• by Fern Siegel , June 24, 2019

In 2006, after 15 years in print, Mental Floss went digital-only.

Last Friday, June 21, it slightly reversed course. Mental Floss, which focuses on making history and culture accessible and entertaining, published a print magazine, now available at Barnes & Noble bookstores.

The company teamed with Paper and Packaging Board and Barnes & Noble, its distributor, for the surprise print effort.

The theme of the issue — big questions — is one element in a multiplatform program between Mental Floss and P+PB’s “How Life Unfolds” campaign, which promotes the value of reading on paper daily.

The push is to get people to read at least 15 print pages every day, which researches claim improve mental development and memory.

The big questions issue asks such interesting queries as: Who was the female feudal lord who defeated a WWII invasion with good manners? Who invented the cardboard box?

The “Life” campaign also runs cross-platform, digital and social, on Mental Floss. That includes MF’s “Book Corner,” a popular section on the pub’s site and Twitter page.

Mary Anne Hansan, president, Paper and Packaging Board, stated she was pleased to see Mental Floss in print again since 77% of those surveyed said “they concentrate better when reading a printed book.”

Mental Floss is a part of Minute Media’s portfolio of brands, which also includes 12up, The Big Lead, DBLTAP and 90min. Minute Media bought the publication from the Felix Dennis estate in fall 2018.

MF's site claims 20.5 million unique users a month. Its YouTube channel produces three weekly series and has 1.3 million subscribers.