by President Idi Amin, along with thousands of other Asian families, 1st November 1972. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — Evening Standard/GettyImages

Cracked Magazine Was The Funniest

Pedestrians Browsing at a Newsstand (Photo by © Viviane Moos/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) — Viviane Moos/GettyImages

Despite Cracked being labeled as a less edgy version of its counterparts, the magazine remains one of the funniest of its time. Its content was usually about TV/movie parodies and covers. Thanks to its illustrator, John Severin, the humorous antics of the writers were magnified.

The team knew how to make their target demographic (middle school boys) crack up laughing. But what was best about buying and reading the stories and write-ups were the Cracked Monsters they released with every issue.

Kids Went Bananas for Bananas Magazine

English singer and guitarist Nick Heyward, of pop group Haircut 100, relaxes in a hotel room, 10th June 1982. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — Dave Hogan/GettyImages

Bananas magazine had the same look and content as Dynamite, but it catered to a slightly older audience. The magazine shared the same juvenile humor and family-friendly fodder, but it had articles more angled at older kids.

We have to admit that Bananas could never have the same level of illustrations and write-ups that MAD offered at the time (more on that soon). But then MAD didn’t match the number of color Bananas brought to the table. The photo above shows the Dukes of Hazzard in full, electric color!

Despite the magazine being known as an underdog when it came to writing and illustration, Daisy Duke in technicolor became a massive success for Bananas.

Mad And Cracked Wouldn't Be The Same Without Crazy

Often considered the third portion of the holy trinity of ‘70s kid's magazines, Crazy came from Marvel publications; and everyone knows how legendary they are! The magazine brought in comic book faces and artists which made it a huge hit amongst teenagers in the '70s. It was the edgiest of them all, and it was all made to cater to young kids!

A young man engrossed in Motorcyclist Illustrated magazine pays no attention to his adoring girlfriend, circa 1970. (Photo by Jamie Hodgson/Getty Images) — Jamie Hodgson/GettyImages

The holy trinity of kid’s magazines was comprised of Crazy, MAD and Cracked. Three of which were undefeated in the industry at the time.

Not Crazy, But Mad!

The cover of issue #8 of Mad magazine shows a cartoon by Harvey Kurtzman of two men as they follow oversized footprints through a hole in a brick wall and say to a terrified woman, — Hulton Archive/GettyImages

MAD Magazine became the standard for every humor magazine published from the ‘70s on. Its writers and artists were so good that MAD became a favorite amongst young audiences. Names like Sergio Aragones, Don Martin, Al Jaffee, David Berg, Jack Davis, and Mort Drucker were just a few of those who made the magazine iconic!

MAD steered away from political humor and controversial topics, concentrating instead on the fun side of pop culture. With this simple ethos behind its creation, the publication thrived.