If you’ve been in a doctor’s or dentist’s waiting room in the last 50 years, you’ve certainly been exposed to the exploits of inconsiderate Goofus and his apple-polishing counterpart Gallant, followed the adventures of the Timbertoes, or took a moment or two to find the hidden pictures. Highlights… for Children has been entertaining patients since 1946.

Dr. Garry Cleveland Myers and his wife, Caroline Elizabeth Clark Myers, were both passionate about education. Both had earned advanced degrees at Columbia University (Garry a Ph.D. in psychology and Caroline a Bachelor’s in education), and both taught illiterate soldiers to read and write during World War I. As a couple, they toured the United States from 1941 to 1946, giving lectures and presentations to parents and teachers about the importance of education. During their travels, they worked for a magazine called Children’s Activities, which featured puzzles and games for youngsters.

Once their lecture tour ended, the couple decided to found their own magazine, which combined activities for kids with plenty of advice and life lessons based on the questions they had received from children over the years. Highlights for Children debuted in 1946, and despite its worldwide success and growth over the years, both Myers remained passionate about their creation and continued working as editors until their deaths in 1971 and 1980, respectively.

Part of their marketing strategy included leaving copies of the magazine in medical office waiting rooms, in hopes that parents would tear out and send in one of the subscription cards inside each issue. However, they discovered that folks were loathe to destroy what appeared to be public property, so the Myers arranged for each issue to have one subscription card already torn out. The tactic worked, and subscription requests soon came flooding in.