Dynamite (magazine)
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Dynamite was a magazine for children published by Scholastic Press from 1974 until 1992. The first issue, Dynamite #1, was dated March 1974 and featured characters Hawkeye and Radar from the popular television series M*A*S*H. The final issue, Dynamite #165, was dated March 1992 and featured actress Julia Roberts and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Popular in the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine served as a guide to popular culture for a generation of children. Dynamite 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 three decades in TV shows (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 other assorted themes.
In addition items on the back covers to punch out or assemble (such as puzzles, games, postcards, mobiles, bookmarks, or masks), Dynamite also included bonus inserts, such as fold-out posters, greeting cards, calendars, or records. Often the magazine would contain additional bonus inserts such as baseball cards, stickers, or glow-in-the-dark items. Occasional 3-D posters with glasses were also popular, featuring images such as King Kong, skateboarding, and outer space.
Dynamite magazine served as an activity book each month, offering tricks, recipes, games, and contests. It also served as a monthly update on popular culture, and it was a way for children to pass the time before the advent of cable television and VCRs. Dynamite magazine was available through subscription, on newsstands, and through monthly orders circulated by school teachers using Scholastic's Arrow Book Club.
In 1984, Scholastic Press reduced the number of color pages and lowered the publication rate from 12 monthly issues of Dynamite per year to six (and subsequently five) issues per year. Editors developed more features about teen idols in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with cover stories on Johnny Depp, Alyssa Milano, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Will Smith, along with two 8 x 11 mini-posters per issue. Features from the later years included the Dynamite Activity Center, Dynamite Puzzle Pages, and spooky stories by R. L. Stine (aka Jovial Bob Stine), who would later create the Goosebumps series.
Features such as Bummers, Hot Stuff, and "And Now a Word from Our Sponsor" endured until Julia Roberts and Arnold Schwarzenegger graced the final issue, Dynamite #165, in March 1992.
[edit] Cover stories
| Issue | Volume | Number | Date | Cover Story | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 1974 | Dynamite Meets M*A*S*H! | |||
| 2 | Apr 1974 | Dynamite and the Seven Waltons | |||
| 3 | May 1974 | A Visit to the MADhouse: A New Dynamite Reader-Ecch! | |||
| 4 | Oct 1974 | The Love Bug Returns: Herbie Tells All | |||
| 5 | Nov 1974 | Born Free: Dynamite gets thrown to the lions! | |||
| 6 | Dec 1974 | This Is Your Life, Snoopy | |||
| 7 | Jan 1975 | All About All in the Family | |||
| 8 | Feb 1975 | Inside The Six Million Dollar Man | |||
| 9 | Mar 1975 | John Denver and Dynamite: Farrrrr-out | |||
| 10 | Apr 1975 | "Now that's what I call DY-NO-MITE!" | |||
| 11 | May 1975 | Little House on the Prairie: A Big Story! | |||
| 12 | Jun 1975 | Welcome to the Dynamite Monster Bash! | |||
| 13 | Jul 1975 | Dynamite Visits TV’s Land of the Lost! | |||
| 14 | Aug 1975 | Inside Disney World! What it’s really like! | |||
| 15 | Sep 1975 | The Monster Hall of Fame: Enter If You Dare! | |||
| 16 | Oct 1975 | TV ’76: A Dawn Good Season! | |||
| 17 | Nov 1975 | Bruce Lee Lives! | |||
| 18 | Dec 1975 | Invisible Man: TV’s Most Outtasite Character! | |||
| 19 | Jan 1976 | Attention! Attention! New Men on M*A*S*H | |||
| 20 | Feb 1976 | Cher! | |||
| 21 | Mar 1976 | J. J. In a Movie! Dyn-o-mite! | |||
| 22 | Apr 1976 | Face To Face With Fonzie! | |||
| 23 | May 1976 | Meet The Sweat Hogs | |||
| 24 | Jun 1976 | Let's Go To The Hop! Special Dynamite Fifties Party Issue! | |||
| 25 | Jul 1976 | Space: 1999 Takes Off! | |||
| 26 | Aug 1976 | Welcome to the San Diego Zoo | |||
| 27 | Sep 1976 | Catching Up With The Bionic Woman! | |||
| 28 | Oct 1976 | A Dynamite Double Feature! Laverne and Shirley And King Kong! | |||
| 29 | Nov 1976 | The Six Million Dollar Man vs. The Bionic Woman! | |||
| 30 | Dec 1976 | Dynamite Meets Donny And Marie! | |||
| 31 | Jan 1977 | The Bay City Rollers: An Exclusive Interview! | |||
| 32 | Feb 1977 | Fonzie and Pinky Face the Future! | |||
| 33 | Mar 1977 | A Dynamite Duo - The Captain And Tennille! | |||
| 34 | Apr 1977 | John Travolta: Barbarino and Beyond! | |||
| 35 | May 1977 | Charlie Brown, Superstar! | |||
| 36 | Jun 1977 | What's Happening is What's Happening!! | |||
| 37 | Jul 1977 | Bob Hegyes is a Real Person! | a | ||
| 38 | 1 | 1 | Jul 1977 | Mark Fidrych: Big Bird of Baseball | b |
| 39 | 1 | 2 | Aug 1977 | The Return of The Brady Bunch! | |
| 40 | 1 | 3 | Sep 1977 | Farrah! | |
| 41 | 1 | 4 | Oct 1977 | The Hardy Boys: A Dynamite Detective Story! | |
| 42 | 1 | 5 | Nov 1977 | Sylvester Stallone: What's next for the star of Rocky? | |
| 43 | 1 | 6 | Dec 1977 | Catching Up With Logan's Run! | |
| 44 | 1 | 7 | Jan 1978 | Star Wars And Shaun - Top Stars of the Year! | |
| 45 | 1 | 8 | Feb 1978 | Meet Kristy McNichol! | |
| 46 | 1 | 9 | Mar 1978 | Kate Jackson | |
| 47 | 1 | 10 | Apr 1978 | Happy Birthday, MAD! | |
| 48 | 1 | 11 | May 1978 | Shields And Yarnell: Wind 'Em Up and Laugh | |
| 49 | 1 | 12 | Jun 1978 | Cheryl Ladd | |
| 50 | 2 | 1 | Jul 1978 | The Best of Dynamite! | |
| 51 | 2 | 2 | Aug 1978 | Special Hollywood Issue! | |
| 52 | 2 | 3 | Sep 1978 | Lou Ferrigno: More than just a Hulk of muscle! | |
| 53 | 2 | 4 | Oct 1978 | The Bee Gees vs. The Beatles! Who's the Greatest? | |
| 54 | 2 | 5 | Nov 1978 | The Secrets of Battlestar Galactica! | |
| 55 | 2 | 6 | Dec 1978 | Cruising With The Love Boat Crew! | |
| 56 | 2 | 7 | Jan 1979 | Mork And Mindy: TV's Out-of-this-World Comedy! | |
| 57 | 2 | 8 | Feb 1979 | Meet the guys from CHiPs! | |
| 58 | 2 | 9 | Mar 1979 | Kristy McNichol & Leif Garrett | |
| 59 | 2 | 10 | Apr 1979 | Dynamite Discoveries of the Year! Christopher Reeve And Lynn-Holly Johnson | |
| 60 | 2 | 11 | May 1979 | Kermit And Miss Piggy: A Muppet love story? | |
| 61 | 2 | 12 | Jun 1979 | Robin Williams: More than Mork! | |
| 62 | 3 | 1 | Jul 1979 | All In The Family - Monster Style! | |
| 63 | 3 | 2 | Aug 1979 | Special Science Fiction Issue! First Preview of Star Wars II! | |
| 64 | 3 | 3 | Sep 1979 | Face to Face With Erik Estrada | |
| 65 | 3 | 4 | Oct 1979 | Gary Coleman: TV's Little Big Man | |
| 66 | 3 | 5 | Nov 1979 | The Dukes of Hazzard | |
| 67 | 3 | 6 | Dec 1979 | Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy! | |
| 68 | 3 | 7 | Jan 1980 | Mork and His New Pals! | |
| 69 | 3 | 8 | Feb 1980 | Buck Rogers: Then and Now! | |
| 70 | 3 | 9 | Mar 1980 | Live From New York: It's Gilda Radner! | |
| 71 | 3 | 10 | Apr 1980 | BJ And The Bear: A Special Talk with Greg Evigan! | |
| 72 | 3 | 11 | May 1980 | Benji: Hollywood's Top Dog! | |
| 73 | 3 | 12 | Jun 1980 | Meet John Schneider! | |
| 74 | 4 | 1 | Jul 1980 | Miss Piggy: A Real Ham at Heart | |
| 75 | 4 | 2 | Aug 1980 | TV's Top Reruns: The Brady Bunch and More! | |
| 76 | 4 | 3 | Sep 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | |
| 77 | 4 | 4 | Oct 1980 | Shaun Cassidy in Breaking Away | |
| 78 | 4 | 5 | Nov 1980 | That's Incredible! | |
| 79 | 4 | 6 | Dec 1980 | Dynamite Spends A Happy Day With Scott Baio! | |
| 80 | 4 | 7 | Jan 1981 | Meet Tom Wopat of The Dukes of Hazzard! | |
| 81 | 4 | 8 | Feb 1981 | Gary Coleman Grows Up and Stars in a New Movie! | |
| 82 | 4 | 9 | Mar 1981 | Buck Rogers and Wilma: TV's Fun Couple of the Future! | |
| 83 | 4 | 10 | Apr 1981 | Count Morbida's Monstrous Movie Quiz | |
| 84 | 4 | 11 | May 1981 | Bugs Bunny Is Back! | |
| 85 | 4 | 12 | Jun 1981 | The Great Muppet Caper | |
| 86 | 5 | 1 | Jul 1981 | TV Kids - Then and Now! | |
| 87 | 5 | 2 | Aug 1981 | Special Collector's Issue - All About Bummers! | |
| 88 | 5 | 3 | Sep 1981 | The Greatest American Hero and Superman, Too! | |
| 89 | 5 | 4 | Oct 1981 | Dynamite Dares to Ride With the Dukes! | |
| 90 | 5 | 5 | Nov 1981 | Master Magician The Amazing Randi Tells the Truth About the Fakes! | |
| 91 | 5 | 6 | Dec 1981 | Happy Tenth Birthday, M*A*S*H! | |
| 92 | 5 | 7 | Jan 1982 | Meet Rick Springfield! | |
| 93 | 5 | 8 | Feb 1982 | Lee Majors in The Fall Guy: Who Does the Stuntman's Stunts? | |
| 94 | 5 | 9 | Mar 1982 | Melissa Gilbert All Grown Up! | |
| 95 | 5 | 10 | Apr 1982 | Lisa Whelchel Tells the Facts of Her Life! | |
| 96 | 5 | 11 | May 1982 | Meet Mr. Merlin's Magic Helper Clark Brandon! | |
| 97 | 5 | 12 | Jun 1982 | Annie: The Making of the Movie | |
| 98 | 6 | 1 | Jul 1982 | A Close Encounter with E. T. | |
| 99 | 6 | 2 | Aug 1982 | Sylvester Stallone: A Chat with the Rocky III Champ! | |
| 100 | 6 | 3 | Sep 1982 | Joanie Loves Chachi: And Dynamite Loves Them Both! | |
| 101 | 6 | 4 | Oct 1982 | E. T.: Meet the Creature | |
| 102 | 6 | 5 | Nov 1982 | The Dark Crystal: An All-New Muppet Creature Feature | |
| 103 | 6 | 6 | Dec 1982 | Meet Garfield: Heavyweight Champion of Cartoon Cats | |
| 104 | 6 | 7 | Jan 1983 | Matt Dillon: Tells How His Good Looks Get in His Way | |
| 105 | 6 | 8 | Feb 1983 | Square Pegs: The Hottest TV Hit Of The Year! | |
| 106 | 6 | 9 | Mar 1983 | MTV: All About TV's Rock and Roll Station | |
| 107 | 6 | 10 | Apr 1983 | Ricky Schroder: Meet the star of Silver Spoons | |
| 108 | 6 | 11 | May 1983 | Meet Kim Fields: Star of The Facts of Life | |
| 109 | 6 | 12 | Jun 1983 | The Return Of The Jedi: A talk with the man inside C3PO! | |
| 110 | 7 | 1 | Jul 1983 | Dynamite's Greatest Hits | |
| 111 | 7 | 2 | Aug 1983 | Meet David Hasselhoff: Knight Rider's Driving Force | |
| 112 | 7 | 3 | Sep 1983 | Knight Rider is Dynamite! An Exclusive interview with David Hasselhoff | |
| 113 | 7 | 4 | Oct 1983 | Michael Jackson: A Thriller for Music Fans | c |
| 114 | 7 | 4 | Nov 1983 | Luke Skywalker And Princess Leia: What's Next After Jedi? | c |
| 115 | 7 | 5 | Dec 1983 | Men At Work | |
| 116 | 7 | 6 | Jan 1984 | Meet "Mr. T": His Look Is Tough - His Heart Is Tender | |
| 117 | 7 | 7 | Feb 1984 | Gary Coleman: A Talk With TV's Top Teen | |
| 118 | 7 | 8 | Mar 1984 | Meet Michael J. Fox, Star of Family Ties! | |
| 119 | 7 | 9 | Apr 1984 | Mr. T - As You've Never Seen Him! | |
| 120 | 7 | 10 | May 1984 | Harrison Ford: The Raiders Star Returns | |
| 121 | 7 | 11 | Jun 1984 | Supergirl: From the Comics to the Silver Screen! | |
| 122 | 7 | 12 | Jul 1984 | Dynamite Goes to the Movies | |
| 123 | 8 | 1 | Sep 1984 | Tops On TV: Webster's Emmanuel Lewis | d |
| 124 | 8 | 2 | Oct 1984 | Scott Baio is Charles in Charge! | |
| 125 | 8 | 3 | Nov 1984 | Heathcliff! | |
| 126 | 8 | 4 | Jan 1985 | Backstage at the Bill Cosby Show | |
| 127 | 8 | 5 | Feb 1985 | Duran Duran | |
| 128 | 8 | 6 | Mar 1985 | Ralph Macchio: The Karate Kid Star is a Hit! | |
| 129 | 9 | 1 | Sep 1985 | How Success Changed The Cosby Show Kids! | |
| 130 | 9 | 2 | Oct 1985 | Cartoon Cavalcade | |
| 131 | 9 | 3 | Nov 1985 | Garfield | |
| 132 | 9 | 4 | Jan 1986 | Punky Brewster! | |
| 133 | 9 | 5 | Feb 1986 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 134 | 9 | 6 | Mar 1986 | Back To The Present With Michael J. Fox! | |
| 135 | 10 | 1 | Sep 1986 | TV's Favorite Families! | |
| 136 | 10 | 2 | Oct 1986 | Tony Danza | |
| 137 | 10 | 3 | Nov 1986 | Most Popular TV Guys! | |
| 138 | 10 | 4 | Jan 1987 | A Super Michael J. Fox Scrapbook | |
| 139 | 10 | 5 | Feb 1987 | Chart-Topping Ladies Of Rock | |
| 140 | 10 | 6 | Mar 1987 | Meet Star Students From Head Of The Class | |
| 141 | 11 | 1 | Sep 1987 | Heard It Through The Grapevine: Exclusive interview with a commercial "star"! | e |
| 142 | 11 | 2 | Oct 1987 | Alyssa Milano | |
| 143 | 11 | 3 | Nov 1987 | Kirk Cameron | |
| 144 | 11 | 4 | Jan 1988 | Show Biz Siblings: Featuring River Phoenix And Family! | |
| 145 | 11 | 5 | Mar 1988 | This Is Your Life, Garfield! | |
| 146 | 12 | 1 | Sep 1988 | A Dynamite Kirk Cameron Photo Album! | |
| 147 | 12 | 2 | Oct 1988 | Who's the Best? Debbie Gibson vs. Tiffany | |
| 148 | 12 | 3 | Nov 1988 | Hollywood's Top Teen Talents: Corey Haim And Corey Feldman! | |
| 149 | 12 | 4 | Jan 1989 | Johnny Depp - TV's Top Cop Star! | |
| 150 | 12 | 5 | Mar 1989 | A Different World's Jasmine Guy | |
| 151 | 13 | 1 | Sep 1989 | Exclusive Interview: The Wonder Years' Fred Savage! | |
| 152 | 13 | 2 | Oct 1989 | Debbie Gibson: Rock's Top Teen! | |
| 153 | 13 | 3 | Nov 1989 | Dynamite Makes a Full House Call | |
| 154 | 13 | 4 | Jan 1990 | Meet The Kids of Roseanne! | |
| 155 | 13 | 5 | Mar 1990 | Cast Your Vote for Favorite TV Starlet! | |
| 156 | 14 | 1 | Sep 1990 | Paula Abdul! | |
| 157 | 14 | 2 | Oct 1990 | Basketball Big Shot, Michael "Air" Jordan! | |
| 158 | 14 | 3 | Nov 1990 | The Simpsons! | |
| 159 | 14 | 4 | Jan 1991 | New Kids on the Block and a Galaxy of Maurice Starr's Stars! | |
| 160 | 14 | 5 | Mar 1991 | Candace Cameron! | |
| 161 | 15 | 1 | Sep 1991 | Will Smith: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | |
| 162 | 15 | 2 | Oct 1991 | Face to Face With Macaulay Culkin! | |
| 163 | 15 | 3 | Nov 1991 | Family Matters' Jaleel (Urkel) White! | |
| 164 | 15 | 4 | Jan 1992 | The Cast of Beverly Hills 90210 | |
| 165 | 15 | 5 | Mar 1992 | Julia Roberts! Arnold Schwarzenegger! |
[edit] Notes
Note a: Issue #37 and Issue #38 were both dated "July 1977."
Note b: Effective with Issue #38, Dynamite began a secondary numbering system by labeling each issue with a "Volume" and a "Number." Since this change was not retroactive, Issue #38 was labeled "Volume 1, Number 1."
Note c: Issue #113 and Issue #114 were both labeled "Volume 7, Number 4." Although Issue #114 was incorrectly labeled as such, seriation continued in this manner so that all subsequent labeled Numbers (in Volume 7) were also incorrect.
Note d: Effective with Issue #123, Dynamite reduced its publication rate from 12 issues per year (one issue published per month) to six issues per year (one issue published in the months of September, October, November, January, February, and March only).
Note e: Effective with Issue #141, Dynamite reduced its publication rate from six issues per year (one issue published in the months of September, October, November, January, February, and March only) to five issues per year (one issue published in the months of September, October, November, January, and March only). Hence, the February issue was eliminated from the publication schedule.
