Remember magazines?
Yeah, I’ve heard this media form is actually still out there in the wild somewhere, clinging to life and jamming up peoples’ mailboxes, but it probably won’t be long until they’re gone forever. Those glossy publications have mostly gone digital now, with entire advertising sections condensed into small clickbait windows. The magazine seems to be dying a long, slow death, and I, for one, will miss them dearly. I’ve spent more than my fair share of time loitering around the Barnes & Noble, paging through (but not actually buying) endless copies of Cycle World, Southern Living and Popular Mechanics, but there’s no question: my favorite magazine of all time still has to be Boys’ Life.
Just in case you weren’t aware, Boys’ Life is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America, so its content is focused directly at that demographic. Never a Scout myself, I first stumbled across these modern works of literary genius through my elementary school library, where I would sit, enthralled, reading about the wild adventures that kids my own age were having Out There In The Great Outdoors. I remember being impressed by all the Scouts who’d performed CPR, or given assistance during a traffic accident, and how these acts of bravery were recognized with a full-page illustration that captured all the drama. Pretty heavy stuff for a ten-year-old! But like any other magazine, Boys’ Life had to cover its printing costs somehow, so of course the awesome articles had to be spaced out between pages of advertisements. Those printed commercials were fascinating in their own right, offering pretty much everything that a Scout would ever need or want. It was as simple as sending off a check or money order with a self-addressed stamped envelope, waiting 4-6 weeks, and watching your home mailbox fill up with pocket knives or pinecar derby racers.
Not long ago, I came across a dusty old lending library in the neighborhood I’m currently calling home. The place is in a moderate state of disrepair, and it looks to have fallen out of favor sometime between 2009 and 2010, right around the time e-readers were just becoming a thing. The small shelves were crowded with family literature, so it was fascinating to peek into this accidental time capsule, almost like reading over somebody’s shoulder from a decade in the future. But even as I thumbed through the dusty paperbacks, I knew the real treasure in this Aladdin’s Cave as soon as I spotted it: a well-worn stack of Boys’ Life magazines.
Like before, I found myself enthralled by the Scouts’ stories of true adventure, from white water rafting in the Grand Canyon to climbing up walls of sheer ice in Alaska. But, like before, the absolute best part of these magazines were still the advertisements. This particular stack dated from 2006 to 2007, a time when I was fully occupied with paying a mortgage, raising a family, and trying to break onto the traveling carnival circuit. Back then, there just wasn’t much extra spare time or money to blow on adolescent indulgences. These long-lost magazines ads offered a second chance to see what I’d missed, so of course, I had to share a few of the best:
I’ve never heard of these toys, but it’s hard to imagine they were very successful. I mean, what kid actually had a cool hundred bucks laying around to blow on some electronic dinosaur? For that kind of money, you could probably set up a home lab, maybe try to reverse engineer some long-extinct creature, and at least make a run for your Genetics merit badge.
I’m happy to report that Boys’ Life magazine is still going strong today, with both an online and a good ol’ fashioned print version, and poring through these old copies was definitely time well spent. They brought some awesome insight into the “long-lost” past, so I’ll be definitely be on the lookout for other titles.
What about it? Anybody out there in the middle of clearing out your attic or garage? If so, you know how to reach me…