Difference between revisions of "Mad"

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For the in-show magazine, see Mad (magazine).

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Mad (stylized MAD) is an American humor and satire magazine. It has been in constant production since 1952, but in 2019 it was announced that it would soon fold. Its mascot was Alfred E. Neuman. Each issue featured comics and articles, often parodying popular media like films, TV shows, politics and advertisements. Many of The Simpsons writers grew up with the magazine and were influenced by its brand of satire. The magazine has parodied The Simpsons multiple times and The Simpsons has also parodied MAD, too.

References to Mad in The Simpsons

Television episodes

Picture Season Episode number Episode name Reference 3 53 "Separate Vocations" Principal Skinner shows Bart a secret room where the school keeps all the stuff they've taken away from students, including the entire collection of Mad, Cracked and Crazy. 4 80 "Marge in Chains" Tattoo Annie shows her MAD fold-in tattoo. The fold-in also says Alfred E. Newman's famous quote "what, me worry?". 6 104 "Bart of Darkness" Bart relaxes by reading an issue of "Mad" and laughs with an episode of "The Lighter Side of... Hippies". 7 140 "Team Homer" Bart and Millhouse find a copy of Mad's "Special Edition" in Comic Book Guy's store and are excited since "they only put out seventeen of these a year!" (in reality Mad only brings out about three or four of these specials). It's a reprint of older material, which becomes clear when Millhouse observes "they're really socking it to that Spiro Agnew guy. He must work there or something." Afterwards they try out the fold-in. Comic Book Guy then forces them to buy the issue, because "You fold it, you bought it". At home Bart has fun reading the issue, particular the "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" section. Homer laughs along and starts giving Marge "snappy answers" too, which in reality are just crass not clever. Homer also mis-folds the fold-in, thus not understanding the joke. Bart uses a "Down with Homework" shirt from Mad, which launches a revolt at school. When the fuzz dies down Principal Skinner tells Bart about an incident in the past when he was in Vietnam and somebody wore an Mad Magazine "Up with Mini Skirts" shirt which made his entire platoon laugh, though he didn't get the joke. Yet afterwards they were surprised by an ambush. 9 179 "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" While visiting New York City Bart sneaks away to visit the head quarters of "Mad Magazine". He asks the receptionist whether he is in "Mad's" office, whereupon the woman gives him a snarky answer, in reference to the regular Mad series "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions". Bart interprets her answer as a joke, but the receptionist informs him that "certain things are done seriously around here". When a disappointed Bart is about to leave "Mad"'s mascot Alfred E. Neuman pops up. He makes reference to "Mad" characters Kaputnik (from "The Lighter Side") and Fonebone (from Don Martin's comics). Behind him several running gags from "Mad" can be seen, including a Don Martin-esque character, Kaputnik, the white Spy from "Spy vs. Spy" and the airship. 9 182 "Treehouse of Horror VIII" The second segment, which is a parody of the movie "The Fly" (1958), has the title "Fly vs. Fly", which is a pun on the "Mad" comic strip "Spy vs. Spy". 12 262 "New Kids on the Blecch" The title is a reference to the word "Blecch", which is a running gag in "Mad Magazine". In the episode itself The Party Posse gets spoofed in an issue of "Mad Magazine", which angers their manager so much that he bombs their office in New York. The artists are shown thinking up a parody title for their spoof of the TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond" and after a long night of debating find nothing better than "Everybody Hates Raymond" (in reality the "Mad" spoof of this series was "Everybody Loathes Raymond"). After being bombed none of the "Mad" artists are phazed by the explosion. One of them even claims to feel "better". This is a reference to the fact that many "Mad" covers feature Alfred E. Neuman turning a situation upside down. 20 438 "Father Knows Worst" Otto bought an Alfred E. Neuman model kit with interchangeable arms from Crafty Art's Arts & Crafts in order to disguise his buying glue for other purposes. He then threw it in the bin. 21 463 "The Bob Next Door" Bart finds a copy of a magazine called Not Mad Magazine on Sideshow Bob's desk. Both the title as the character on the cover spoof Mad and their mascot Alfred E. Neuman.

Comics

Picture Comic issue Story name Reference Simpsons Comics #13 Give Me Merchandising or Give Me Death! Bart and Milhouse make a fold-in with a secret message in their magazine, inspired by Mad. , Simpsons Comics #203 Simpsons Comics 203 On the cover, Homer parodies Mad Magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman. Inside the issue, the story The Rise and Fall of D'oh! starts off with Bart creating his own comic book, which has Bad as title, a pun on Mad. Krusty the Clown wants to market it, but suggests a title change, since it is too close to Sad Magazine (a magazine of which the title logo also mimicks Mad's). Later, when Bart works on his magazine, he wants to add a fold-in, another recurring segment in Mad Magazine. A Sideshow Bob-themed comic parodies the comics of Don Martin, while Agent vs. Agent is an Itchy & Scratchy version of Spy vs. Spy. At the end of the story, Krusty decides to discontinue the magazine and organizes a symbolic funeral, attended by, among others, Alfred E. Neuman. See an image of the funeral scene, here: [1]. The second story, D'oh! is the Mad-style comic supposedly made by Bart. The entire issue is a spoof of Mad. -->

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References to The Simpsons in MAD

Australia

Regular issues

Specialty issues

Super Specials

Brazil

Regular issues

Specialty issues

Especial

Denmark

Regular issues

Finland

Regular issues

Germany

Regular issues

Specialty issues

Specials

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  Bill Morrison, Simpsons comic crew member, illustrated this cover.

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Hungary

Regular issues

Mexico

Regular issues

Specialty issues

Teleparodia

South Africa

Regular issues

Sweden

Regular issues

UK

Regular issues

USA

Regular issues

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• 
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  Collector's covers.

Specialty issues

Super Specials

Behind the Laughter

Bill Morrison took charge as editor of the magazine after leaving Bongo Comics.^[2]

Cast

Picture Name Role in Mad Role on The Simpsons Jason Nash Voiced Roadblock and Stan the Dog in one episode of the Cartoon Network show Mad. Voiced the Southie criminals and the Philanthropic Southies in "The Town".

References

External links

• Mad at Wikipedia