Muse is a children's magazine published by Carus Publishing, the publishers of Cricket. Launched in January 1997, it is published in Chicago, Illinois, and has readers throughout the United States and around the world. From 1997 to today, it was published by Cricket and sponsored by Smithsonian. Recommended for ages nine and above, it features articles about science, history, and the arts. It is edited by Johanna Arnone. Nine cartoon characters, known as the Muses, used to appear in the margins throughout the magazine as well as in the Kokopelli & Company comic strip. After merging with its sister magazine Odyssey in September 2015, Muse added new content, changed its layout, and replaced the Muses with a comic named "Parallel U" featuring different characters. Magazine contents Muse is published nine times annually. Each issue contains a comic strip ("Parallel U") written by Caanan Grall, letters from readers (Muse Mail), a facts page (Muse News), a contest, a question-and-answer page written by Lizzie Wade, a page about technology, and articles on various topics. Past issues have included articles about vegetarianism, pie throwing, extraterrestrial life, naked mole-rats, the origin of the moon, pirates, urban legends, insects, mummies, tenrecs, the history of napkins, contacting ghosts, New Zealand's exploding trousers, Rube Goldberg inventions, The Lord of the Rings, and blind cavefish. Muses The Muses were drawn by cartoonist Larry Gonick. Among them, only Urania was one of the original Greek muses; Kokopelli, a trickster, is a god in many Native American tribes. Kokopelli: Muse of tunes and tricks, who often throws pies Chad: Muse of Hardware Aeiou: Muse of Software Bo: Muse of Factoids Urania: Muse of Astronomy Feather: Muse of Plants Crraw: Muse of Bad Poetry Pwt: Muse of Animals Mimi: Muse of getting along with people In addition, Devil, Kokopelli's dog, and Angel, Mimi's cat, were occasionally featured, more so in older issues. As of September 2015, the Muses have been removed from the magazine, replaced with a new comic called Parallel U drawn by Caanan Grall. Awards 2019 Parents’ Choice Gold 2018 Parents’ Choice Gold 2017 Parents’ Choice Gold 2016 Parents' Choice Gold 2015 Parents' Choice Gold 2014 Parents' Choice Gold 2013 Parents' Choice Gold 2012 Parents' Choice Gold 2010 Parents' Choice Gold 2008 Parents' Choice Silver 2005 Parents' Choice Gold References External links Cricket Media (Muse's official website) 1997 establishments in Illinois Advertising-free magazines Children's magazines published in the United