Dynamite (magazine)
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Dynamite was a magazine for children published by Scholastic Press. This guide to kids' popular culture ran from 1974 until 1992. The first cover, Dynamite #1 from 1974, featured M*A*S*H characters Hawkeye and Radar.
Popular in the 1970s and 1980s, Dynamite magazine included magic tricks with Magic Wanda; kids' one-line woes, known as "Bummers," which always began with the words, "Don't you hate it when..."; "And Now a Word from Our Sponsor" commercial parodies; the puzzle pages of the ghoulish Count Morbida; Hot Stuff, a section featuring gags and new stuff in stores; the birth and growth of a horse called Foxy Fiddler; reprinted origin stories on Marvel and DC superheroes, and later the comic superheroes the Dynamite Duo; and Good Vibrations, an advice column. Chock full of articles, "Dynamite" covers profiled two decades in TV (from The Six Million Dollar Man to Beverly Hills 90210), cartoons (from "Snoopy" to "Garfield"), movie stars (from Bruce Lee to River Phoenix), music stars (from John Denver to Paula Abdul), and assorted themes like Walt Disney World or movie monsters).
In addition to an item on the back to punch out or assemble, such as a puzzle, game, postcards, mobile, bookmarks, or a mask, Dynamite included a bonus insert, like a fold-out poster of animals or monsters, or greeting cards, a calendar, or a record. Often there would be a second bonus insert like baseball cards or stickers or a glow-in-the-dark item. The 3-D poster with glasses were also popular, featuring such designs as King Kong, skateboarding or outer space.
The magazine was like an activity book each month, with tricks, recipes, and articles on hobbies and room decor. It also served as a monthly update on what was new in popular culture, and it was a way to pass the time before cable and VCRs took off. Dynamite magazine was available via subscription, on newsstands, and through monthly orders circulated by teachers using the Arrow Book Club or Troll Book Club.
In 1985, Scholastic reduced the number of color pages, and lowered the publication rate from 12 issues of Dynamite a year to 6 issues a year. Editors developed more features about teen idols in the late 1980s, with cover stories on Johnny Depp, Alyssa Milano, and Corey Haim & Corey Feldman, along with two 8x11 mini-posters per issue. Features from the mid to late-80s included the Dynamite Activity Center, Dynamite Puzzle Pages, and spooky stories by R.L. Stine, aka Jovial Bob Stine, who would later dream up the Goosebumps series.
Features like Bummers, Hot Stuff, and "And Now a Word from Our Sponsor" endured until Arnold Schwarzenegger and Julia Roberts graced the final issue, #165, in 1992.
