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| Mad images copyright DC COMICS |
Believe it or not, the image of the boy who became the MAD
mascot existed long before the periodical ever came into existence.
The earliest known image comes from an ad for a Broadway comical
stage play, The NEW BOY, which debuted in 1894. There were other
earlier uses of it for a wide variety of purposes before Mad adopted and
adapted it as their mascot, and after an unsuccessful copyright infringe-
ment court case against the publishers in 1965, NORMAN MINGO's
version of the image became permanently (and legally) associated
with Mad, and their ownership of the mascot is now undisputed.
Incidentally, the boy was also referred to as MELVIN
COWSNOFSKY and MEL HANEY in the magazine's pages,
but ALFRED E. NEUMAN is now (and has been for a long
time) recognized as his official appellation.
Okay, that's all the intro you need - now on to the covers!
| The un-named Alfred's first appearance on Mad #21 |
And below are some earlier images of the boy who
was destined to become Alfred E. Neuman
| 1894 - The New Boy |
| 1908 - Antikamnia Tablet Calendar |
| 1930-'45 - Postcard |
Posted in: Cartoons
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