There's About A Million German Children's Magazines With Toys
When walking by the magazine stand at a grocery store or convenience store in the U.S., how often have you noticed a stack of magazines for children there? Next to the fashion magazines? Maybe? No? Well, in Germany, the story is more than a little bit different.
Anywhere where magazines or newspapers are sold, there is a selection of magazines and comics for children, ranging from Lego, to princess related ones, to magazines about kid's shows, to historical fiction comic books. For someone used to mostly seeing fashion, sports, or technology magazines at the checkout aisle, it can be quite a surprise to look down and see a mini Lego kit, princess wand, and some sort of Pokemon toy looking back at you.
They're popular with parents (I'd guess, based on the number available), and certainly with children (based on the number of times I've heard, "But MOOOM!" coming from a kid near the register). Whether or not the toys are or aren't just more junk for children to collect, at least they promote reading with kids!