Mickey Mouse Magazine
      
 
 In January, 1933, Kay Kamen created the Mickey Mouse Magazine. He convinced Walt Disney that merchandising licensing could open up whole new vistas for the company. For the next 17 years, until he died in a plane crash, Kamen handled the licensing of Disney Merchandise. Insisting on quality control, Kamen set the standard for character licensing that would later be copied by many others.

 The Mickey Mouse Magazine was a small publication containing short stories, articles, gags, games and poems. There were 9 monthly issues of the magazine distributed through movie houses and department stores around the country.

In November 1933, a second version of the magazine, in the same format but distributed through dairies, debuted and continued until October 1935. The dairies would print their name on the cover of the magazine above the title. This dairy magazine was superseded by a third, and much more elaborate, magazine, which began publication with a large issue in the summer of 1935. In October 1935, it turned into a monthly magazine.

Mickey Mouse Magazine Dairy Issues
November 1933 - October 1935

Mickey Mouse Dairy Magazine - Nov.1933 Mickey Mouse Dairy Magazine - Dec.1933 Mickey Mouse Dairy Magazine - Jan 1934 Issue November 1934 - Thanksgiving Issue Mickey Mouse Dairy Magazine - Dec. 1934

 Over the years, several different sizes were experimented with, until finally in 1940 the magazine reached the size we know today as the standard comic book size. The last issue of the Mickey Mouse Magazine was the one for September 1940. In October 1940 Walt Disney's Comics and Stories took over, and that comic book series has continued to present day.

And the magazine did just that - over a total of 9 issues that lasted through September. As you can imagine, issues of this magazine are extremely rare collectibles - and they feature a certain word that's almost as difficult to pronounce as the magazines are to find.

Each issue contained a certain word that's almost as difficult to find a the magazines were. The word is a special password that was announced in the magazine and used consistently throughout. It was, in its plainest form, "Spingle Bell -- Chicko," but when something extraordinary happened; the doing of a good deed, for example, or the release of a new, noteworthy product, all you'd have to do was add a "K" to the end of the password to signify it. One terrific example of this is in an ad featured on the back cover of one of the magazines. The wool sweaters featured in the ad clearly have Minnie's seal of approval, as she gives them a "Spingle Bell -- Chicko - K."

To promote the password, copies of the Mickey Mouse magazine and a very rare pinback were issued as free giveaways at various clothing stores and movie theatres.
This pinback is extremely difficult to find today - as it was only produced for two months - January and February of 1933.

 

Here are three advertisements from the 1st edition of the 1933 Mickey Mouse Magazine.

First Mickey Mouse Magazines Ever Made
Published Jan 1933 though Dec 1933.

Mickey Mouse Magazine - Jan 1933 No Pic No Pic No Pic No Pic
Jan- 1933 Feb - 1933 Mar - 1933 April - 1933 May - 1933
 

No Pic

 

No Pic No Pic No Pic No Pic
June - 1933 July - 1933 Aug - 1933 Sept - 1933 Oct - 1933
         
         
 

No Pic

 

Mickey Mouse Magazine - Dec 1933      
Nov - 1933 Dec - 1933      

The remaining Mickey Mouse Magazines printed were 60 ( as far as our research showed ) beginning with the first issue on Jun - Aug. 1935 through Sept. 1940.

1935
Mickey Mouse Magazine - June 1935       Mickey Mouse Magazine - October 1935 Mickey Mouse Magazine - November 1935  
June 1935 July 1935 Aug.1935 Sept. 1935  Oct - 1935 Nov. 1935 Dec. 1935
1936
  Mickey Mouse Magazine - February 1936 Mickey Mouse Magazine - March 1936     Mickey Mouse Magazine - June 1936
Jan 1936 Feb. 1936 March 1936 April 1936 May 1936 June 1936
Mickey Mouse Magazine - July 1936 Mickey Mouse Magazine - August 1936   Mickey Mouse Magazine - October 1936 Mickey Mouse Magazine - November 1936  
July 1936 August 1936  Sept - 1936 Oct. 1936 Nov. 1936 Dec. 1936
1937
  Mickey Mouse Magazine - February 1937 Mickey Mouse Magazine - March 1937 Mickey Mouse Magazine - April 1937 Mickey Mouse Magazine - May 1937 Mickey Mouse Magazine - June 1937
Jan 1937 Feb. 1937 March 1937 April 1937 May 1937 June 1937
Mickey Mouse Magazine - July 1937 Mickey Mouse Magazine - August 1937 Mickey Mouse Magazine - September 1937 Mickey Mouse Magazine - Oct.1937   Mickey Mouse Magazine - Dec. 1937
July 1937 August 1937  Sept - 1937 Oct. 1937 Nov. 1937 Dec. 1937
1938
Mickey Mouse Magazine - January 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - Feb. 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - March 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - April 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - May 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - June 1938
Jan 1938 Feb. 1938 March 1938 April 1938 May 1938 June 1938
Mickey Mouse Magazine - July 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - August 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - September 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - October 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - November 1938 Mickey Mouse Magazine - December 1938
July 1938 August 1938  Sept.  1938 Oct. 1938 Nov. 1938 Dec. 1938
1939
Mickey Mouse Magazine - Jan. 1939 Mickey Mouse Magazine - Feb. 1939 Mickey Mouse Magazine - March 1939   Mickey Mouse Magazine - May 1939 Mickey Mouse Magazine - June 1939
Jan 1939 Feb. 1939 March 1939 April 1939 May 1939 June 1939
Mickey Mouse Magazine - July 1939 Mickey Mouse Magazine - August 1939 Mickey Mouse Magazine - Sept. 1939 Mickey Mouse Magazine - November 1939 Mickey Mouse Magazine - Dec. 1939
July 1939 August 1939  Sept.  1939 Oct. 1939 Nov. 1939 Dec. 1939
1940
         
Jan 1940 Feb. 1940 March 1940 April 1940 May 1940 June 1940
Mickey Mouse Magazine - July 1940   Mickey Mouse Magazine - September 1940      
July 1940 August 1940  Sept.  1940 Oct. 1940 Nov. 1940 Dec. 1940

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