Retro Revival: 30 Years of 'All Stars' Magazine

Retro Revival: 30 Years of 'All Stars' Magazine

I've been a magazine collector since I was a kid, and 'All Stars' was always my go-to. I remember obsessing over the posters in every issue – Britney Spears, Natasha Oreiro, The Prodigy... the list goes on. It's wild to think that this magazine has been around for three decades, and it's still going strong.

Who needs a physical magazine when you've got the internet, right? But the answer is pretty obvious: those posters are still super appealing. The magazine's still published by Rovestnik – talk about staying power!

I've been trying to track down the first issue, but all I could find were scans of the covers. Apparently, those early issues were just posters, no reading material at all. It wasn't until later that the magazine started including articles and the format we know and love today.

In 1999, 'All Stars' got a major overhaul. The logo changed, and there were more poster formats to choose from – A4, A3, and even A2. But one of the biggest changes was the introduction of articles, which were a new addition to the magazine.

I remember flipping through the pages of my favorite magazine in the 90s and 2000s, trying to guess who'd be on the cover. It was always a thrill to see Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) or Demi Lovato gracing the cover, or to spot Tokio Hotel and One Direction on the posters inside.

The special editions were always a treat, too – I loved the ones dedicated to individual celebrities or fan clubs.

Even now, the posters that make it into the magazine are chosen by readers through a vote in the Facebook group – no more filling out forms and sending them in by mail! It's a great way to keep the community engaged.

The magazine still comes out every two weeks, and you can get it by mail, pick it up in stores, or find it online. It was a staple of my childhood, and I continued to buy it until the internet became more widespread.

I was a dedicated subscriber from 2009 to 2012, and even back then, the price seemed a bit steep. But my mom always managed to sweet-talk me into getting a subscription, and I'd spend hours pasting up posters all over my room.

These magazines were literally everywhere – in every kiosk and post office, and I'm pretty sure I saw them in some stores too. Each issue is like a snapshot of a specific decade, making it easy to understand what kids (and not just kids) were into back then.

I've managed to keep a big chunk of the issues, and most of the posters too. For instance, it seemed like every single issue had Ranetki on the cover, who were at the height of their popularity back then.

There were also tons of posters in all sorts of sizes:

A4 posters featuring Disney stars like Selena Gomez and the Jonas BrothersA3 posters with popular TV shows like 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'Supernatural'A2 posters with iconic music groups like Tokio Hotel and One DirectionThe second most popular one was ex-Ranetka Lera Kozlova, who had just left the group but still had a massive fan base.

Those two faces kept popping up in the magazine – Nastya (she was still at the peak of her popularity back then) and Maks:

Nastya's poster was always a favorite of mine, and I remember spending hours trying to get the perfect autographMaks's poster was always a close second, and I loved how he'd often pose with his bandmatesAnd let's not forget the Disney star Selena Gomez (who was already a solo artist at the time), the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana), Demi Lovato, and many others.

After flipping through the issues, I realized I had the most posters with Selena – just like I had the most issues with her)

Tokio Hotel and One Direction were also super popular back then:

Tokio Hotel's poster was always a favorite of mine, and I loved how they'd often pose with their fansOne Direction's poster was always a close second, and I loved how they'd often perform at concerts and festivalsThe Twilight franchise was also super popular back then (and it's crazy how nostalgic people are about old movies again). No wonder there were tons of releases based on it.

No wonder there were tons of releases based on it. The magazine still comes out every two weeks, and you can get it by mail, pick it up in stores, or find it online.

I stopped buying and subscribing to magazines back in 2012, but recently stumbled upon the current issues on marketplaces and was blown away by the price. Still, I was curious to see what had changed with the magazine over the past 13 years, so I bought a copy.

Plus, the content now is super interesting – it's like they're combining things that don't normally go together, like modern and retro from the 80s, and cartoons... It's a real mix.

I chose the July 2025 issue, which was all about VK Fest and the new stars who participated. To be honest, I didn't really know any of them...

On the outside and inside, the magazine hasn't changed much (excluding some tiny details):

The cover still features a collage of popular stars and groupsThe inside pages still feature posters, articles, and adsI have to say, the articles themselves look just as good as they used to – although now, I'm not sure why I need them, since I can find so much more interesting stuff online.

The only real difference is that the magazine no longer includes a letter section at the end, but it does have space for fan art, cast lists, and other fun stuff.

The poster selection is pretty cool, ranging from fresh new releases to popular TV shows – and I have to say, I love the new poster sizes, which are bigger than they used to be.

It's a nice touch, and it makes the magazine feel more like a special treat than just a bunch of articles and ads.

I was stoked to see a huge poster featuring Linkin Park and their new lead singer... Also, 'oldschool' tracks from the 80s kept popping up in the playlists, like 'Laskovy May' and Yuri Shatunov and Viktor Tsoy. But the people are actively voting, and both are still considered pretty relevant, even today.

I'm okay with that – I can still jam out to some of these tracks occasionally.

I've got to say, it's pretty cool how they manage to mesh all this with cartoon characters like My Little Pony or Ladybug.

The Verdict:

I'm blown away by how the magazine still manages to hold people's interest after 30 years, even though you can easily find any article about an artist, film, or series online for free. And printing out a poster is a breeze. But even the younger crowd finds something they like, while older fans get nostalgic and vote for their favorite artist and buy the latest issue.