History Magazine / Cracked

* CreditsGag: Starting in the late 1990s, the artist and writer bylines often had funny nicknames pertaining to the theme of the article.
* CrowdedCastShot: Cracked's final magazine issue had ''all'' the mascots of satire and parody magazines - Alfred E. Neuman, Sylvester, and ''LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters''.

* TakeThat: Countless attacks at ''MAD'' over time, including a section where they pointed out that the two mags had fairly similar cover gags (a takeoff of the cover to ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' with the respective mascot of each mag riding on Harry's broom). ''MAD'', being the high-class mag that it is, [[UnknownRival never once counterattacked]].
** They still sometimes [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/cracked-eases-mads-transition-into-obscurity/ indulge in it]] to this day.

* DependingOnTheArtist: Early on, Sylvester P. Smythe was a lot uglier. John Severin refined his character design into a more UglyCute appearance, as seen on the page image.

** Paul Laikin often padded out the writing credits with pseudonyms (most prominently "Pula Kinlai") to hide the fact that on at least one occasion, he wrote an entire magazine by himself (or in 1980s issues, to cover up that he was recycling material from other magazines he had worked on and/or was giving kickbacks to friends and family who did not actually contribute).

** Rurik Tyler's first few articles were credited to his frequent pseudonym "Bo Badman", since he was also writing for ''MAD'' at the time.

** When former ''MAD'' writer Lou Silverstone became editor in the late 90s, he often used pseudonyms to cover up the fact that he was writing so much of the mag himself. The most commonly used one was "Tony Frank", although he also used "Linc Pershad" on occasion.

* ShownTheirWork: Often present during Mort Todd's run as editor. Particularly in anthology issues, he would often go out of his way to highlight the talent behind each piece (such as a whole page dedicated to how Nanny Dickering's design shifted with each successive artist).

Before it became a humor website, ''Cracked'' was a magazine. Specifically, it was a [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' (in their own words, their fanbase was "primarily comprised of people who got to the store after MAD sold out"), using a similar formula of movie and television parodies with deconstructive humor and otherwise (ostensibly) humorous articles, as well as its own UglyCute "mascot," Sylvester P. Smythe. It was by far the longest-surviving ''MAD'' knockoff, lasting in print form from 1958 until the 2000s, when a great deal of ExecutiveMeddling reduced the mag to an erratic printing schedule and many of the original contributors left. For its last few issues, it was published by Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. Finally, it was {{ReTool}}ed as a "lad mag." This format didn't last long, and the magazine went under in 2007, only to re-establish itself as a website.

** They tried a ''Teen People'' magazine parody called ''Toon People'', which was a very ShallowParody of the mag with toon characters attached.

** Paul Laikin often padded out the writing credits with pseudonyms (most prominently "Pula Kinlai") to hide the fact that on at least one occasion, he wrote an entire magazine by himself.
** John Severin was fond of switching out his signature for something silly, such as "O. O. Severin", "Seneriv", "[[SdrawkcabAlias Nireves]]", or "Le Poer".
** Rurik Tyler's first few articles were credited to "Bo Badman", since he was also writing for ''MAD'' at the time.

** John Severin was fond of switching out his signature for something silly, such as "O. O. Severin", "Seneriv", or "[[SdrawkcabAlias Nireves]]".

* RedundantParody:
** Many of their parodies played just like an actual episode of the series or like the movie itself, but with {{parody name}}s and lame jokes attached. Sometimes, they didn't even go ''that'' far. This was especially true in their parodies of sitcoms.
*** The mag also had an occasional habit of parodying things that were already parodies. Just how ''do'' you do a wacky parody of ''Film/HotShots'', which is a wacky parody of ''Film/TopGun''?
** Other times, the parodies were so OutOfCharacter that any semblance of humor was lost. Their comic strip parodies in particular were known for this.
** Still other times, there were song parodies that scanned so horribly that they didn't even work as original songs. Bobbie Bender was known for this in the Kulpa era.

* ArtEvolution: Walter James Brogan's art shifted greatly over the years. His early drawings had a more jagged and pointy appearance.

* ArtEvolution: Mike Ricigliano, and how. His art for the early "Shut-Ups!" was nothing like the sketchy, loose style he adopted for the "Spies & Sabs" (basically their version of Creator/SergioAragones' "Marginal Thinking" sidebar doodles in ''Mad'') and any other work.
** Walter James Brogan's art became considerably messier by the end of the 1990s.

** When former ''MAD'' writer Lou Silverstone became editor in the late 90s, he often used pseudonyms to cover up the fact that he was writing so much of the mag himself. The most commonly used one was "Tony Frank".

Notable artists who have contributed include John Severin, Bill Ward, Don Orehek, Warren Sattler, Mike Ricigliano, Howard Nostrand, Rurik Tyler, Frank Cummings, Pete Fitzgerald, Gary Fields, and Walter James Brogan. Writers have included George Gladir, Joe Catalano, Paul Laikin, Mort Todd, Steve Strangio, Dan Fiorella, Andy Simmons (son of ''National Lampoon'''s Matty Simmons), Lou Silverstone (formerly of ''MAD'', and also the editor for most of TheNineties), and Greg Grabianski (who also cowrote ''Film/ScaryMovie2'' and some episodes of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'').

** They did a parody of Series/{{Survivor}} a few months after the first season ended (back when the show was massively popular) using the Cracked roster of characters. [[spoiler: Simpy Dumpkins, The World's Most Hated Man was the first to go. Naked Guy (Richard Hatch) ended up winning.]]

* TakeThat: Countless attacks at ''Mad'' over time, including a section where they pointed out that the two mags had fairly similar cover gags (a takeoff of the cover to ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' with the respective mascot of each mag riding on Harry's broom). ''Mad'', being the high-class mag that it is, [[UnknownRival never once counterattacked]].

** John Severin (who often drew nearly half the magazine) was fond of switching out his signature for something silly, such as "O. O. Severin", "Seneriv", or "[[SdrawkcabAlias Nireves]]".

** When former ''MAD'' writer Lou Silverstone became editor in the late 90s, he often used pseudonyms to cover up the fact that he was writing so much of the mag himself.

*** The mag also had an occasional habit of parodying things that were already parodies. Tell me, just how ''do'' you do a wacky parody of ''Film/HotShots'', which is a wacky parody of ''Film/TopGun''?

Before it became a humor website, ''Cracked'' was a magazine. Specifically, it was a [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' (in their own words, their fanbase was "primarily comprised of people who got to the store after MAD sold out"), using a similar formula of movie and television parodies with deconstructive humor and otherwise (ostensibly) humorous articles, as well as its own UglyCute "mascot," Sylvester P. Smythe. It was by far the longest-surviving ''MAD'' knockoff, lasting in print form from 1958 until the 2000s, when a great deal of ExecutiveMeddling reduced the mag to an erratic printing schedule and many of the original contributors left. Finally, it was {{ReTool}}ed as a "lad mag." This format didn't last long, and the magazine went under in 2007, only to re-establish itself as a website.

Notable artists who have contributed include John Severin, Bill Ward, Don Orehek, Warren Sattler, Mike Ricigliano, Howard Nostrand, Rurik Tyler, Frank Cummings, Pete Fitzgerald, Gary Fields, and Walter James Brogan. Writers have included George Gladir, Joe Catalano, Paul Laikin, Mort Todd, Steve Strangio, Dan Fiorella, Lou Silverstone (formerly of ''MAD'', and also the editor for most of TheNineties), and Greg Grabianski (who also cowrote ''Film/ScaryMovie2'' and some episodes of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'').

Notable artists who have contributed include John Severin, Bill Ward, Don Orehek, Warren Sattler, Mike Ricigliano, Howard Nostrand, Rurik Tyler, Frank Cummings, Pete Fitzgerald, Gary Fields, and Walter James Brogan. Writers have included George Gladir, Joe Catalano, Paul Laikin, Mort Todd, Steve Strangio, Lou Silverstone (formerly of ''MAD'', and also the editor for most of TheNineties), and Greg Grabianski (who also cowrote ''Film/ScaryMovie2'' and some episodes of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'').

Notable artists who have contributed include John Severin, Bill Ward, Don Orehek, Warren Sattler, Mike Ricigliano, Howard Nostrand, Rurik Tyler, Frank Cummings, Pete Fitzgerald, Gary Fields, and Walter James Brogan. Writers have included George Gladir, Joe Catalano, Mort Todd, Steve Strangio, Lou Silverstone (formerly of ''MAD'', and also the editor for most of TheNineties), and Greg Grabianski (who also cowrote ''Film/ScaryMovie2'' and some episodes of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'').

Notable artists who have contributed include John Severin, Bill Ward, Don Orehek, Warren Sattler, Mike Ricigliano, Howard Nostrand, Rurik Tyler, Frank Cummings, Pete Fitzgerald, Gary Fields, and Walter James Brogan. Writers have included George Gladir, Lou Silverstone (formerly of ''MAD'', and also the editor for most of TheNineties), and Greg Grabianski (who also wrote ''Film/ScaryMovie2'' and some episodes of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'').

** On the flipside, Walter James Brogan (who drew most of the parodies in the 1990s, plus a few covers) became a lot ''more'' sketchy in his later years.

* DependingOnTheArtist: Early on, Sylvester P. Smythe was a lot [[http://www.satiregallery.com/cracked/html/regular_cracked_for_1959_4.html uglier]]. Once John Severin became the main cover artist, he evolved into a "cuter" looking character, as seen above.

** They tried a ''Teen People'' magazine parody called ''Toon People'', which was a very ShallowParody of the mag with toon characters attached, from MickeyMouse to WesternAnimation/MikeLuAndOg.

* RunningGag:
** "Shut-Ups" were present for most of the run. They were two-panel comics with a simple premise: the first panel presented a situation, while the second panel had another person respond with a retort beginning with "Shut up and..."
** Absolutely, positively, unquestionably, undeniably, the very very very last of ''The Cracked Lens'' (and we really really mean it this time, for sure!), part IX.

* TheyKilledKennyAgain: One recurring sequence late in the mag's run involved a cat who kept getting killed in a most contrived fashion (lawn dart to the head while chasing a frog?).

Before it became a humor website, ''Cracked'' was a magazine. Specifically, it was a [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' (in their own words, their fanbase was "primarily comprised of people who got to the store after MAD sold out"), using a similar formula of movie and television parodies with deconstructive humor and otherwise (ostensibly) humorous articles, as well as its own UglyCute "mascot," Sylvester P. Smythe. It was by far the longest-surviving ''Mad'' knockoff, lasting in print form from 1958 until the 2000s, when a great deal of ExecutiveMeddling reduced the mag to an erratic printing schedule and many of the original contributors left. Finally, it was {{ReTool}}ed as a "lad mag." This format didn't last long, and the magazine went under in 2007, only to re-establish itself as a website.

* ArtEvolution: Mike Ricigliano, and how. His art for the early "Shut-Ups!" (later drawn by Don Orehek) was nothing like the sketchy, loose style he adopted for the "Spies & Sabs" (basically their version of Creator/SergioAragones' "Marginal Thinking" sidebar doodles in ''Mad'') and any other work.

* LastOfHisKind / LongRunners: By far the longest-lived of all the ''Mad'' knockoffs. For the last two decades of ''Cracked'''s print run, only it and ''Mad'' itself were still in print.

* RunningGag: Absolutely, positively, unquestionably, undeniably, the very very very last of ''The Cracked Lens'' (and we really really mean it this time, for sure!), part IX.

* PenName: John Severin (who often drew nearly half the magazine) was fond of switching out his signature for something silly, such as "O. O. Severin", "Seneriv", or "[[SdrawkcabAlias Nireves]]". When former ''MAD'' writer Lou Silverstone became editor in the late 90s, he often used pseudonyms to cover up the fact that he was writing so much of the mag himself.

* HourglassPlot: RealLife example. Cracked started off as a ripoff of MAD Magazine that eventually sputtered out and died...until it went online. Now the ripoff is extremely popular while the original is struggling to stay afloat. The website, of course, takes the opportunity to [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-cracked-is-finally-better-than-mad/ take a few digs]] [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/cracked-eases-mads-transition-into-obscurity/ at MAD for this.]]

* PenName: John Severin (who often drew nearly half the magazine) was fond of switching out his signature for something silly, such as "O. O. Severin", "Seneriv", or "[[SdrawkcabAlias Nireves]]".
* ReTool: For the last few issues, it was remade as a "lad mag" akin to ''{{Maxim}}'' or ''{{FHM}}'' (i.e., suggestive photographs of females, stories about cars, etc.). Didn't work.

** Still other times, there were song parodies that scanned so horribly that they didn't even work as original songs.

** They tried a ''Teen People'' magazine parody called ''Toon People'', which was a very ShallowParody of the mag with toon characters attached, from MickeyMouse to MikeLuAndOg.

* FollowTheLeader: By far, ''Cracked'' was the most prominent ''Mad'' clone: a parody mag with an {{Expy}} of Alfred E. Neuman in Sylvester P. Smythe.

* Catchphrase: [[BlobMonster The Talking Blob]]: '''So Long, Suckers!''' (prior to his consuming his victim)

* Catchphrase: [[Film/TheBlob The Talking]] [[BlobMonster Blob]]: '''So Long, Suckers!''' (prior to his consuming his victim)

*** The mag also had an occasional habit of parodying things that were already parodies. Tell me, just how ''do'' you do a wacky parody of HotShots, which is a wacky parody of ''Film/TopGun''?

* Catchphrase: [[Film/TheBlob The Talking]] [[BlobMonster/Blob]]: '''So Long, Suckers!''' (prior to his consuming his victim)