Two vintage Halloween-themed covers of Jack and Jill magazine

Anyone remember reading Jack and Jill as a kid? What features did you like best in the magazine?

October 1967

The above cover illustration, by Dorothy L. Forsyth, features a boy who is dressed as an astronaut¹ and is losing the candy from his trick-or-treat bag.

Contents in this issue included:

• An article on the young stars of "Family Affair"
• Part two of the story "Baba Yaga and Uncle Bogatir's Gift"²
• Instructions on making Halloween masks
• A recipe for October Nectar, which is simply equal parts apple cider and ginger ale, served with apple slices and a dash of cinnamon

In case you're wondering, the winner of the Cat-Naming Contest mentioned on the cover was Janice Harter of Corona, California, who suggested "Purrkins." For her efforts, she won a Britannica Junior Encyclopaedia. There were 100 fourth-place finishers, including Sidney Lee Hull of East Berlin, Pennsylvania.

October 1972

This illustration, featuring a dog popping out of a pumpkin, is by artist Al Michini.

Contents in this issue included:

• The Molly Jones story "Mr. Mixup and the Hiccup Robbery"
• The conclusion of the story "Baba Yaga and the Firebird's Feather"
• The Jean Conder Soule story "Maggie McBroom and the Hurricane"³
• A collection of international recipes, including three-layer casserole from Austria, French-Canadian fries⁴, Canadian pork pie, Spanish rice and Chinese gingered fruit.

Footnotes
1. This space-themed cover illustration came when America's attention was focused on the Apollo program. Sarah is currently learning about this program during her homeschooling, partially by watching the excellent HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon."
2. Baba Yaga stories were a staple of Jack and Jill during this era. According to this 2010 post on the PowerOfBabel blog: "In these tales Baba Yaga, though grumpy and a little greedy, was a far cry from the cannibalistic hag depicted in old Russian tradition. The real hero was her put-upon black cat, who was sent out on missions by the old witch and had to brave whatever challenges that entailed."
3. Hurricane Sandy, aka Frankenstorm and Superstorm and whatever else they're calling it, is supposed to start truly affecting York County today. Stay tuned.
4. The only apparent difference between these fries and "regular" fries is that you sprinkle them with some vinegar instead of smothering them in ketchup. And so that makes them French-Canadian. OK.