FamilyFun (1-year auto-renewal)

Family Fun magazine is owned by the Disney company, and it's not hard to figure that out once you open an issue. There are ads for Disney movies, Disney parks, Disney toys, and Disney kids wear on almost every other page! If you got rid of all the ads, the magazine would be half its size or less. However, I can't knock this magazine too much. They have great ideas for crafts that are easy and fun for kids. These can vary from something simple like pipe cleaner people, to things more elaborate like castles made from cardboard boxes. I'm alwasy consistently impressed with their birthday party ideas as well. One idea they had was to make dinosaur "bones" out of sand and glue, and then bury them for a birthday party archeological dig. They also have ideas for creative birthday cakes. One cake they did looked just like a swimming pool. They have a section in the back that's about taking family-friendly vacations (always including Anaheim or Orlando in the mix, so you don't forget about Disney trips!) that is really helpful. Even though I have a few complaints, the magazine does live up to its name and provides lots of ideas for family fun.

I wondered what happened when I saw the price for Family Fun magazine drop to $5.00 a year and then today I received my first issue. Back when my kids were little, this was "the" magazine for planning vacations, finding kid-friendly recipes, and planning entertaining but educational activities with the kids. Now it's 100% advertisements. Scattered throughout the magazine are about 30 blurbs from Facebook fans and Pinterest pals with ideas you've heard a million times. There are no professionally written articles. Not a single one.

Here's the December/January issue:

p. 0(inside front cover) Ad for Oral-B and Crest

p. 1 table of contents

p. 2 table of contents cont'd and credits

p. 3 ad for Hilton Resorts

p. 4 ad for Ore Ida hash browns

p. 5 ad for Ore Ida french fries

p. 6 ad for Kings Hawaiian bread

p. 7 facebook fans and pinterest pals (like I care)

p. 8 ad for Family Fun's iPhone app "ToyHopper" which recommends Christmas video games for kids (omg)

p. 9 ad for Pringles potato chips

p. 10 list of holidays in december and january (like national cocoa day)

p. 11 ad for Curel lotion

p. 12 ad for Toyota

p. 13 idea from Pinterest pal (I've seen this before, about 15 years ago, duh)

p. 14 how to make a really ugly and flimsy clothespin menorah

p. 15 ad for SpongeBob Christmas DVD and iTunes

p. 16 how to make two really tacky ornaments and a cute angel

p. 17 ad for Legos and Duplos

p. 18 how to make a table fan tree (same as it was 40 years ago when I did this in elementary school)

p. 19 ad for Orajel and Spinbrush toothbrush

p. 20 how to wrap a photo around a candle (ugh)

p. 21 ad for CakeBoss mail-order cakes

p. 22 ad for Karen Tack's cupcake books

p. 23 ad for Karen Tack's cupcake books

p. 24 recipe for crackers from about 20 years ago (originally in Better Homes and Garden Kids cookbook, I believe)

p. 25 ad for Hallmark

(four more pages of ads for Hallmark with no page numbers)

p. 26 rest of cracker recipe

p. 27 ad for Oral B, American Girl, and Apple App Store

p. 28 recipe for sugar-coated marshmallows dressed up to look like gingerbread men (one of the most sugar-laden recipes I've ever seen)

p. 29 ad for ABC Family television channel

p. 30 idea from a Facebook fan

p. 31 ad for Mucinex

p. 32 ad for FaceBook and Disney Princess dolls

p. 33 ad for Geico (seriously?)

p. 34 ad for Rice Krispies

p. 35 rice krispy marshmallow treat recipe (in shape of christmas ball) and ad for Kellogg's Rice Krispies

p. 36 ad for Eggland's Best eggs

p. 37 how to make a snow angel (like we need instructions; it's not that complicated-->lie in snow, fan arms)

p. 38 ad for Zoo Tunes speakers for mp3 players

p. 39 ad for Palmolive dish detergent

p. 40 ad for Similasanusa cough and fever syrup

p. 41 ad for RedBox video rentals

p. 42 ad for Similasan ear relief drops

p. 43 ad for Parents.com website membership

p. 44 ad for Blue Bones dog bones

p. 45 ad for Blue Freedom dog food

p. 46 three yoga poses for mother and daughter (not fitness, not even fun)

p. 47 ad for Organic Valley dairy products

p. 48 ad for Gerber "generation" toddler food

p. 49 ad for Gerber Graduates dippers

p. 50 ideas from Facebook fan (ridiculous, if this is educational then your kids will not be very bright)

p. 51 ad for Disney Channel's "Sofia the First"

p. 52 multiple ads for kids' furniture and accessories

p. 53 multiple ads for kids' furniture and accessories

p. 54 how to soak your feet (omg)

p. 55 how to paint your nails (another omg)

p. 56 ad for Piggy Paint kids nail polish and Moodylicous Childrens Spa face frosting

p. 57 ad for Crazy8 kids clothes

p. 58 ad for Nissan

p. 59 how to find a local greenhouse (hint: google "greenhouse")

p. 60 how to travel witha dog (if you have a dog, you know this)

p. 61 ad for websites catering to dogs

p. 62 ad for IAMS dog food

p. 63 ad for IAMS dog food

p. 64 ad for Disney World Resorts (Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort in particular)

p. 65 ad for Imaginext toys

p. 66 ad for Imaginext toys

(two more pages of ads for Imaginext toys with no page numbers)

p. 67 ad for Oreo cookies (more sugar, just what our kids need) and Wilderness Resorts (a division of Disney World)

p. 68 picture of peppermint fudge (recipe later, a copycat version of the fudge on sweetened condensed milk cans)

p. 69 how to frost a donut hole (seriously?)

p. 70 recipe for gingerbread biscotti (wife's a cook, she said "gross" when she read the recipe)

p. 71 ad for Minute Rice

p. 72 how to frost a cookie like a present (a really ugly present)

p. 73 ad for Sears Portrait Studio (the only ad worth paying attention to although JC Penney takes better kid pics)

p. 74 a really awful recipe for Newton-like sugar-laden jam bars (more sugar)

p. 75 ad for Fruity Pebbles cereal (the most sugar-laden cereal of them all)

p. 76 how to take pictures of kids (and badly)

p. 77 more pictures

p. 78 more pictures

p. 79 ad for FaceBook and Pinterest (surely you saw this coming; when they have a faked "article" they have to have the ad to go with it immediately after)

p. 80 ad for American Girl dolls

p. 81 ad for American Girl dolls

p. 82 how to paint a metal washer (hardware) with nail polish, add a ribbon, and call it a really ugly gift..uh I mean necklace

p. 83 pictures of ugly painted washers

p. 84 how to paint other stuff with nail polish and call it a cheap gift

p. 85 how to paint a cheap spoon with nail polish and gift it (omg)

p. 86 ad for familyfunmag.com in the guise of a how-to make a sport pillow (the size of your hand)

p. 87 ad for EpiPen (now the pharmaceutical companies are advertising in Family Fun)

p. 88 safety warnings for EpiPen (omg)

p. 89 add for FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, iTunes app store, and about six more ads

p. 90 ads for about 15 products you can buy online

p. 91 picture of a guy walking in a christmas tree cutting yard (I can drive down the street and see this, do I have to pay for it in a magazine?)

p. 92 ideas from FaceBook fans

p. 93 another picture of the same guy, this time carrying a tree

p. 94 ad for InchBug sipper cups

p. 95 ad for Smuggler's Notch Cabins in Vermont

p. 96 picture of a kid on an intertube in the snow (yeah, we know how to do that too, no instructions required)

p. 97 ad for Campbell's tomato soup

p. 98 (back cover) ad for CoolWhip frosting and FaceBook

As you can see, the entire magazine is ads. If there is a "fake" story, it's a paragraph of garbage preceding the several pages of related ads. e.g. How to travel with a dog followed by several pages of dog food ads. The FaceBook fans and Pinterest pals are the ones here giving this junk magazine five star reviews.

Don't believe me? Print this out, take it to your local bookstore and check out the issue. :) Yep, I'm right. Don't waste your money.

Buy FamilyFun (1-year auto-renewal) Now

This is ABSOLUTELY the best family magazine out on the market today. It beats the others hands down for creative ideas and their suggestions and ideas are easy, fast and no hassle for working parents to be able to do with their kids. Their vacation/travel tips are great too. I like that they rate different places based on how much there is for different age groups to do at each place it takes a lot of the guess work out of family vacation planning! The articles are informative, well written, and interesting. The crafts are easy to do, require little creative ability (so literally anyone can do them), and generally do not involve specialty items that are hard to find. I really like the fact that this magazine is more geared towards helping families have fun with each other while recognizing that not all of us have 3 hours each day to devote to doing the activities that they suggest. Most of the crafts and activities can be done in less than an hour and they are just as easy for younger kids as they are for older kids but are still interesting to both age groups. This magazine also doesn't "scare" parents with articles on complicated and rare developmental / medical problems. They present articles on common problems that are well researched, thought out, and well written. A definite must have for any busy parent who still wants to be able to do stuff with their kid(s).

Read Best Reviews of FamilyFun (1-year auto-renewal) Here

I have been a subscriber to Family Fun for 4+ years and I have always enjoyed the magazine. I don't remember ever being disappointed in an issue.

I usually will read a magazine once just for entertainment value and then go back later and sort out the articles & ideas I want to keep on file for future reference. In most magazines this equates to a few pages to hang on to at the most. With Family Fun I always end up with a huge stack of ideas that I want to hang on to. What is even better is that these are tips and bits of information that I actually use and apply in our everyday lives. Practical, useful and fun are all words I would use to describe this publication.

My favorite features include:

"My great idea" submitted by readers

"Family Almanac" seasonal activities and resources

and the travel ideas. We have discovered many great places that our on our list to visit someday and we have even been able to add some wonderful and educational fun to trips we have already had planned.

Some reviews have complained about the magazine being owned by Disney. I'm not sure why that is such a problem, but I do realize some people don't like Disney. The truth is that some major corporation owns just about everything major magazine out there anyway. At least the Disney company has helped Family Fun gain a bigger audience and provided a fantastic web site as a resource companion to the magazine. I don't find that Disney is overly promoted (a rarity in the world of Disney I know!) in this magazine. There are plenty of reviews and references to very non-Disney products such as the Harry Potter series, Shrek movies, and hundreds of travel ideas that have nothing to do with anything related to a Disney enterprise.

This magazine has definitely earned the 5 star rating.

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We love this magazine as a family and on individual basis. We keep all of our issues, and refer back to them for so many different things: foods, crafts, parties, activities, simple solutions and so much more! The only thing missing is a master guide of which magazine holds what so we can find it quicker. My only complaint is that I wish they sent out a yearly index to solve this problem. This is a subscription we will probably never give up.

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