Magazines that were....

Sorry I havent posted much this week....but now I am back.

Thanks again for all the GREAT responses about the "Stores that were" post! Its great to see everyone reminiscing about the good old days when there WERE these stores....before Wal Mart and Crap-Aid took over the world! Before I continue with the magazine post, I couldnt help but thinking how foolish I was for leaving the following off my original list (and, I apologize, but these are mostly Mass places local to where I grew up!)

SPAGS: "They have no bags at Spags." But they did have a lot of crap you didnt know you wanted or needed until you saw it

SANNIES (or was it Sandy's): In downtown Mansfield....a kid's clothing store....Susan Shaw turned my mom on to it, and we used to get a lot of jeans and such there

COBBS CORNER: Not a "store," per se, but more like a big Jewish hangout. Is it still there? Was this in Sharon? What the heck is even there? I just remember my mom saying that we were going to go over to Cobb's Corner for shoes or clothes, etc

CHRISTOPHER'S: In the deathtrap/intersection of Stoughton Center....my sister and I used to get our shoes there....and they used to give out cool banana keychains.

BILLY VIGOR'S SURPLUS: Johnny C....mourn ya til I join ya.....

MVP SPORTS: Before Pricks and Modells and all those stupid places, we had a REAL sports store...with Johnny Most as its spokesperson, "commentating" on what was on sale that week. The ads were awesome...colored-in pictures on newsprint. And a catchy jingle

COLEMANS and HERMANS: Two great local sporting goods stores. Colemans has no relation to the big camping supply company. One was in Stoughton and one was in Quincy, right? And were Colemans and Hermans somehow related? Hermans had a catchy jingle too.

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Anyway, I was thinking about old magazines we used to have when we were kids. My cousin Lauren used to buy all the "teen" magazines and virtually wallpaper her room with pictures of NKOTB....and Nana Courtney used to inudate our house with all her old women's periodicals. Isnt that funny how libraries are too snooty to call them magazines? Johnny C, what is with that? Anyway, I think some of these magazines might still exist...but I never see them anymore....I used to love magazines when I was a kid

1. BOY'S LIFE: Boy Scout magazine. Anyone? Always cool articles about camping and sports.

2. PENNYWISE: Not Johnny C's punk band...but an old kid magazine about how to save money, make things yourself, budget for retirement....things like that

3. TEEN BEAT: The first of many teen magazines to be mentioned. This, I think, was the original, and most of the time had Kirk Cameron's picture on the cover. What is he doing now? Isnt he in some quasi-Christian cult or something?

4. BOP, TIGER BEAT, 16, SUPERTEEN: More of the same. Mostly NKOTB, Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Home Improvement, or Vanilla Ice

5. WOMEN'S WORLD: I dont think they make this one anymore. Nana used to give it to my mom. I remember it because it was larger than your average size magazine....and printed on very chintzy paper

6. INSIDE SPORTS: Not "SPORTS," which is still around today competing with Sports Illustrated. Does anyone remember "Inside" In my opinion, they always had a better swimsuit issue. No?

7. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS: Who cares about Michael Jordan's new contract or Emmit Smith's performance at the combine....I want to know what they like on their pizza, and what they watch on TV!!! Yeay! Also, they had a cool comic called "SPOT" or something like that. I remember this because Dr. Bryan T. Maher used to draw this little red character all during Mr. Pratt's poor excuse for a science class. Maher, are you reading this?

8. DISNEY ADVENTURES: On sale in the checkout line of Shaw's when I was kid. Is it still around?

9. RANGER RICK: For all the "Amandaish" kids who actually went outside and played and got fresh air...and didnt just sit on their butts playing Mario Brothers. Cool outdoor magazine about animals, lichens, and such.

10. CRACKED: Who remembers this? I dont know if they still make it or not, but it was a magazine that competed with MAD, right? My cousin Michael Wayne used to give me all his old issues. As I remember, it was funnier than MAD.

11. ZOOBOOKS: Awesome, awesome, awesome magazine. Each issue was about a different animal, and it was dedicated to teaching you just about everything about that animal! They had cross sections of the animal's body, skeleton, etc. And you could collect them all and then be a smartass little kid at family Christmas parties and tell your Uncle how big an elephant's femur is. And such and such.

12. GROO: More of a comic....and the only comic I put on this list. But it was a big (page-wise) comic, and a pretty arcane one at that. Plus, it was hilarious! The would-be warrior GROO and his quest to save something or someone?? Anyone?

13. MUPPETS: Kristin used to get Muppets magazine. I remember the issue I used to look at all the time had Kermit and Kirk Cameron on the cover

14. HILIGHTS FOR CHILDREN: As opposed to HIGHLIGHTS FOR ADULTS I guess. A magazine that ALL good little boys and girls read, right? Just as male college sophomores immediately flip to the centerfold of a Playboy, so did I flip to see what good old Goofus and Gallant were up to THIS month....that ass-kissing Gallant, with his nicely starched shirt and even sideburns....