Mad (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mad
Genre	Sketch comedy Surreal humor Satire Parody
Developed by	Kevin Shinick
Written by	Kevin Shinick Aaron Blitzstein Marly Halpern-Graser Steve Borst Justin Becker Ben Joseph Greg White Mason Steinberg
Directed by	Aaron Horvath
Voices of	Kevin Shinick Hugh Davidson Mikey Day Larry Dorf Rachel Ramras Gary Anthony Williams
Theme music composer	Devin Flynn
Opening theme	"Mad!"
Composer(s)	Armen Chakmakian Rony Brack Devin Flynn Dean Landon
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	103 (207 sketches) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Sam Register Peter Girardi For Cartoon Network: Curtis Lelash Nick Weidenfeld Conrad Montgomery
Producer(s)	Kevin Shinick Mark Marek Dave Mendel (Season 4 only)
Editor(s)	Dave Mendel
Running time	11 minutes
Production company(s)	Warner Bros. Animation
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network
Picture format	HDTV
Original release	September 6, 2010 (2010-09-06) – December 2, 2013 (2013-12-02)
Chronology
Related shows	Mad TV Robot Chicken

Mad was a super funny American animated sketch comedy TV show. It was made by Warner Bros. Animation and was based on the famous Mad magazine. Each episode was a collection of short, silly animated parodies. These parodies made fun of TV shows, movies, video games, famous people, and other media.

The show used many different animation styles, like computer animation (CGI), claymation, and stop-motion. This was different from the usual animation style Warner Bros. Animation is known for. Mad first aired on September 6, 2010, on Cartoon Network. The show ran for three years, ending on December 2, 2013.

What Made Mad So Funny?

The Mad TV show was known for its many recurring segments. These were short, funny parts that appeared in different episodes. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• A Mad Look Inside – This segment showed a magical world hidden inside a celebrity. It was only seen in the first season.
• Alfred E. Neuman for President – During the 2012 election, there were funny campaigns for Alfred E. Neuman to become president. Alfred E. Neuman is the famous mascot of Mad magazine.
• Ask the Celebrity – In this part, different famous people gave silly answers to questions from fans. For example, Miley Cyrus once said she would rub cats on herself to prepare for a concert.
• Bad Idea # – This segment showed a scenario from a very long list of terrible ideas.
• Celebrities Without Their Make-Up – This showed what real and fictional celebrities might look like without makeup. For instance, Iron Man looked like C-3PO without his armor.
• Commercials – Every episode had funny commercials for made-up products or TV shows.
• Dear Reaper - The Grim Reaper would read and answer letters from children about their deaths.
• Don Martin – These were animated versions of comic strips by the longtime Mad cartoonist Don Martin.
• Drawn-Out Dramas – After a main sketch, the screen would "rip open" to show a quick, funny drawing in the style of cartoonist Sergio Aragonés. These often featured Alfred E. Neuman.
• Gross and Beyond Gross – This segment showed the difference between things that are just gross and things that are beyond gross.
• MAD News – A newsman would deliver recent, funny news. This segment often interrupted other sketches.
• MADitorial – This was an editorial segment that started in Season 4. It featured unique animation by Jorge R. Gutierrez.
• MADucation 101... – These were funny lessons on different school subjects.
• MADvent Calendar – This showed a series of funny and ridiculous pop culture events that had happened recently.
• Rejected – This segment revealed silly ideas that were supposedly rejected from popular movies or shows. Examples include Rejected Transformers or Rejected Pokémon.
• Security Cam – This showed surveillance footage of strange things happening in public places at night.
• Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions – Based on a Mad magazine feature, this showed people giving sarcastic answers to obvious questions.
• Spy vs. Spy – This was an animated version of the classic Spy vs. Spy comic series from Mad magazine.
• Super-villains for Your... – This was a funny take on public service announcements. Super-villains from the Legion of Doom would try to give advice to kids, but being villains, they always ended up tricking them!
• This Day in History – This segment looked at a funny or lesser-known historical event that happened on the day the episode aired.
• What's Wrong with this Picture? – This was a game where viewers had to find what was wrong in a picture. The answer was usually something unexpected.
• Where's Lady Gaga – Like a Where's Waldo game, viewers had to find pop star Lady Gaga hiding in a crowd. She was always cleverly disguised.

Meet the Voices Behind Mad

The show had a talented group of voice actors who brought all the characters to life. The main voice cast included:

• Kevin Shinick
• Hugh Davidson
• Mikey Day
• Larry Dorf
• Rachel Ramras
• Gary Anthony Williams

Many other famous voice actors and celebrities also made guest appearances on the show, lending their voices to various characters.

Awards and Recognition

Mad was recognized for its funny animation and writing.

• In 2012, it was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Short Format Animated Program" for the episode "Kitchen Nightmares Before Christmas / How I Met Your Mummy."
• It was also nominated for "Best Animated Series" at the 2012 PAAFTJ Television Awards.

Episodes

You can find a full list of all the episodes of Mad here: List of Mad episodes.

See also

In Spanish: Mad (serie de televisión) para niños