A Tenner A Month To Keep Your Daughters Happy? (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Date:	08/04/01 (208 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality make-up, kids love it

Disadvantages: Very expensive, magazine is pretty unimpressive

Being very pro-British when it comes to television, I often despair at all the American rubbish my kids watch and enjoy. But one U.S. programme I do approve of is Sabrina the Teenage Witch, starring Melissa Joan Hart – who also starred in the excellent Clarissa series previously.

My eight and ten year old daughters both love the programme – two of our rats are called Sabrina and Salem! (My rat’s called Hattie after Ms. Jacques!). So when they heard there was going to be a new magazine out – called Sabrina’s Secrets - based on the TV series they loved, the whining, begging and grovelling routines started. When they then discovered a free piece of make-up came with each issue, I was deafened by their excited squeals.

Being a bit of a softie when it comes down to it, I was about to agree, but my partner is often the Voice of Reason and came up with a few points to consider, before nipping down to the newsagents with our latest request. He didn’t think it was a good idea for both daughters to have their own issues each, because it would mean a bill of £5 per fortnight or £10 per month, just on these mags! (£2.50 each issue, one out every two weeks)

Also, as our eight year old shares with our trainee monster five year old, he could envisage squashed make-up, painted duvets and tears before bedtime. I admit, he had a point. But I persisted, the kids whined a lot and after further consultation with worldwide diplomats and conciliatory advice from ACAS (Okay, I lied about that last bit!), we gave up.

Six issues down the line, twelve Sabrina’s Secrets magazines in our home, £30 lighter – was it worth it? Well, it’s hard to say really, but I know my daughters think so and fingers crossed, no major disasters with the make-up. They certainly look forward to each issue and are looking after the magazines and the make-up too.

Issue one included a sparkly purple case, which both
girls are dutifully filling up as described on the box. My eldest keeps hers safely in her bedroom and even has the magazines in their little rack too. My eight year old sleeps with her make-up case near her pillow. Little sisters can be dangerous.

Browsing through the magazines – only in the name of research, you understand – what do the precious darlings get for their (our) money? Well, a pretty picture of Melissa Joan Hart on the cover. Lots of bright colours, attractive fonts, smiling pre-teens and the odd pic of Salem the rather handsome cat.

It is obviously all very attractive to the girls in that kind of age range, 6 to 13 or so, but the most obvious thing to me is that the magazine seems very thin – only 23 pages. The £2.50 cover price is bound to be so high, because of the <ahem> freebies, which are very good – nail art pen, make-up brushes, nail polish, lip gloss, hair clips, etc. But for me, the mag itself is a bit disappointing.

When my ten year old used to get Girl Talk, the magazine would keep her occupied for hours, reading everything and doing all the puzzles and things. Sabrina’s Secrets is finished with in a few minutes, set aside as they try out their new make-up instead.

It has one quite unimpressive puzzle page, Sabrina’s secret diary, a story and a diary for your daughter to fill in. But otherwise, it’s double page full colour spreads on skin care, how to do your hair, how to use the make-up and funky fashion ideas. Looks boring to me, but the girls love it.

As so often happens, kids follow fashions and trends, costing us parents plenty of hard-earned dosh in the meantime. One day, the make-up box will be completed. One day, they might wish to subscribe to something much better value than Sabrina’s Secrets. But until this magazine goes the same way as Pokemon, £10 a month goes into these magazines. Ho hum. A parent’s lot is not a happy one. O
r something…

Summary: