Corriere dei Piccoli
Encyclopedia
The Corriere dei Piccoli (Italian
for "Courier of the Little Ones"), later renamed Corriere dei Ragazzi ("Children’s Courier") and nicknamed Corrierino ("Little Courier"), was a weekly magazine
for children published in Italy
from 1908 to 1995. It was the first Italian periodical to make a regular feature of publishing comic strips.
s, 80,000 copies) was published on December 27, 1908, with Silvio Spaventa Filippi as editor-in-chief. It was formally a supplement of the magazine Corriere della Sera
, but it was also sold separately for 0.10 lira
At its acme, the magazine sold 700,000 copies.
By 1970 the magazine started having financial difficulties due to rising costs and competition by other magazines and comics books. Feeling that the quaint name was partly to blame, on January 1, 1972 the publisher renamed the bulk of the magazine Corriere dei Ragazzi, which hopefully would be more appealing to teenagers. The name Corriere dei Piccoli survived as the title of a thin supplement of the publication, aimed at the younger readers.
The last issue was dated August 15, 1995.
Although comic strips had been published before in Italian children’s magazines—Il novellino had published American examples including, in 1904, a Yellow Kid cartoon—the Corriere was the first to make them a regular feature and the first to commission original Italian artwork as well as using American strips. A typically Italian comic strip format was introduced by the Corrierino from its first issue. The full page was divided into six equal panels, in three rows. Instead of text balloons (which were already used in the US, but were considered educationally regressive by the Italian editors), the narrative and dialogue were provided by octosyllabic rhyme
d couplets
underneath each panel, e.g.:
In time this format gave way to balloon-captioned comics, which, besides being the universal norm outside Italy, made for more lively action and dialogue, and gave more freedom to the artists in the choice of panel size and layout. Nevertheless, strips in this "Italian format" continued to make sporadic appearances throughout the life of the magazine, generally aimed at younger readers.
, Lino Penati, Dino Battaglia
, Aldo Di Gennaro, Sergio Toppi
, Mario Uggeri, Benito Jacovitti
, Guido Buzzelli
and many more.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
for "Courier of the Little Ones"), later renamed Corriere dei Ragazzi ("Children’s Courier") and nicknamed Corrierino ("Little Courier"), was a weekly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
for children published in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from 1908 to 1995. It was the first Italian periodical to make a regular feature of publishing comic strips.
Publication history
The first issue (24 pagePage
-Position or occupation:* Page , a traditionally young male servant* Page * Page of Honour, a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom* A participant in any of the following programs:...
s, 80,000 copies) was published on December 27, 1908, with Silvio Spaventa Filippi as editor-in-chief. It was formally a supplement of the magazine Corriere della Sera
Corriere della Sera
The Corriere della Sera is an Italian daily newspaper, published in Milan.It is among the oldest and most reputable Italian newspapers. Its main rivals are Rome's La Repubblica and Turin's La Stampa.- History :...
, but it was also sold separately for 0.10 lira
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
At its acme, the magazine sold 700,000 copies.
By 1970 the magazine started having financial difficulties due to rising costs and competition by other magazines and comics books. Feeling that the quaint name was partly to blame, on January 1, 1972 the publisher renamed the bulk of the magazine Corriere dei Ragazzi, which hopefully would be more appealing to teenagers. The name Corriere dei Piccoli survived as the title of a thin supplement of the publication, aimed at the younger readers.
The last issue was dated August 15, 1995.
Contents
Throughout its history, the Corrierino published material in many genres: stories in comic strip format, illustrated tales and novels (usually in half-page to two-page weekly installments), educational material, feature columns, humor, news, reviews, readers' letters, puzzles, board games, and more.Although comic strips had been published before in Italian children’s magazines—Il novellino had published American examples including, in 1904, a Yellow Kid cartoon—the Corriere was the first to make them a regular feature and the first to commission original Italian artwork as well as using American strips. A typically Italian comic strip format was introduced by the Corrierino from its first issue. The full page was divided into six equal panels, in three rows. Instead of text balloons (which were already used in the US, but were considered educationally regressive by the Italian editors), the narrative and dialogue were provided by octosyllabic rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
d couplets
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
underneath each panel, e.g.:
| Qui comincia l'avventura | "Here begins the adventure | |
| Del Signor Bonaventura ... | of Mr. Bonaventura ... " |
In time this format gave way to balloon-captioned comics, which, besides being the universal norm outside Italy, made for more lively action and dialogue, and gave more freedom to the artists in the choice of panel size and layout. Nevertheless, strips in this "Italian format" continued to make sporadic appearances throughout the life of the magazine, generally aimed at younger readers.
Influence
Besides introducing comics to Italian public, the Corrierino greatly influenced four generations of Italians, and played a significant role in the career of many Italian artists and writers, such as Giana Anguissola, Mino Milani, Hugo PrattHugo Pratt
Hugo Eugenio Pratt was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as Corto Maltese...
, Lino Penati, Dino Battaglia
Dino Battaglia
Dino Battaglia was an Italian comic artist, noted for a distinctive and expressive style, best known for his visual adaptations of classic novels.-Biography:...
, Aldo Di Gennaro, Sergio Toppi
Sergio Toppi
Sergio Toppi is an Italian cartoonist.-Career:Born in Milan, Toppi made his debut in the illustration world working for the renowned Italian publisher UTET, and collaborated to several advertisement campaigns....
, Mario Uggeri, Benito Jacovitti
Benito Jacovitti
Benito Jacovitti was an Italian comic artist.Benito Jacovitti was born in Termoli, Molise in the southern part of the country. He was still a kid when he started drawing on the pavement of the village's streets. The son of a railwayman, Benito entered Macerata's art school at age 11, graduating to...
, Guido Buzzelli
Guido Buzzelli
Guido Buzzelli was an Italian comic book artist, writer, illustrator and painter.-Biography:Buzzelli was born in Rome into a family in which his grandfather had been a decorator, his father a painter and his mother a model. He frequented the Academy of St. Luke and initially decided to follow his...
and many more.
See also
- Il giornalino della DomenicaIl giornalino della DomenicaIl giornalino della Domenica was ‘the prototype of the modern periodical for children in Italy’. Founded in 1906 in Florence by ‘Vamba’, a pseudonym of the journalist Luigi Bertelli , it adopted an avant-garde style and a tone markedly patriotic and irredentist., Publication was initially...
, a children’s magazine founded in Florence in 1906. - Il Vittorioso, a Catholic children's magazine from Italy.
- SpirouSpirou (magazine)Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
, a famous BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
magazine for children. - TintinTintin (magazine)Le journal de Tintin or Kuifje , was a weekly Belgian comics magazine of the second half of the 20th century...
, also a Belgian example.