Before memes. Before YouTube. Before the internet turned every phone into an endless source of entertainment, there was Pilipino FUNNY Komiks.
Kung lumaki ka noong ’80s o ’90s, good chance na naging regular visitor ito sa bahay ninyo. Minsan bagong bili. Minsan hiram sa classmate. Minsan hand-me-down galing sa kuya o ate. At minsan… “hiram” na hindi na talaga naibalik. 😄
Noong June 26, 1978, lumabas ang first issue ng Pilipino FUNNY Komiks. It was the first full-color comic magazine created specifically for children in the Philippines. Habang maraming komiks noon ang para sa adults, ito naman ang naging sariling playground ng young readers.
Perfect din ang timing nito. Wala pang internet. Iilan lang ang TV channels. Home video games were still uncommon. Kaya ang bawat bagong issue ng FUNNY Komiks wasn’t just another magazine. Isa itong maliit na event na inaabangan every week.
Pero hindi lang comics ang dahilan kung bakit ito naging special.
Every issue came packed with jokes, riddles, trivia, drawing activities, reader artwork, vocabulary builders, at iba pang surprises. Habang akala mo nagpapalipas ka lang ng oras, may bago ka na palang natututunan.
Siyempre, nandiyan din ang mga characters na naging legends sa maraming readers. Combatron, Tinay Pinay, Planet Opdi Eyps, at marami pang iba. Hanggang ngayon, isang pangalan lang ang kailangan para bumalik ang amoy ng lumang papel at ang excitement ng pagbukas ng bagong issue.
Isa rin itong platform para sa maraming talented Filipino writers at artists. Hindi lang sila gumawa ng nakakatawang stories. Tinulungan din nilang hubugin ang creativity ng isang buong generation.
Ang pinakaastig na achievement ng FUNNY Komiks? Hindi nito pinilit ang mga bata na magbasa.
Ginawa lang nitong sobrang saya ang pagbabasa.
Magsisimula ka sa isang story. Then another. Hanggang sa mapapansin mo, halos ubos na pala ang buong issue. Walang grades. Walang assignment. Reading simply became fun.
Noong 1990s, isa pa rin ito sa mga pinakaabangan ng maraming bata. Pero pagpasok ng early 2000s, nagsimulang magbago ang entertainment. Dumami ang TV channels, lumakas ang video games, pumasok ang internet, at eventually, phones became the new playground. Kasabay nito ang unti unting paghina ng komiks industry sa Pilipinas.
Noong 2004, lumabas ang huling regular issue ng Pilipino FUNNY Komiks. Nagtapos ang publication, pero hindi ang legacy nito.
Hanggang ngayon, may mga collectors na nag-iingat ng old copies. May online communities na naghahanap ng missing issues. At paminsan minsan, may maririnig kang tanong na agad magpapangiti sa isang Batang ’80s o ’90s.
“Naalala mo pa ba si Combatron?”
Looking back, you can’t help but wonder. Kids back then grew up with magazines that rewarded patience, imagination, and reading. Today, many grow up with endless scrolling, shorter attention spans, and content that never seems to end.
Maybe every generation has its own way of growing up. But maybe we also lost something valuable along the way. Magazines like FUNNY Komiks weren’t just keeping kids entertained. They encouraged curiosity, a love for reading, and stories that celebrated kindness, honesty, courage, and doing the right thing. They reminded young readers that these qualities could be just as cool as superpowers or being the hero.
One page at a time, they weren’t just raising readers.
They were helping shape character.
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ