“Karicoco!” », trumpets the famous American mouse for the anniversary of his magazine: Mickey’s Diary celebrates his 90th birthday on Monday, he who, contrary to what is often believed, was born in France and not in the United States.
French heritage
“Few people know it” but “it is part of French heritage,” smiles its editor-in-chief, Édith Rieubon.
Dean of the youth press in France, Mickey’s Diarywhich is now released every two weeks, is celebrating this anniversary with a triple publication: after a large format in mid-September then a collector’s issue last Thursday, a 300-page special issue will be published this Wednesday, October 23. On the program: a compilation of the best comics in the newspaper’s history and a retrospective of its cult sections.
The first Mickey’s Diary was released on October 21, 1934, two years after a nearby Italian publication, Topolino. The famous mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney in the United States, for the cinema.
The first issue sold 400,000 copies
The Mickey’s Diary is the baby of Paul Winkler, Frenchman born in Hungary and boss of the Opera Mundi agency. “He did syndication: he bought American comics in the United States, which he resold to French dailies,” explains Édith Rieubon. “There were Disney comics and others, like Pim Pam Poumshe continues. As he was a press man, he said to himself: “With these comics, I have what it takes to create a fantastic magazine.” »
Winkler implemented innovative marketing techniques and distributed advertising leaflets in front of schools. The first issue sold 400,000 copies. “There was already all the DNA of the title, everything that makes it a complete magazine: comics, games and editorial” with “a short interview with aviator Hélène Boucher”, underlines its editor in chief.
“Number 1”…twice
With the Second World War, Mickey’s Diary experienced a chaotic period from 1940 then stopped in 1944. Winkler relaunched it in 1952, but starting from number 1. “In 1934, it was an 8-page tabloid format. There, it returns in magazine format, with a logo inspired by reporting magazines Paris Match et Life », underlines Edith Rieubon.
Since then, its publication has not been interrupted. Died in 1982, Paul Winkler ended his life as director of the daily France-Soir. In 2022, Mickey’s Diary reworked its formula to “strengthen the editorial”. Intended for ages 7 and over, it offers a notebook of activities to do as a family with the Castors Juniors gang, cultural or sporting news and, of course, comic strips.
Still many non-Disney comics
In accordance with its history, it mixes Disney and external comics: yesterday Mandrake or Hägar Dünor, today the French L’école Ducobu or Les Sisters. It belongs to the Unique Heritage Media group, which publishes other Disney-licensed titles, including Scrooge Magazine.
Like all the paper press, Mickey’s Diarywhich does not have a digital version, has suffered from an erosion of its sales: each issue sold 57,000 paid copies last year according to the ACPM (Alliance for Press and Media Figures ), compared to 120,000 ten years earlier. “The message we would like to send is that parents find their way to the newsstands and say to themselves: ‘Come on, I’m putting a newspaper in my child’s hands’,” argues Édith Rieubon.
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