Highlights, a beloved children’s publication for more than 70 years, continues to rely on the mail to reach readers.
The family-owned magazine was designed by Garry and Caroline Myers, child psychologists and teachers, to educate children through stories with positive examples.
“The philosophy was ‘fun with a purpose,’” Christine French Cully, editor-in-chief of Highlights consumer products, says in a new video on the National Postal Museum’s site.
The 17-minute segment is part of “America’s Mailing Industry,” an online exhibit showcasing partnerships between USPS and businesses.
Highlights’ first issue was published in 1946 and mailed to 5,000 subscribers. Popularity and subscriptions grew, with the 1 billionth copy delivered in 2006.
Thousands of children mail poems, drawings, jokes, riddles and questions to the magazine annually — and each letter receives a response.
While Highlights has grown in size, it’s still committed to the same values that guided the Myerses’ original work.
“Highlights has such a rich history, and a very bright future,” says Patricia Myers Mikleson, a Highlights spokeswoman. “We’re all committed to Garry and Caroline’s belief that children are the world’s most important people.”