Mad Magazine

Mad Magazine

Updated Jul 09, 2019 at 03:27AM EDT by Y F.

Added Jul 06, 2019 at 03:44PM EDT by Bilbo Swaggins.

PROTIP: Press 'i' to view the image gallery, 'v' to view the video gallery, or 'r' to view a random entry.

This submission is currently being researched & evaluated!

You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation.

About

MAD Magazine is an American satire magazine which played a significant influence on American pop culture and satire in the latter half of the 21st century, influencing pop culture staples like The Simpsons and Weird Al Yankovic. In 2019 it was announced the magazine was shutting down due to diminished sales.

History

MAD Magazine was founded by Harvey Kurtzman and William Gaines, publishing its first issue on October 1st, 1952.[1] It began as a comic book before it became a satirical magazine in 1955. In 1956, Al Feldstein took over as editor, helping bring the magazine to its peak circulation in 1974, when it reached over 2.1 million. It became one of the most influential magazines of all time, credited with being a vital part of the counterculture movement in the 1960s during the Vietnam War.[2] Its comedy has influenced The Simpsons,[3] The Today Show, Stephen Colbert, and The Daily Show [4] Throughout the publication's run, its mascot was a gap-toothed boy known as Alfred E. Neuman, who would appear on most of the magazine's covers (shown below). Spy vs. Spy was another recurring series from the magazine.



The show inspired the creation of MAD TV, a sketch comedy series inspired by the magazine. There was also an animated sketch comedy series that ran for three years in the early 2010s.

Ceased Circulation

By the late 2010s, circulation for the publication dwindled to roughly 140,000 issues. On July 5th, 2019, CNN[5] reported that the magazine would no longer be sold on newsstands, and issues would only be available through comic book stores and subscriptions. Those issues would be recycled material with new covers, but there would be no new MAD Magazine material.[6] Weird Al Yankovic, who once guest-edited the magazine, wrote on Twitter, "Goodbye to one of the all-time greatest American institutions."[7]


Al Yankovic Follow @alyankovic I am profoundly sad to hear that after 67 years, MAD Magazine is ceasing publication I can't begin to describe the impact it had on me as a young kid - it's pretty much the reason I turned out weird. Goodbye to one of the all-time greatest American institutions. #ThanksMAD MAD IND GUEST EDI TOR WEIRD AL TAKES OVER!

Online Presence

In addition to its sizable influence on present-day comedy, the magazine has a strong presence on social media, with over 360,000 Facebook likes[8] and 78,000 followers on Twitter.[9]

Search Interest

External References

Recent Videos

There are no videos currently available.

Recent Images 2 total


Top Comments

Gouf Troop
Gouf Troop

Did you know that Antonio ProhΓ­as, the creator of Spy vs Spy, was a Cuban refugee and was even accused of working for the CIA after speaking out against Castro's censorship. Despite not being able to speak English, he got a job working at MAD after coming to america. He made Spy vs Spy in order to portray the pettiness of international espionage without words.

+59

+ Add a Comment

Comments (35)


Display Comments

Add a Comment


Namaste! You must login or signup first!