ABCs for Jan-Jun 2011 - disappointing results...

[PaulTwist]

The ABCs for the first half of the year have been published - and the biggest shock is this:

The Dandy : 7,448 ; -48.1%

Yes - the relaunched Dandy has lost almost half its readership. Upsetting news indeed. I know that I've bought more copies of The Dandy since the relaunch than I'd ever bought before. Maybe kids DON'T want a comic that's just a comic? Sad news if that's true.

The only magazine on the list that sells less than The Dandy is Times Educational Supplement Scotland.

Other titles relevant to this forum:

The Beano : 37,145 ; -20.4%
The BeanoMAX : 24,438 ; -15.9%

DC Thomson Children's Entertainment Package (Boys) : 69,031 ; -23.4%
DC Thomson Children's Entertainment Package (Girls) : 76,329 ; -29.3%
(dunno what these are)

Doctor Who Adventures Magazine : 50,013 ; -6.6%
Doctor Who Magazine : 30,682 ; -13.3%

The Simpsons Comics : 64,882 ; -20.7%
Simpsons Comics Presents : 44,728 ; -29.2%
(Although full of American reprints, it's hard to begrudge Simpsons Comics' popularity as the strips are so well-written)

Spectacular Spiderman : 28,003 ; -1.8%

Toxic : 40,503 ; 0.7% (Toxic OUTSELLS THE BEANO. Cripes!)

Full list: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp ... =47723&c=1

And please don't think I'm posting this to be negative. It breaks my heart that more people aren't buying The Dandy, and I hope it has a massive turnaround pretty damn quickly.

[swirlythingy]

It's not all that surprising when you think about it - the Dandy has a massive distribution problem, so nobody ever buys it on impulse, and even some of those who want to buy it can't find it in any shops in their area, and generally those shops which do stock it only stock one or two. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I can't see any way to break out of it. If the reports on here are to be believed, the free issue in the Sunday Post was a disaster.

OK, I admit it, I'm probably in denial.

[Raven]

Of course, most things are going down, in general - though I notice The Oldie seems to go up each time - but a drop quite so extreme for The Dandy is certainly a surprise. It seems like the tabloid celebrity/Harry Hill approach hasn't connected with the target readership at all. Perhaps more an issue with the material than that kids "don't want a comic" per se?

I haven't really noticed a distribution problem for it. It was everywhere in abundance when it was relaunched, and still I see it in WHSmith, and supermarkets all around - yes, only a few copies, but obviously because that's all they expect to sell.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

this is an absolute bombshell, especially in light of the massive publicity surrounding the DANDY at the relaunch last October or thereabouts. Even I bought a copy f'rchrissaxe!


The problem is not in distribution in my neck of the woods: if I really wanted to buy a copy I could find one.......the free issue in the Sunday Post should have sent alarm-bells ringing: this marketing ploy was not deemed neccessary in the golden age of the comic.


It was such a brave move for the comic, to undertake such a radical change. They deserved to succeed, however it's never clear what the public actually wants, but the public don't appear to want the revamped DANDY....at least, as reflected in these appalling figures.


Hopefully the comic can still find a new audience, and prove the doom-merchants all wrong.


I hope the comic continues, but this devastating news does not bode too well.


What's went wrong? [at the time of writing, that is: here's hoping that the DANDY'S fortunes improve drastically......it ain't over yet, not by a long chalk!]

[stevezodiac]

Even more upsetting when you see Land Rover Monthly sells 24,000 copies. The Nursery comics seem to be doing better than the juvenile comics - obviously because parents buy them. Perhaps the Dandy should lower its demographic to the nursery market. Although the relaunched Magic didn't last long. The sad fact is that modern children have far more exhilerating diversions with hand held computer games and dedicated tv channels all through the day etc.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Even more soberly, the current DANDY now sells enough copies to sell one DANDY EACH in about a third of all UK newsagents:

http://www.mynewsagent.co.uk/

[Digifiend]

Damn! Those figures probably mean the Dandy is finished! 48% drop, unbelievable! I thought the new version was a massive improvement over Xtreme, but apparently the kids disagree. And worse, both Beano titles are down too! Overall, a disaster for DC Thomson. I fear that we'll see mergers coming soon.

EDIT: A quick Google revealed what the boys Children's Entertainment package is. It's a bundle of Beano, BeanoMAX and Dandy. The sales figures for this doesn't look right at all.

DC Thomson Children's Entertainment Package (Boys)
www.magazinesabout.co.uk/.../DC+Thomson ... +Entertain... - Cached
DC Thomson Children's Entertainment Package (Boys) Boys entertainment package including The Dandy, Beano and Beanomax.

[philcom55]

I fear that we'll see mergers coming soon.

That's an interesting thought. Offhand I can't remember the last time we saw an example of this great British tradition - at least when it involved two proper, home-grown comics of long standing. In fact if we were to see a merger between Dandy and Beano it would probably be the last one ever! (though personally I think Dandy is more likely to go down the Bunty road by converting to a monthly for a year or so).

- Phil R. (with apologies to anyone who doesn't think we should even mention the old 'Great News!' scenario when it comes to the Dandy)

[Digifiend]

I believe that would be Beezer and Topper and Buster and Whizzer and Chips, both in 1990.

For comparison, here's the figures from six months ago and a few from 12 months ago in brackets.

The Dandy - 15,012 (14,335) (Up)
The Beano - 40,101 (46,656)(Down)
BeanoMax - 30,184 (29,067) (Up)
Dr Who Adv - 56,648 (53,559) (Up)
Dr Who Mag - 33,564 (35,374) (Down)
Toxic - 40,639
Simpsons - 77,590
WWe Kids - 30,469

From: http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtop ... f=1&t=4037

Hmm, according to this, Toxic is slightly down, not up.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

DCT must surely be running at a loss regarding the sales of DANDY.

Perhaps they want to keep it going [artificially] as it's such a household name and institution. After all, Mickey Mouse is still used as a Disney marketing icon, even though he very rarely appears in any new animations.

Maybe Thomson want to keep the Dandy flame alive, as it means so much to the History of the company. But 7, 000 odd measly sales can hardly cover the costs of production , let alone distribution , and making any profit less than wholly feasible.


Sales of the newspapers will undoubtedly absorb the loss, however IPC were a multinational conglomorate with more power than Thomson ever dreamed of, and they still pulled the plug on their comic titles; apparantly on a whim.

BUSTER made it to the 21st Century by the skin of the teeth, I remember.

It was a brave postmodern move the comic made for the modern age, but there must be much gnashing of teeth--and considerable embarassment---in the hallowed halls of Thomson, as these sales figures are made public.

[felneymike]

Maybe IPC's comics got cancelled because they were a multinational conglomerate, though. There's no feeling in it, just cold logic - if something isn't pulling it's weight it's cut off!

I suppose sales can go up as well as down, so perhaps they will stick with the dandy for a bit longer and see what happens, maybe try other experiments.

[Jon]

The figures regarding the Dandy are truly shocking. The relaunched Dandy is absolutely fantastic and I am convinced that its content is massively appealing to kids - even more so than the Beano's content. I would go as far to say that the Dandy is the best comic on the market right now (a hard thing for me to say, as I was a Beano lad when growing up!).

I am sure that the Dandy contains the exact sort of thing that kids want, which is why I'm so shocked by these figures. I would echo previous comments - it is quite hard to find in smaller shops, but reassuringly I find my local ASDA always has a couple of copies. I think the trouble is kids just don't KNOW that the Dandy's OUT there - I used to coach a few trampolining classes and when speaking to the kids (ages ranging from 5-15), very few of them had even heard of the Dandy.

Very sad figures and I just pray this doesn't spell the end of the Dandy.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Maybe the DANDY needs a brand-new household name character to grip the public's imagination: a KORKY or DAN , but completely new, for the 21st-Century........just a thought.


No! I don't mean a cartoonized brick-throwing looter/anarchist!

[starscape]

Unfortunately, it probably needs cover-mounted gifts. Those sales are unbelievably poor.

[Digifiend]

Anyone know how many copies the Fun-Sizes and Classics from the Comics were selling before their sudden cancellation?