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Page 26 The Antique Shoppe November, 2019
After 23 issues, MAD made the move from comic book to magazine format,
“SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE” attracting an upscale brand of contributors. On the lengthy MAD roster: Steve
Allen, Sid Caesar, Ernie Kovacs, Tom Lehrer, Stan Freberg, Bob and Ray,
Design Trends of the Mid-20th Century Andy Griffith, Chevy Chase, Danny Kaye, Jimmy Kimmel, Jules Feiffer,
“Peanuts” cartoonist Charles M. Schultz, “Weird Al” Yankovic. . .and Richard
Nixon. (Nixon’s “contribution” was actually a compilation of lines from his
By Donald-Brian Johnson speeches).
Most MAD features and art though, were the work of the magazine’s
This Month’s Feature— regular staff, under the guidance of Kurtzman, and, following his 1956
“From Here To Insanity: departure, Al Feldstein. By 1960, MAD was selling over a million copies

Goodbye to MAD” of every issue. A readers’ survey of what Coronet called “this brash, goofy
publication” indicated it was read by 43 percent of all high school students,
“Tales calculated to and 58 percent of all college students. Subscribers looked forward to
MAD’s regular features, particularly its relentless movie parodies: “The
drive you. . .MAD!” Great Gasbag”; “Heaving Can Wait”; “Abominable House”; “Flashdunce”;
“Star Shrek”. . . well, you get the idea.
MAD’s perennial cover boy, Alfred E. Neuman,
made his first appearance in 1954. The gap-toothed,
jug-eared, mop-top soon became the symbol of MAD’s
brand of zany goofiness. Harvey Kurtzman, who’d
seen a Neuman-like illustration on a postcard, knew he
was a perfect fit for MAD. Noted Kurtzman, “it was
a face that didn’t have a care in the world. . . except
ith that tantalizing cover headline, the first mischief.”
Wissue of MAD magazine hit the newsstands Alfred E. Neuman has been said to resemble
in October, 1952. A takeoff on the signature phrase of everyone from George W. Bush to singer Scotty
radio’s Suspense, it was a precursor of what was to McCreery of American Idol fame. His most-publicized
come. MAD offered parodies of practically everything doppelgänger: Britain’s Prince Charles. That resulted
that pop culture had to offer. . .whatever might provoke in a 1958 letter, purportedly from the then-nine-year-
a smile (or simply provoke). As the debut issue’s old prince, which stated: “he isn’t the least little bit
cover proudly put it, MAD’s sole aim was “humor in a like me. So jolly well stow it! Charles”.
jugular vein”. MAD’s aura of self-deprecating self-awareness
MAD, which published its last new issue this never seemed to grow old. Paging through an issue
August, appealed to the untamed adolescent in all of (vintage or recent), gives readers (vintage or recent),
us. The satire was sometimes lame (“a downer is when the feeling of being, if only for a moment, gleeful,
they take the braces off your nose-thumbing nonconformists.
teeth, and nobody notices”). . We’re in on the joke. We get the
.the targets, easy (politicians MAD philosophy, just as William
from both sides of the aisle, Gaines once expressed it: “we
celebrities, movies, TV shows, must never stop reminding the
advertisers). . .and the puns, reader what little value they get
almost always excruciating (“in for their money!”
this issue we prey on Heaven
Can Wait). . .but darn it, MAD MAD magazines courtesy of Fran & Ken
Hoffman. Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann.
was funny! Funny in a “boy, the Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of
folks better not catch me reading numerous Schiffer books on design and
this” kind of way (even if, as the collectibles, including “Postwar Pop”, a
collection of his columns. Before braces, he
years went by, the folks probably bore an uncomfortable resemblance to Alfred
also grew up addicted to MAD.) E. Neuman. Please address inquiries to:
The brainchild of publisher donaldbrian@msn.com
William Gaines and editor SHOWN: TOP- MAD celebrated its 5th
anniversary with the October, 1957 issue.
Harvey Kurtzman, MAD began Among the period pop culture icons
life as a comic book. In 1947, attending the party: Betty Crocker, Arthur
Gaines had inherited the failing Godfrey, the Campbell Soup Kids, and of
course Alfred E. Neuman. CENTER: TOP- Ad
EC Comics. Seeing the growing parodies were a MAD specialty. . .at least until
popularity of horror comics, 2001, when the magazine began accepting
Gaines came up with a twist: advertisements. This Crest Toothpaste
lampoon made the back cover of the
a comic book satirizing them. December, 1958 issue. LEFT- Perennial cover
From there, it was just a short boy Alfred E. Neuman proudly presents “The
step to satirizing life in general. Worst From Mad”, a special Winter, 1985
Noted Gaines in a 1960 Coronet release. CENTER- “If you’re not a member
of ‘The Beat Generation’, this collection of
interview, “we just did what we articles from MAD will make you one”. Back
liked to do—things that amused cover blurb from Like Mad, a 1960 MAD
us—and we were sure kids would paperback. RIGHT- Rocky? According to MAD,
it’s “Rockhead”. October, 1977. BOTTOM:
respond to it, too”. LEFT- A mashup headed up the June, 2004
Kids did. So did an ever- issue of MAD: “Star Shrek”. (“Captain Kirk? Mr.
increasing number of grown-ups. Scott? Unbelievable! Shrek is only the third -
-fattest guy in a Federation uniform!”) RIGHT-
(One early “Letter to the Editor” Alfred E. Neuman leads the front cover’s toga
groused “couldn’t you put in party brigade, in a June, 1979 slap at Animal
less stuff of interest to adults?”) House (“Abominable House”).