Pif is (again) back.
Like the phoenix, the famous cartoon dog born 72 years ago keeps rising from its ashes.
But this time around, he's really coming back to where we didn't expect him to be.
The "dad" of this new Pif is none other than Frédéric Lefebvre, the former deputy and minister of Nicolas Sarkozy!
Astonishing when we know that Pif was born in the columns of the communist newspaper L'Humanité in 1948.
The former right-wing politician has therefore become director of publication of the new formula of the youth magazine renamed "Pif, le Mag", which will be released this Wednesday in the form of a quarterly.
The cult youth magazine will be printed in 120,000 copies every quarter and sold at a price of 5.90 euros.
Day 12 #CalendrierDeLavent #NikosAliagas: “I'm in Pif”
from Dec 16 at your favorite newsagent. # LaChansonSecrete @ TF1 @ carlabruni, @louane, @iambilalhassani, @Amir_Off, @jdoreofficiel, @patrickPatiorSecrete, @patrickPatiorSecrete @kevadamsss
D-4 # Pif2020 pic.twitter.com/kuklyA06mf
- Pif le Mag (@Pifofficiel) December 12, 2020
The former UMP executive, LR then Agir formalized his professional reconversion in an interview published Monday on the JDD site, to which he assured to have "finished with politics", after having resigned from his public functions at the end of 2019.
Secret reading ...
“With a few contributors, we have bought and relaunched Vaillant editions in agreement with L'Humanité.
They cover all the publishing-printing-distribution part of Pif, the Mag, ”explains Frédéric Lefebvre, specifying that he obtained the license“ of Pif and his characters ”from the communist daily, holder of the rights.
Its editorial line will be turned "towards ecology, humanism, solidarity, the defense of animals", underlines Frédéric Lefebvre, who confides to have read "in secret" during his youth the magazine Pif, banned by his father "because he considered that it financed the Communist Party ”.
“Pif has never been political in the sense of the left / right divide.
And that's what makes its strength.
[…] It is reductive to consider that he carried a militant ideology.
What he embodied (and which he still symbolizes) are the values of humanism and solidarity, ”defends the new director of publication.
Humanity will be interested in turnover and sales
Values which are very dear to the owner of the Pif brand.
"The contract we signed includes respect for the values carried by Pif: fraternity, justice, peace, feminism, and of course a lot of room for the environment" confirmed Patrick Le Hyaric, president. and director of the L'Humanité group.
“We negotiated with people who carried the company Pif et Hercule.
We did not immediately know who would be the people who would become responsible for the operation, we are not forced to agree in everything ”commented the journalist by training on the position occupied by Frédéric Lefebvre, in the organization chart of the new Pif.
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This transfer of rights was made for 5 years and Humanity will be interested in the turnover and sales of the magazine according to the leader of the left-wing daily.
In addition, it will be the management of "Huma" which will ensure the advertising management of the title.
From receivership to asset valuation
But how did Humanity come to have to separate from Pif?
We must go back to the summer of 2019. The newspaper domiciled in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) is then in receivership and all its development projects are abandoned ... including the relaunch of Pif gadget, however launched with strong publicity by through a participatory pot.
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Relaunch of Pif Gadget: where did the money in the pot go?
“To obtain a reconciliation plan, the commercial court asked us to value the assets, l'Humanité owns the Pif brand, we looked for ways to promote it,” explains Patrick Le Hyaric.
It is even a chartered accountant with the commercial courts who played the go-between with the company Pif et Hercule.
No prank, Pif himself gave an interview to Humanity to promote the new project!
“I followed with sadness the last twenty-five years, tinged with attempts to revive Pif, more or less successful.
I experienced very badly, as a fan, the failure of the last project in 2018 and the conditions in which it all took place (editor's note, the crowdfunding operation).
I didn't get used to the idea that Pif could die ”, moreover specified the former Sarkozy member in his interview.
With his partner Bernard Chaussegros, former president of Euromedia France and former LR candidate for mayor of Avignon in 2014, Frédéric Lefebvre also intends to make the new Pif, a “transgenerational, family-oriented magazine that addresses the major issues (of ) century ”.
"The return of Pif is a happy event"
Ecology therefore at all levels.
The gadgets, bonuses coveted by young readers, will be present but now guaranteed to be plastic-free, such as the goose mini-game or the tree to plant planned for the first collector's issue.
Another focus is solidarity, with two partnerships with charities including Secours populaire pour Noël.
The family of the famous dog will also open up to new characters like Pifi, "Pif's second son and Pifou's half-brother" "while Placid and Muzo, other star characters, become responsible for an animal shelter" .
The former politician thinks big for Pif, to whom he intends to "restore his place as a national hero of our time" notably through "the edition of albums already in writing" but also "several short program projects for audiovisual, video games or development for future amusement parks ”.
“The return of Pif is a happy event and let him for the moment find his fans so that they can share with their children and grandchildren their passion for this universe of our childhood.
We all really need it in this troubled period, ”only wished to comment to Le Parisien le tout frais, director of the publication of Pif, the Mag.
Who will perhaps be under some Christmas trees in a few days ...