Topolino

Topolino (from the Italian name for Mickey Mouse) is an Italian digest-sized comic series featuring Disney comics. The series has had a long running history, first appearing in 1932 as a comics magazine. Since 2013, it has been published by Panini Comics.

Topolino giornale (1932–1949)

In 1932 the editor Mario Nerbini decided to open a new weekly newspaper for kids, containing illustrated tales with Mickey Mouse. The first issue of Topolino was published on December 31, 1932: it contained Mickey's first Italian story drawn by Giove Toppi. In this story, Mickey Mouse was chased by an elephant. However, Nerbini had not correctly secured the publication rights, so when Emmanuel (Disney's representative in Italy) protested, Nerbini changed the title of the comic book with issue #3 into Topo Lino (Mouse Lino), replacing Mickey Mouse with Topo Lino, another mouse. When Nerbini bought the publication rights from Disney and King Features Syndicate, he changed the title back to Topolino with issue #5. Floyd Gottfredson's stories made their debut in Topolino #7 with a Sunday page featuring Mickey, his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, and Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse. Topolino published mainly Mickey Mouse Sunday pages; the daily strips were published in the supplement to the newspaper.

Topolino had eight pages and also published non-Disney comic strips such as Tim Tyler's Luck (Cino e Franco). In 1935 Topolino published Bobo the Elephant, Mickey Mouse and the sacred jewel and Mickey Mouse and Pluto the racer. The same year Arnoldo Mondadori's publishing house Mondadori bought the newspaper; the first issue published by Mondadori was #137.