Smash Hits Magazine – 4–17 December 1996 – Spice Girls & Boyzone – Rare Vintage Pop Collectible

Original UK Smash Hits magazine from 4–17 December 1996, featuring the Spice Girls on the main cover, a special alternative Boyzone cover design, the Smash Hits Readers' Poll Winners, celebrity interviews, music features, songwords and advertised posters.

A fantastic piece of 1990s British pop memorabilia, published during the breakthrough year of the Spice Girls and at the height of Boyzone's popularity.

This issue celebrates the annual Smash Hits Readers' Poll Winners and features some of the biggest names in British and international pop music.

Magazine Information

• Magazine: Smash Hits

• Full Issue Date: 4–17 December 1996

• Country: United Kingdom

• Original Cover Price: 90p

• Language: English

• Genre: Pop Music, Celebrity Entertainment and Teen Culture

• Special Edition: Readers' Poll Winners / Alternative Covers

• Condition: Pre-owned vintage magazine

• SKU: 1609

Front Cover – Spice Girls

The front cover features all five original Spice Girls members:

Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Adams.

The group are photographed together in a lively studio portrait, smiling, laughing and posing around a large gold Smash Hits award.

The photograph captures the personalities that helped make the Spice Girls one of the defining pop acts of the 1990s.

Emma Bunton appears on the left with long blonde hair and a pink patterned outfit.

Melanie Brown is positioned towards the back, smiling broadly with her distinctive curly hairstyle.

Melanie Chisholm appears at the top right with dark hair and an excited expression.

Geri Halliwell is positioned at the front with bright red hair, holding the Smash Hits award.

Victoria Adams appears on the right, posing with a playful expression and a peace sign.

The cover features bold pink, yellow and blue typography, including the headline:

"Absolutely wicked! A big thanks!"

It also promotes the results of the Smash Hits Readers' Poll Winners.

The cover is marked Cover 2, with a smaller photograph showing the alternative Cover 1, featuring Boyzone.

This makes the magazine particularly interesting for collectors of original 1990s pop magazine cover variations.

Special Alternative Cover – Boyzone

A smaller reproduction of the alternative Boyzone cover appears on the front.

It features the five original members of Boyzone:

• Ronan Keating

• Stephen Gately

• Keith Duffy

• Shane Lynch

• Mikey Graham

The group are photographed together celebrating their success at the Smash Hits Readers' Poll Winners.

The alternative cover is prominently marked Cover 1, while the full-size Spice Girls cover is marked Cover 2.

Please note: This listing is for the photographed Spice Girls Cover 2 edition only. The separate Boyzone Cover 1 edition is not included.

Inside the Magazine – Featured Articles

Smash Hits Readers' Poll Winners – Page 11

One of the principal attractions of this issue is its coverage of the annual Smash Hits Readers' Poll Winners.

The magazine celebrates the stars, personalities and music chosen by readers during 1996.

The contents and editorial pages refer to the winners' celebrations, including an accompanying party feature.

Your Poll Winners' Party Tape – Page 18

A special music feature connected with the Readers' Poll Winners celebrations.

This is an editorial feature; no separate audio cassette is confirmed or included.

Spice Girls – Page 20

A dedicated feature on the Spice Girls during their extraordinary breakthrough year.

The issue captures the original five-member lineup at a particularly significant moment in their career.

Ideal for collectors interested in the group's early photographs, magazine interviews and 1996 publicity.

Ant & Dec – Page 24

A feature on the popular television and entertainment duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.

The cover promotes their hosting abilities, reflecting their growing popularity in British entertainment.

East 17 – Page 28

Coverage of East 17, one of Britain's most successful 1990s pop groups.

Boyzone – Page 44

A dedicated Boyzone feature accompanying their appearance in the magazine's alternative cover promotion.

Peter Andre – Page 50

A feature on singer Peter Andre.

The cover refers to his success at the Readers' Poll Winners and includes a humorous headline about his physique.

Robbie Williams – Page 52

A feature on Robbie Williams during his early solo career following his departure from Take That.

The contents page includes a large black-and-white photograph of Robbie with an animated facial expression.

This is an interesting period for collectors of early Robbie Williams memorabilia.

Smash Hits Songwords Pull-Out

The photographs clearly show the opening page of the Smash Hits Songwords Pull-Out, featuring British R&B girl group Eternal.

The page displays a large colour photograph of the three members:

• Easther Bennett

• Vernie Bennett

• Kéllé Bryan

The photograph features the trio posing together against a warm orange background, with the title "Eternal – Girl Talk" across the page.

The photographed songwords page advertises the following tracks:

• Eternal – Secrets

• Mark Owen – Child

• Peter Andre – I Feel You

• 3T – I Need You

• The One – One More Chance

• Boyzone – A Different Beat

• Louise – One Kiss from Heaven

The opening page is visibly present within the magazine.

Advertised Poster Special

The issue is advertised as a Fantastic Poll Winners' Poster Special.

The contents page lists posters featuring:

Ant & Dec

The British entertainment duo during their 1990s pop and television career.

Sandra Bullock

The American actress, popular during the decade for films including Speed and While You Were Sleeping.

Will Smith

The American actor and musician, whose career included The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the 1996 film Independence Day.

Jon Bon Jovi

The American rock singer and frontman of Bon Jovi.

Oasis

The British rock band associated with the Britpop movement.

Louise

British singer Louise, formerly of Eternal, during her solo career.

Paul Nicholls

British actor known for his television work during the 1990s.

Robbie Williams

British singer during his transition into a successful solo career.

Important Poster Information: These posters are advertised on the photographed contents page, but the individual poster pages have not been photographed. Their presence and completeness have therefore not been verified. The listing does not guarantee that all originally advertised posters remain intact.

Additional Contents

The photographed contents page also identifies several regular Smash Hits sections:

• What's the Story? – Page 4: Pop music and entertainment news.

• Puzzles – Page 24: Magazine puzzles and entertainment.

• Star Wars – Page 48: Celebrity-related content.

• Reviews – Page 56: Contemporary music reviews.

• Horoscopes – Page 58: Astrology and predictions.

• Biscuit Tin – Page 66: Regular Smash Hits feature.

• The Hits Files – Page 71: Music and entertainment coverage.

The magazine provides an entertaining snapshot of the UK pop music scene in December 1996.

Condition – Important Information

Pre-owned vintage magazine showing general signs of age, storage and handling.

The supplied photographs have been examined carefully.

Front Cover

• The original Spice Girls cover remains colourful and visually appealing.

• The large pink Smash Hits masthead is clearly readable.

• The main cover photograph retains strong colour.

• Some light rubbing and surface handling marks are visible.

• Minor edge and corner wear is present.

• Slight wear can be seen along the left-hand spine edge.

• The bottom edge shows light handling wear.

• No major front-cover tear is apparent in the photographs.

Spine and Binding

• The magazine appears to retain its original binding.

• Some light rubbing and wear are visible along the spine.

• The magazine opens normally in the photographed views.

• No obvious major binding separation is visible.

Internal Pages

• The photographed pages retain strong, colourful printing.

• The contents page remains clear and readable.

• Some light page curvature and handling creases are visible.

• The photographed Eternal songwords page remains present.

• The visible pages appear generally tidy for their age.

• No major tears are apparent in the photographed internal pages.

Back Cover

The back cover features a large promotional advertisement for The One, including a photograph of the group and a promotional response form.

The advertisement retains clear printing and colour.

Light edge and handling wear is visible, particularly around the spine and lower edges.

Overall Condition

A presentable vintage copy with light to moderate age-related and handling wear.

The magazine is not new or mint.

Please examine all photographs carefully before purchasing, as they form part of the item description.

Only the photographed sections have been inspected, so the condition and completeness of every internal page cannot be guaranteed.

Important – Original Gifts and Extras

This sale is for the photographed vintage magazine only, including any pages or material still physically attached.

Any original loose gifts, separately supplied supplements, promotional items, stickers, competition prizes or other extras that may have accompanied the magazine when originally sold are no longer included.

The Eternal songwords opening page is visibly present.

The magazine advertises a poster special, but the individual posters have not been independently verified.

The separate Boyzone alternative-cover magazine is not included.

Packaging and Postage

We take care when packaging vintage magazines to help protect them during delivery.

UK Orders: The magazine will be packaged in a protective hardback envelope.

International Orders: The magazine will be packaged in a sturdy cardboard mailer box for additional protection during international transit.

Why Collect This Issue?

This original December 1996 issue is especially appealing because it features:

• The five original Spice Girls on the front cover.

• The special Readers' Poll Winners celebration.

• An alternative Boyzone cover reproduced on the front.

• Coverage of Robbie Williams during his early solo career.

• Features on Peter Andre, Ant & Dec and East 17.

• A photographed Eternal songwords pull-out page.

• An advertised special selection of celebrity and music posters.

• Original 1990s pop magazine photography, fashion and editorial content.

A rare vintage Smash Hits magazine capturing an important period in British pop culture, ideal for collectors of Spice Girls memorabilia, Boyzone, Robbie Williams, 1990s pop music and nostalgic entertainment magazines.

SKU: 1609