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Will Munch Cats! lead the way and bring an end to polybagged comics on the news stand?

By John Freeman on February 19, 2019

For those of you fed up with magazines for your kids wrapped in plastic, complete with plastic tat toy, a new magazine launched for 5-10 year olds called Munch Cats! might just be what you’re looking for.

Munch Cats!, published by Vespa Design & Publishing, is a new look title with a kawaii influence containing craft and activity sheets, stickers, colouring sheets, puzzles, games, makes, poster, interactive pull out story book and comic strips.

The title is also firmly in the Say No To Plastic, and like most regular issues of Beano, the Phoenix, and the upcoming Cor! & Buster Special, comes without plastic cover mounts or bagged giveaways. It’s also printed on FSC paper stock and is 100% recyclable; and all the makes, crafts, stickers and story books are paper based.

The magazine also provides inspiration for creative upcycling of single-use plastic and other unwanted household items.

Munch Cats! also taps into children’s creativity with its monthly Design Your Own Munch Cat competition – the winning design is professionally illustrated and is brought to life in the next issue. The winner also receives the digital artwork of their unique Munch Cat.

The publishers say Munch Cats! has been designed to encourage key learning and developmental skills – from creative crafts and makes with cut-your-own stickers and colouring templates to engaging comic strip characters, story book adventures and brain teasing puzzles.

Munch Cats! – saying No To Plastic

The Munch Cats! website is a child-friendly digital extension of the magazine with quizzes, games and downloadable activity sheets (along with the Design Your Own Munch Cat template) and the instagram #munchcatpics is packed, says Vespa, with great photos of cute and crazy cat antics.

• Munch Cats! is published on the first Friday of the month, priced £3.99 and is on sale in selected ASDA, Morrisons and newsagents in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

• Munch Cats is also available by subscription| Web: www.munchcats.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.