Goofus and Gallant Come to India

Courtesy of Highlights Goofus and Gallant cartoon in the October 1980 issue of Highlights, an American children’s magazine.

Highlights, the earnest, unapologetically unhip magazine that entertained generations of American children while they waited in doctors’ and dentists’ offices, started publishing in India on Thursday with much fanfare.

United States ambassador Nancy Jo Powell unveiled the new Indian editions of the magazine at the American Center in New Delhi.

“Before becoming a diplomat, I was a teacher. I know how important it is for children to develop lifelong reading habits at an early age,” Ms. Powell said.

“I’m delighted that Highlights will be reaching children in homes across India through these new publications,” she said, adding that the magazine represents “another step in bringing our two peoples even closer together.”

Courtesy of American Center, Delhi Nancy Jo Powell, United States ambassador to India, center, with children and publishers at the launch of Highlights in New Delhi on Thursday.

The Indian children’s magazine market is large and circulations are growing, in part because although disposable income is increasing for some families, many households have limited or no access to the Internet. The monthly circulation of the comic magazine “Tinkle” and related publications increased 30 percent over the past two years, for example, to 225,000.

Two versions of Highlights will be published in India: Highlights Champs, for children ages 6 to 12, which will include a “mix of fiction, poetry, science, craft and readers’ contributions,” as well as Goofus and Gallant, a cartoon designed to teach children polite, thoughtful behavior, and Highlights Genies, for children ages 2 to 6, which will use “stories, poems and activities to engage children in early learning and help them to develop a strong sense of curiosity, creativity, confidence and caring,” according to a  press release from the magazine’s Indian publisher, Delhi Press.

Each version is priced at 40 rupees, or 74 cents.

Highlights, with its tagline “Fun with a Purpose,” was started by Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark in 1946, and published its billionth copy in June 2006. The magazine’s publishing company, Highlights for Children, also produces other children’s magazines, puzzle books and toys. It also puts out kid-friendly information, like its 2012 “State of the Kid Survey.” (Sample result: “What do America’s children want in a president? Honesty!”)