About Wendy

Wendy

Wendy is Germany's most successful horse magazine for children, published by Egmont Ehapa Media in Berlin since 1986. The first girls' horse magazine in the country, it created the genre in the German children's press and has kept generations of young readers devoted to the world of its heroine, the young rider Wendy. Published every three weeks with a poster spread, a comic, an exclusive photo story and a surprise extra in every issue, the magazine celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2026. With more than 150 million copies sold over its lifetime and spin-offs ranging from radio plays and computer games to a TV series and a cinema film, Wendy has grown into a genuine cult brand — a "love brand" that still addresses horse-mad girls aged eight to twelve, and increasingly the grown-ups who grew up with it.

Overview

Few children's magazines in Germany can match Wendy's longevity and brand power. Since its first appearance in May 1986 with a print run of 41,000 copies, the magazine has defined how the German press speaks to horse-loving girls. Its formula has proved remarkably durable: a mix of expert knowledge about horses and riding, entertaining fiction starring Wendy and her circle of friends, high-quality poster spreads, an exclusive photo story and a tangible extra — pen sets, jewellery, stickers, accessories or posters — that makes every issue a small event at the newsstand.

The title is published by Egmont Ehapa Media, the Berlin-based German arm of the Scandinavian Egmont media group, one of the country's leading children's magazine publishers. Wendy appears every three weeks, 17 times a year, and is distributed at newsstands and by subscription; the IVW-audited sold circulation for the fourth quarter of 2025 stood at 26,849 copies. The brand extends far beyond print: Wendy stories appear as audio plays, computer games, a television series and a 2017 feature film, and the characters live on wendy.de with readers' services, current issues and subscription offers.

In 2026 Egmont Ehapa Media marked the magazine's 40th birthday, presenting Wendy as a "Kultmarke" — a cult brand deliberately positioned against the fast-moving digital world as a calm, down-to-earth retreat where the horse world can be experienced authentically. The anniversary coverage notes that the retro wave has made Wendy attractive not only to today's young readers but to adults who grew up with the magazine.

History

Wendy was launched in May 1986 by the Egmont Ehapa Verlag in Berlin as Germany's first horse magazine for girls. The market gap was real: nothing comparable existed in the German children's press, and the title was a success from the start. Initially monthly, it was quickly switched to a fortnightly rhythm; within its first three years sales tripled, and by 1996 the magazine reached the magic quarter-million mark in sold copies. Over its first 25 years, more than 152 million copies were sold — an extraordinary figure for a children's periodical.

The publishing rhythm tracked the market: fortnightly from 1989, weekly from 1996, back to fortnightly in 2009, and every three weeks since 2016, with the cover price rising from 3 Deutsche Mark in the early days to 4.20 euros, and special anniversary editions higher. Editorially, the magazine evolved with its readers: in the early years the focus was firmly on horses and riding; in the mid-1990s other animals and active animal protection joined the mix; today the magazine is best understood as a lifestyle title for young horse-loving girls, combining knowledge, entertainment and community.

The brand's media extensions were built early and systematically. Wendy stories were adapted as Hörspiele (audio plays) and computer games; in 1995, 65 episodes of a TV series were produced, shown in Denmark in 1996; a 3D animated series followed with ZDF as co-production partner for German-speaking Europe; and a cinema film was released in 2017. The Danish edition's story runs parallel: the character Wendy was introduced there in 1991 in the magazine Penny, which was renamed Wendy in 1995 — according to Egmont, Denmark's largest horse magazine. In 2026 the German edition celebrated 40 years, with Egmont's Publishing Director Magazines Jörg Risken and Wendy editor Oliver Krohn presenting the title's relevance as the authentic mediation of fascination with the horse world, combining entertainment with solid knowledge.

Content and Sections

Each issue of Wendy delivers a carefully composed mix designed for girls aged roughly seven to twelve. At the centre stands the Wendy comic and the exclusive photo story, produced in-house, following the heroine and her friends — characters such as Sina, Gunnar, Heike, Herta, Sven, Penny and Dixie — through adventures on and around the riding stable. High-quality poster spreads give readers material for the bedroom wall, and every issue carries an extra: a plush set, an owl set in the anniversary edition, stickers, jewellery or accessories.

The knowledge sections cover horses and riding in depth — breeds, care, training, stable life — and have long included animal protection and other animals. Reportages introduce readers to the world of horses beyond their own experience: riding disciplines, famous horses and riders, and the everyday realities of stable life. Puzzles, competitions and readers' letters round out the mix, and the anniversary issues have added large sweepstakes. The tone is warm, competent and down-to-earth, written by editors who know the subject and the audience.

The content philosophy, as the publisher describes it, is to mediate the fascination of the horse world authentically — combining entertainment with genuine knowledge rather than chasing the fast cycles of digital children's media. That deliberate slowness is part of the brand's current positioning: a trusted retreat from the pace of the online world.

Publisher and Organization

Wendy is published by Egmont Ehapa Media GmbH (formerly Egmont Ehapa Verlag GmbH) of Berlin, the German publishing arm of the Danish-rooted Egmont media group. Egmont is one of Germany's leading publishers of children's and family magazines, and Wendy has been one of its flagship brands since 1986. The magazine appears every three weeks, 17 issues a year, at a cover price of 4.20 euros for standard issues, with subscription offers — annual, trial and gift subscriptions — sold through the Egmont shop. The audited sold circulation was 26,849 copies in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The responsible editor named for Wendy is Oliver Krohn; the German Wikipedia entry lists Marko Andric as editor-in-chief — the publicly reported editorial assignments differ across sources and have not been confirmed from a single authoritative statement. Advertising for the magazine is handled by the in-house unit Egmont Media Solutions. Reader services for questions about issues, extras and subscriptions are based in Hamburg.

Digital Presence

The brand's digital home is wendy.de, where current issues, characters, subscription offers and reader services are presented. The site showcases each new issue — in 2026, issues 10 through 13 with their extras — and offers annual and trial subscriptions with home delivery, positioning the print magazine at the centre of the brand's digital shop window. The Egmont shop handles single-copy sales, subscriptions and premiums online.

Wendy's digital strategy is deliberately print-centric: rather than competing with fast digital children's content, the website supports the magazine, extending the brand experience with character presentations and reader services. Social channels and the shop complete the ecosystem. In the 2026 anniversary communications, the publisher explicitly framed Wendy as a conscious alternative to the fast-moving digital world — a slow, trustworthy space where the horse world stays tangible — a positioning that makes the digital presence a servant of the print ritual rather than its replacement.