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Sunday, August 8, 2010

MAD, about the Magazine

I am at a loss for words while trying to write this post about MAD magazine. My usual style of wryness, irony and coincidence is lost while trying to top this 50+ year old magazine which is full of my kind of mayhem.  It's like a Sherpa trying to write about Mount Everest. I don't hold it in such high esteem, I just can't parody that which is a perfect parody of itself.  I got a subscription as a birthday gift when I was twelve or thirteen and I thought it was great. I look at it now, not as the pinnacle of printed comedy, but more in exhaustion of how much work must have gone into each issue. When I saw this old issue in a box-lot of paper items, I set it aside.
This 1967 issue was well before I was introduced to satire, or could spell it. Like all the other other odd and old paper items I have set aside, the dated references, jabs at pop culture icons, politicians, and everyday life just add to the fun and make this hard to sell or toss. I knew this would be a post when I came across another piece of MAD memorabilia:
This campaign button may be rare, I have yet to determine its age though 60-70's seems right.  I paid 50 cents. I found that this iconic figure from MM was not created by the editors but lifted. Take a look at some of the earlier shots of that who would be named by MM editors here. There were many recurring cartoon strips, parody articles and sections, one of my favorites was:
If you aren't familiar with this important piece of satirical media, take a look at Wikipedia's comprehensive section by clicking MAD below.

1 comment:

  1. Enjoyed the story Greg. Now I want to read the magazine for the satire. Incidentally, I spotted that button online at the link below, claiming it to be from 1960:
    http://www.collectmad.com/collectibles/aenpr60b.htm

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