Corriere dei Piccoli facts for kids

A cover from the Corriere dei Piccoli magazine.

The Corriere dei Piccoli (which means "Courier of the Little Ones" in Italian) was a very popular weekly magazine for children. It was published in Italy for many years, from 1908 to 1995. People often called it Corrierino, meaning "Little Courier." This magazine was special because it was the first in Italy to regularly publish comic strips. Later, its name changed to Corriere dei Ragazzi ("Children’s Courier").

What Was Inside the Magazine?

The cover of the 11 July 1911 edition carries a cartoon strip in the Italian style without speech bubbles.

The Corrierino was packed with many different kinds of fun things. It had comic strips, of course! But it also featured illustrated stories and novels. These were usually published in small parts each week.

Besides stories, the magazine offered educational articles. It had special columns, funny sections, and news. There were also reviews, letters from readers, and puzzles. You could even find board games inside!

Before the Corriere dei Piccoli, some Italian children's magazines had published comics. For example, Il novellino showed American comics like the Yellow Kid in 1904. But the Corriere was the first to make comics a regular part of the magazine. It was also the first to ask Italian artists to create new comics.

How Were the Comics Different?

From its very first issue, the Corrierino used a special Italian comic strip style. A full page was usually split into six equal pictures, in three rows. Instead of using text balloons (which were already common in the US), the story and talking parts were written below each picture. These were often short, rhymed poems.

For example, a famous comic character, Il Signor Bonaventura, would have words like this under his pictures:

• Qui comincia l'avventura (Here begins the adventure)
• Del Signor Bonaventura ... (of Mr. Bonaventura ...)

Over time, the magazine started using comics with speech bubbles. These were more common everywhere else and made the action feel more exciting. They also gave artists more freedom to draw pictures of different sizes. However, the old "Italian format" comics still appeared sometimes, especially for younger readers.

How the Magazine Influenced Italy

The Corrierino did more than just bring comics to Italy. It had a huge impact on four generations of Italians. It also helped many Italian artists and writers start their careers.

Some famous people who worked with the magazine include:

• Giana Anguissola
• Mino Milani
• Hugo Pratt
• Lino Penati
• Dino Battaglia
• Aldo Di Gennaro
• Sergio Toppi
• Mario Uggeri
• Benito Jacovitti
• Guido Buzzelli
• Anna Franchi

And many more talented individuals!

Popular Comic Series

Many well-known comic series appeared in the magazine. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Corriere dei Piccoli para niños