CoroCoro Comic
The 15th of May 1977 marked the launch of CoroCoro Comic, a monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It began as a dedicated vehicle for Doraemon, one of Japan's most beloved characters. Before this date, Doraemon stories appeared in six different elementary school magazines. The name itself comes from a Japanese onomatopoeia meaning rolling or spherical. Children supposedly enjoy things that are round and small. This simple concept shaped the magazine's early identity. A thick 6 centimeter issue contained 750 pages of content. The physical size made it stand out on newsstands.
New issues arrived every month on the 15th unless that day fell on a weekend. Then they came out earlier to avoid delays. Three sister publications expanded the brand over time. Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic and CoroCoro Ichiban! ran bi-monthly schedules. CoroCoro Aniki targeted older audiences with quarterly releases. That final title ended publication in March 2021. On the 20th of November 2020, cover designer Tariji Sasaki received recognition from Guinness World Records. He held the record for longest-running cover design work on a children's magazine. The main magazine maintained its A5 dimensions throughout decades of change.
Sales figures tell a story of fluctuating popularity between 1987 and 2017. In 1987, monthly circulation reached 1,400,000 copies. Numbers dropped steadily through the early 1990s before rising again in 1996. By April 2017, total sales had hit 400 million copies. This made it one of the best-selling comic magazines ever. The data shows peaks around 1.8 million copies in 1997. Later years saw numbers fall below 600,000 per issue. Despite these swings, the magazine remained a major force in Japanese publishing history.
CoroCoro regularly promoted toys and video games tied to their manga franchises. Pocket Monsters Blue was sold exclusively through the magazine at first. That exclusive deal helped boost CoroCoro's own sales significantly. Radio controlled Mini 4WD cars from Tamiya also drove readership growth. Other collaborations included Beyblade with Takara and B-Daman products. Nintendo systems like Famicom and Game Boy received special coverage. These partnerships turned the magazine into a hub for toy and game information. It became a primary source for upcoming Pokémon movies and titles.
Current series include Super Mario-kun running since November 1990. Pocket Monsters SPECIAL has appeared every month since April 1996. Inazuma Eleven joined the roster in later years. Former titles span decades from Kaibutsu-kun in the 1960s to Shadow the Hedgehog in the 2020s. The list includes Crash Bandicoot, Kirby of the Stars, and Sonic! Dash & Spin. Some series like Battle B-Daman ran for many years before ending. New additions like Splatoon began serialization in June 2016. Each title brought its own fanbase to the monthly pages.
Comic Bom Bom closed down due to declining sales after operating from 1981 to 2007. Current rivals include V Jump which started competition in June 1993. Saikyo Jump emerged as another major competitor starting in January 2012. Monthly Shōnen Ace also entered the market in December 1994. Kerokero Ace competed briefly between 2007 and 2013. These magazines fought for the same young male demographic. CoroCoro maintained its position despite fierce competition over four decades. The landscape shifted constantly with new entrants and exits.
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Common questions
When was CoroCoro Comic first launched?
The 15th of May 1977 marked the launch of CoroCoro Comic, a monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It began as a dedicated vehicle for Doraemon, one of Japan's most beloved characters.
Who designed the cover art for CoroCoro Comic for the longest time?
Tariji Sasaki received recognition from Guinness World Records on the 20th of November 2020 for holding the record for longest-running cover design work on a children's magazine. He maintained this role throughout decades of change while the main magazine kept its A5 dimensions.
How many copies did CoroCoro Comic sell in total by April 2017?
By April 2017, total sales had hit 400 million copies, making it one of the best-selling comic magazines ever. The data shows peaks around 1.8 million copies in 1997 before numbers fell below 600,000 per issue in later years.
Which video game was sold exclusively through CoroCoro Comic at first?
Pocket Monsters Blue was sold exclusively through the magazine at first to help boost CoroCoro's own sales significantly. Nintendo systems like Famicom and Game Boy also received special coverage within these pages.
What series has been running in CoroCoro Comic since November 1990?
Super Mario-kun is a current series that has been running since November 1990. Pocket Monsters SPECIAL has appeared every month since April 1996, and Inazuma Eleven joined the roster in later years.