play/GROUND #1
395 x 520 mm, 36 pages
Sinagpore (English language)
Editor-in-chief: Greg Gregorian
Creative director: Vicson Guevera
‘Analog isn’t dead, it’s the new rebellion’
This newspaper-sized publication—the pages open up to A1— is published by Pop Mart, the Chinese toy company behind the Labubu key ring collectibles. It’s a big, bold, graphically strong piece of print that celebrates the analog and real life experiences.
Aimed at a young audience, this first edition is subtitled ‘The Social Issue’ and encourages real-life meet-ups, and reporting the experience of an internet addict who went cold turkey. It introduces itself with a bold statement about the power of print, reminding readers that print demands your attention and invites you to linger.
It also celebrates the phone, with interviews presented as chat messages and a survey of users and their favourite apps and screen time stats.
Cover star Leah Dou features inside on a pull-out centre spread poster. And while there are no Labubus included, there is a Pop Mart friendship bracelet with every copy.