Al Jaffee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Al Jaffee |
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Jaffee at the 2016 New York Comic Con
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| Born | Abraham Jaffee March 13, 1921 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | April 10, 2023 (aged 102) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Mad, Trump, Humbug, "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions", Tall Tales |
| Awards | Reuben Award, 2008 National Cartoonists Society Advertising and Illustration Award for 1973 Special Features Award for 1971 and 1975 Humor Comic Book Award for 1979 2013 Will Eisner Hall of Fame Award |
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Allan Jaffee (born Abraham Jaffee; March 13, 1921 – April 10, 2023) was a famous American cartoonist. He was best known for his amazing work in Mad, a funny and satirical magazine. His most famous creation was the Mad Fold-in, a special puzzle on the back cover.
Jaffee worked for Mad magazine for 65 years. This makes him the person who contributed to the magazine for the longest time! He even holds a Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a comic artist, from 1942 to 2020.
Many famous cartoonists admired his work. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz once said, "Al can cartoon anything." In 2008, Jaffee was named Cartoonist of the Year.
Contents
Early Life and School
Allan Jaffee was born on March 13, 1921, in Savannah, Georgia. His parents, Mildred and Morris Jaffee, were Jewish immigrants from Zarasai, Lithuania. Allan was the oldest of four brothers.
His family moved back and forth between the United States and Lithuania a few times when he was young. Eventually, Allan and his brothers settled in Far Rockaway, Queens, in the U.S.
Jaffee went to the The High School of Music & Art in New York City. This was a special school for talented students. There, he studied alongside other future Mad magazine artists like Will Elder and Harvey Kurtzman.
Starting His Cartoon Career
Jaffee began his career as a cartoonist in 1942. He drew for many different comic books, including those published by Timely Comics and Atlas Comics. These companies later became Marvel Comics.
He created funny characters like "Inferior Man" and "Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal." At first, Jaffee thought of himself only as an artist. But editors told him that his ideas and jokes were also very good. They said he was a writer too!
During World War II, Jaffee used his artistic skills for the military. He even helped design a floor plan for a hospital. It was during this time that he officially changed his name to Allan Jaffee. In 1945, he married Ruth Ahlquist.
After the war, Jaffee continued working in comics. For a while, he even edited humor comics like the Patsy Walker series.
Working for Mad Magazine
Jaffee first started working for Mad magazine in 1955. He left for a short time to work on other magazines like Trump and Humbug. But in 1958, he returned to Mad and stayed there for many years.
The Famous Fold-In
In 1964, Jaffee created his most famous feature for Mad: the Fold-In. This was a clever puzzle on the inside back cover of the magazine. You would fold the page in a special way, and the original picture would change into a completely new, funny picture with a new caption!
Jaffee originally made the Fold-In as a joke. He was making fun of the big fold-out pages in fancy magazines like National Geographic. But people loved it so much that it became a regular part of Mad.
The Fold-In became so popular that it was even mentioned on the TV show Jeopardy! Jaffee was proud that he had created a new word in the English language!
The last Fold-in he designed appeared in June 2019. His very last published Fold-in, a special goodbye to readers, came out in August 2020. He had prepared it years in advance for his retirement. Another cartoonist, Johnny Sampson, now continues the Fold-in feature.
Many people, including The Far Side creator Gary Larson, loved the Fold-in. Larson said it was hard to fold the page without creasing it because Jaffee's original art was so amazing.
Jaffee drew all his Fold-ins by hand. He would plan them very carefully because he couldn't actually fold the drawing until it was printed in the magazine. He said he could "see the two sides without actually putting them together."
Later Years at Mad
Jaffee continued to create Fold-ins and other artwork for Mad until 2019. He was the oldest regular contributor to the magazine. His work appeared in 500 out of the first 550 issues of Mad, which is a record!
He once said he felt very lucky to keep working for a magazine for young people. He compared himself to an "old racehorse" who still wanted to run.
In 2011, a special four-volume book set called The Mad Fold-In Collection: 1964–2010 was published. It collected many of his famous Fold-ins.
In June 2020, Jaffee announced his retirement. Mad magazine published a special tribute issue to honor him.
How He Created His Art
When Jaffee designed his Mad Fold-Ins, he had a unique process.
- He would start by drawing the "answer" picture, which is what the image would look like after it was folded.
- Then, he would spread that image apart and place tracing paper over it.
- On the tracing paper, he would draw the "throw-away" part of the image. This is the part that gets hidden when the page is folded.
- He used different colored pencils to keep track of his progress.
- Finally, he would trace the image onto a special drawing board and paint it.
- Because the board was too stiff to fold, Jaffee wouldn't see the finished, folded image until it was printed in the magazine!
Awards and Recognition
Allan Jaffee received many awards for his amazing work:
- He won the National Cartoonists Society Advertising and Illustration Award in 1973.
- He also won their Special Features Award in 1971 and 1975.
- In 1979, he received the Humor Comic Book Award.
- In 2008, he won the prestigious Reuben Awards' Cartoonist of the Year award.
- In 2013, Jaffee was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame, a very high honor for comic artists.
- In 2014, he was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame.
- In 2016, Guinness World Records officially recognized him for having "the longest career as a comics artist."
In 2005, a music video for the artist Beck's song "Girl" was inspired by Jaffee's Mad Fold-Ins.
In 2010, a biography about him called Al Jaffee's Mad Life was published. It shared his life story and included many of his past works.
Personal Life
Allan Jaffee married Ruth Ahlquist in 1945, and they had two children, Richard and Debbie. They later divorced.
In 1977, Jaffee married Joyce Revenson. They lived in Manhattan and spent time in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and Mexico. Joyce passed away in January 2020.
Allan Jaffee died on April 10, 2023, at the age of 102. He left behind a legacy of laughter and clever art that entertained millions.
Images for kids
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Jaffee at the Comic New York symposium at Columbia University's Low Library on March 24, 2012.
