CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese children's manga magazine published by Shogakukan, established in 1977, and its name derives from a phenomime meaning rolling, representing something spherical, fat, or small, because children supposedly like such things. The magazine is A5-sized, about 6 cm thick, and each issue is 750 pages long, released monthly with new issues on the 15th of each month or earlier if the 15th falls on a weekend. CoroCoro Comic sold 400 million copies as of April 2017, making it one of the best-selling comic/manga magazines, and it has three sisters: Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic, CoroCoro Ichiban!, and CoroCoro Aniki, with Bessatsu and Ichiban! published bi-monthly while Aniki, which targeted an older audience, was released quarterly. On the 20th of November 2020, CoroCoro Comic cover designer Tariji Sasaki was recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running cover designer for a children's magazine, and CoroCoro Aniki ended publication in March 2021.
The Doraemon Launch
The magazine was launched in 1977 as a magazine for Doraemon, which is one of the most popular manga in Japan, and before then Doraemon had been serialized in 6 Shogakukan magazines targeted at students in elementary school, that target audience has now increased. It collected stories of Doraemon from these magazines, and it celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007 with an exhibition at the Kyoto International Manga Museum. The magazine's early focus on Doraemon set the tone for its future success, as it became a cultural phenomenon in Japan, with properties like Doraemon and the Pokémon series of games going on to become cultural phenomena. The magazine's history is deeply intertwined with the evolution of Japanese children's media, and its launch marked a significant shift in how manga was consumed by young audiences.The Pokémon Phenomenon
CoroCoro regularly promotes toys and video games related to their manga franchises, releasing stories and articles featuring them, and Pocket Monsters/Pokémon's big success in Japan owes to this in a way. The Game Boy game Pocket Monsters Blue was sold exclusively through the magazine at first, which helped CoroCoro's sales as well, and CoroCoro is also often a source of information about upcoming Pokémon games and movies. This tie-in strategy was a masterstroke, as it created a symbiotic relationship between the magazine and the Pokémon franchise, driving sales for both. The magazine's role in the Pokémon phenomenon is a testament to its ability to adapt to changing market trends and capitalize on emerging cultural phenomena.The Toy and Game Empire
Other successful tie-ins include Radio controlled car, Mini 4WD (with Tamiya), Famicom, Super Famicom, and Game Boy line (with Nintendo and third parties), Beyblade, B-Daman (with Takara), Bikkuriman (with Lotte), and Barcode Battler (with Epoch Co.). These partnerships were not just about selling products but about creating a world where children could live out their fantasies through toys and games. The magazine's ability to integrate these products into its content was a key factor in its success, as it provided a platform for children to engage with their favorite franchises in multiple ways. The magazine's influence extended beyond the pages, shaping the toys and games that children played with.