MAD Magazine facts for kids

MAD Magazine is a super funny magazine that uses humor and satire to make fun of all sorts of things. It began in 1952 as a comic book, but soon changed into a magazine. It's still very popular in the United States.

Every issue of MAD Magazine has a grinning, red-headed character named Alfred E. Neuman on the cover. Inside, you'll find comic-like articles that make fun of new movies, TV shows, music, and popular trends. It also has regular features like "Spy Vs. Spy" and "Monroe."

What is MAD Magazine?

MAD Magazine is known for its unique style of humor. It often parodies, or makes fun of, popular culture. This means it takes things like famous movies or TV shows and creates funny, exaggerated versions of them.

The magazine started as a comic book in 1952. It cost only 10 cents back then! After 24 issues, it changed into a magazine format. This new magazine cost 25 cents. This change helped it reach even more readers.

The Famous Mascot: Alfred E. Neuman

One of the most recognizable parts of MAD Magazine is its mascot, Alfred E. Neuman. He's a fictional character with a big grin, missing front tooth, and red hair. He often appears on the cover of the magazine.

Alfred E. Neuman's face is usually shown with a silly or confused expression. He is famous for his catchphrase, "What, me worry?" This phrase perfectly captures the magazine's playful and carefree attitude towards serious topics.

What's Inside a MAD Magazine?

Inside each issue, you'll find many different types of funny content.

• Movie and TV Parodies: MAD Magazine is famous for its hilarious parodies of popular movies and TV shows. They often change the titles and characters to make them funny.
• Satirical Articles: The magazine also publishes articles that make fun of current events, politics, and social trends. They use humor to point out silly or strange things in the world.
• Regular Features: Some parts of the magazine appear in almost every issue. These include:
  • Spy Vs. Spy: This is a comic strip about two spies, one black and one white, who are always trying to trick each other.
  • Drawn-Out Dramas: These are short, funny comic strips that often have a surprising twist at the end.
  • Fold-ins: These are special pages that you can fold in a certain way to reveal a hidden, funny image or message.

MAD Magazine has been making people laugh for many decades. It continues to be a place where artists and writers can use humor to comment on the world around us.

Images for kids

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  Harvey Kurtzman's cover for Mad #1 (cover-dated Oct./Nov. 1952)

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  With issue 24 (July 1955), Mad switched to a magazine format. The "extremely important message" was "Please buy this magazine!".

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  Actor Michael Biehn autographing a copy of Mad #268 (Jan. 1987), which parodies Biehn's film Aliens

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  First cover appearance (issue 21, March 1955) of Alfred E. Neuman in a fake advertisement satirizing the popular mail-order house Johnson Smith Company

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  Mad creators at a November 2013 book signing for the Inside Mad collection. From left to right: Art director Sam Viviano, writers Tim Carvell and Desmond Devlin, editor-in-chief John Ficarra, and artist Al Jaffee.

See also

In Spanish: Mad (revista) para niños