Highlights is a
publication made for children between the ages of two and twelve. It is not sold in
newsstands and can be acquired through
subscription only. Relying on subscription sales alone, Highlights is free of all
advertising and is a magazine entirely of content across its 42 pages. Filled with puzzles, games, art, stories and letters, it encourages education and reading in kids.
The first Highlights magazine was published in June of 1946 with twenty thousand copies printed. Currently the magazine has a 2.5 million circulation base. Founded by Dr. Garry Cleveland Myers and his wife Caroline Clark Myers, the couple started their own magazine after working in the children’s literature business for twelve years. Through grandchildren and great grandchildren, they continue to promote "Fun with a Purpose” with no religious indications in the content nor advertisements.
The most recognizable part of the magazine is the “Hidden Pictures” section. Appearing in the first issue, and in every issue since, Hidden Pictures is an illustration from which you find smaller objects hidden with in the full image; such as a banana hiding in the limb of a tree, or a mitten in the curtains on the window.
Another popular feature is the “What’s Wrong With This Picture” section. Similar to Hidden Pictures, an illustration depicts inconsistencies such as a child running with one boot and one shoe on, upside down umbrellas, lawnmowers moving snow... you get the point.
Most people will remember the magazine and absolutely adore it, or loathe it. A favorite among doctors and dentists’ offices, a lot of kids will associate the waiting room material as a sign of upcoming doom and gloom. Others remember the magazine as the first piece of mail they ever had subscribed in their names.