Mickey Mouse Magazine is an American Disney comics publication that preceded the popular 1940 anthology comic book Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. There were three versions of the title – two promotional giveaway magazines published from 1933 to 1935, and a newsstand magazine published from 1935 to 1940. The publication gradually evolved from a 16-page booklet of illustrated text stories and single-page comic panels into a 64-page comic book featuring reprints of the Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck comic strips.[1]
The first version of the magazine was founded by Kay Kamen, the merchandising representative for Walt Disney Enterprises, and was given away by department stores and movie theaters that promoted Disney products. Nine issues were printed between January and September 1933. In November 1933, the second version was launched as a promotional giveaway for local dairies, edited by United Artists publicist and gag writer Hal Horne. 24 issues were published, until October 1935.
In summer 1935, the third Mickey Mouse Magazine was published by Horne, with the support of Kamen and Walt Disney Enterprises. This was a full-size newsstand magazine of short stories, poems, puzzles and comic panels, which promoted Disney films, cartoons and products. In the magazine's first year, Horne went into debt and had to turn the magazine over to Kamen, who continued the publication. In 1937, Kamen went into partnership with Western Printing and Lithographing Company, who evolved the magazine's content and format over several years into its final form, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, which became one of the best-selling comic books of all time.[2]
- ^ Becattini, Alberto (2016). Disney Comics: The Whole Story. Theme Park Press. p. 32-35. ISBN 978-1683900177.
- ^ De Wolf, Arthur. "The popularity of Disney comics and magazines around the world". Disney Comics Worldwide. Retrieved 2 August 2019.