Mad Magazine
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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]
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
[1] Tom Richmond – Remembering William M. Gaines
[2] Huffington Post – MAD Magazine + Tom Hayden = SDS
[3] Collect Mad – Other References to MAD and the FBI
[4] Mother Jones – Cartoonist Al Jaffee, the Original Mad Man
[5] CNN – Mad Magazine will vanish from newsstands after 67 years
[6] Smithsonian – ‘MAD’ Magazine Will Soon Disappear from Newsstands
[7] Twitter – @alyankovic
[8] Facebook – MAD Magazine
[9] Twitter – @MADMagazine
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