CATALOG RECORD

Mad #56

EC · Series began 1952 · July 1960

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Dates

Cover date: July 1960
On sale: May 12, 1960
Pages: 52

Editions and covers

Original edition
Source ↗

Creators

pencils: Kelly Freas, Norman Mingo, George Woodbridge, Mort Drucker, Don Martin, Joe Orlando, Bob Clarke, Wally Wood, Dave Berg, Lester Kraussinks: Kelly Freas, Norman Mingo, George Woodbridge, Mort Drucker, Don Martin, Joe Orlando, Bob Clarke, Wally Wood, Dave Berg, Lester Krausscolors: Kelly Freasscript: Al Jaffee, John Rogers, Al Feldstein, Gary Belkin, Tom Koch, Don Martin, Frank Jacobs, Sy Reit, Dave Berg, Larry Siegel

Stories

Weak Coffee Sales Gives Us Growers Java Jitters! · League of Frightened Coffee Growers · 1 pages
Parody of ad for a coffee growers organization.
Madison Avenue's Political Ad Campaigns · Hoke-Filled Room Dept. · 6 pages
Parodies of consumer product ads used as political ads.
MAD's Modern Olympic Games · Five-Ring Circus Dept. · 3 pages
Olympic style events based on the skills of living modern city life.
The Chiropractor · 1 pages
A chiropractor loosens up his patient a little too much.
MAD Bubble Gum Cards · Chew's Who Dept. · 4 pages
Explores what bubble gum card statistics might look like if the cards featured people from professions other than sports.
The Good Woman In Africa · 1 pages
A woman who has been counseling cannibals gets unusual results.
How Publicity Works · Bilking It Dry Dept. · 3 pages
Phoney newspaper clippings showing how a good publicity man can get mountains of press from a molehill of an event.
The Garbage Explosion · Litter-ly Speaking Dept. · 3 pages
A look at how the population explosion will lead to a garbage explosion and MAD's solution.
The MAD "Comic" Opera · 6 pages
A parody of Broadway musicals using comic strip characters. Rex Morgan has kidnapped Annie and intends to remove her unique eyes, but Sandy leads Dick Tracy and Tarzan to a rescue, which is aided by Snuffy Smith.
Scenes We'd Like To See: The Race Through The Jungle · 1 pages
A Tarzan-like man races through the jungle, swinging on vines, to an unusual destination.
Honest Ads · The Truth Blurts Dept. · 4 pages
A look at how advertisements might be if they told the truth.
Patty Play Dolls · 3 pages
Details the expenses of owning a doll as big as a child, and advises parents to ask Congress to declare such dolls as dependents so the parents can get a tax break.
MAD's TV "Alfie" Awards · Clumsy Category Dept. · 3 pages
TV stars receive awards for categories of dubious merit, in a parody of the Emmy Awards show.
The Tourist And The Italian Urchins · 1 pages
A tourist takes a photo of some kids, one of whom has a strange growth.
The U.S. Army Chicken Officer's Field Manual · The Man In Command Dept. · 5 pages
A phoney instruction book for army officers, showing how they are trained in all the things that annoy enlisted men.
The Chase · 1 pages
A man on horseback escapes some Indians when the horse leaps a chasm...sort of.
More MAD "Y'OX" · Marginal Marvin Dept. · 0 pages
Captions with arrangements of "X"s and "O"s as the art.
Crocked · Rummie Walker · 1 pages
Parody of a series of Johnny Walker liquor ads, featuring artists.

Characters

Archie AndrewsVeronica LodgeClark KentSupermanThe SpiritDenny ColtMickey MousePopeyeTarzanDick TracyAlfred E. NeumanJohn ClaytonOlive OylLinus Van PeltWimpyFlash GordonDagwood BumsteadMandrakeBlondie BumsteadPlutoRed RyderSmokey StoverRichard NixonSmilin' JackLittle Orphan AnnieJohn F. KennedyAlley OopJack MartinPrince ValiantLyndon Johnson

Reprinted in

More Trash from Mad (1958), Mad Special [Mad Super Special] (1970), The Self-Made Mad (1964), The Worst from MAD (1958), The Completely Mad Don Martin (1974), Mad about Comic Strips (2003), Mad (2018)