Ask Scarlett

Written by Adam

The "Ask Scarlett" column became NWF's new question and answer session, answering young ranger's questions about the environment in 1991. Before then, the question section was titled, "Who-o-o Knows?" led by Wise Old Owl. Scarlett was a popular recurring character in Ranger Rick's adventures and by the time the change occurred, Wise Old Owl was not mentioned anywhere else in the magazine. She had been used in adventures in the past and some drawings within the magazine in the 1970s, but the owl was clearly headed for retirement.

Scarlett's first column doesn't exactly explain why the change occurred, though lets on for anyone who may have not read the December 1990 issue, that Wise Old Owl had asked Scarlett to take over the task. Generally, the column was no different from the previous one, save the name change, and some cosmetic design. The first issue had little foxes bordering the questions, which is dropped from later columns.

At some point in time, the Ask Scarlett column became the Ask Ranger Rick column. I am unaware of when this change occurred, not having any issue past 1995 in my possession. I don't fully understand the need for this change at all. Scarlett is clearly a popular character and has a recurring position in Ranger Rick's adventures, so exposure is not an issue with the character. Its not as clear cut as the first transition.

In 1997, the Ask Scarlett column featured questions posed directly to Scarlett Fox. This was recently posted as part of NWF's "Throwback Thursday" on their twitter account. https://twitter.com/RangerRickMag/status/398564501512921088/photo/1