History Trivia / Mad

** Creator/BreckinMeyer as {{Series/Franklin|AndBash}} in the "Franklin and VideoGame/{{Crash|Bandicoot}}" sketch.

* CreatorBacklash: Mort Drucker illustrated the ''Series/TwentyFour'' parody that ran in issue #429. The original intent was to have his art colorized digitally, but when he was dissatisfied with the results, it was redone with a grayscale shading instead. He didn't like this either, and there was no time for him to try shading it himself, so he took his name off the art and it was credited to "[[AlanSmithee Bob Julian]]".

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The Burbank reboot was barely a year into its run when the AT&T-Time Warner merger went through and new management switched to reprints, resulting in the sudden firing of the new Idiots. Even more bizarrely, the recently viral "Gashlygun Tinies" poem had shown signs of renewed interest in the magazine. Especially sore were the authors and fans of the [[CutShort serialized]] ''Potzrebie Comics'', who were [[GrowingTheBeard just getting the hang of long-form writing.]] This came to the point where some of them snarked at a Series/{{Jeopardy}} [[https://mobile.twitter.com/lukeymcgarry/status/1233235750335856641 clue about the ordeal]]. Though, at least Bob Fingerman and Luke Mcgarry have said they might want to return to their ideas in the future.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The show only had its first season released on DVD (in two parts) and even those are out of print. Given the show's status as an UnintentionalPeriodPiece of the early 2010s, as well as copyright laws being too harsh on kids show (unlike how lax they are on Adult-oriented shows like ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'') it's unlikely to see a re-release anywhere, even on Creator/HBOMax. Luckily, the entire series is still available on Google Play.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: ''{{Literature/Twilight}}'', ''Series/JerseyShore'', many celebrities and musicians, along with [[BitingTheHandHumor some of Cartoon Network's own series]] are made fun of, especially the first in the series' early episodes. These date the series fairly specifically to the early 2010s. Many of their celebrity sketches also parody a specific outdated image of that celebrity, such as making fun of Music/JustinBieber's bowlcut hair, Music/LadyGaga's extravagant outfits, or Creator/KristenStewart's stoic attitude (back when she was ''only'' known as Bella Swan). Several of the shows and movies they parody were largely forgotten by the mainstream after the 2010s, such as ''Series/IHateMyTeenageDaughter'' or ''WesternAnimation/EscapeFromPlanetEarth'', making it more obvious that they were parodied when the works were still fresh in people's minds.

* QuietlyCancelled: ''MAD'' was not renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015, Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), and the show's staff has moved on to other projects, it's safe to say it's gone for good (''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', which premiered a month before ''MAD'''s series finale, was observed to have essentially replaced it on CN's schedule).

* QuietlyCancelled: ''MAD'' was not been renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015, Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), and the show's staff has moved on to other projects, it's safe to say it's gone for good (''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', which premiered a month before ''MAD'''s series finale, was observed to have essentially replaced it on CN's schedule).

* {{Cancellation}}: ''MAD'' has not been renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015, Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), and the show's staff has moved on to other projects, it seems as if it's gone for good. (''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', which premiered a month before ''MAD'''s series finale, was observed to have essentially replaced it on CN's schedule.)

* FollowTheLeader: The magazine's success inspired a succession of copycats, including ''Magazine/{{Cracked}}'' and countless others, many of which even had {{Expy}}s of Alfred E. Neuman as their mascots (and many of which lasted for only a few issues). William Gaines supposedly kept a voodoo doll that had pins marked with the names of ''Mad'' knockoffs; by his death in 1992, only the ''Cracked'' pin remained.

** In "[[WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine Thomas the]] Film/{{Unstoppable}} [[WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine Tank Engine]]", Thomas is depicted as having both ends of his running plate dipped, not just the front. While it was done in order to not infringe on the character's image, [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/LB%26SCR_E2_class.jpg this is actually how a real life Billington E2 tank engine's running plate is built.]]

* {{Cancellation}}: ''MAD'' has not been renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015 and Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), it seems as if it's gone for good. (''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', which premiered a month before ''MAD'''s series finale, was observed to have essentially replaced it on CN's schedule.)
* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The show only had its first season released on DVD (in two parts) and even those are out of print. Given the show's status as an UnintentionalPeriodPiece of the early 2010, as well as copyright laws being too harsh on kids show (unlike how lax they are on Adult-oriented shows like ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'') it's unlikely to see a re-release anywhere, even on Creator/HBOMax. Luckily, the entire series is still available on Google Play.

** This has also shown up in ''Monroe and...'', which was originally drawn by Bill Wray (the same one who worked on ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' in the 1990s). After a short retirement, the feature was briefly revived with Tom Fowler as the artist before retiring again. The change in artists was supposedly because Wray (who, like most of the staff, has plenty of work outside the magazine) had very little time to draw and color the strip on time, meaning that he had to do a rush job.

** Also present in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' parodies of the first six movies. Dick [=DeBartolo=] and Nick Meglin co-wrote the ''Film/ANewHope'' parody, with Harry North, Esq. as the artist; the next four had just [=DeBartolo=] writing and Mort Drucker drawing. ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' switched to David Shayne for the writing and Hermann Mejía for the art, and ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' parody was drawn by Tom Richmond (except for some CallBack panels from the ''A New Hope'' parody) and written by "David Richards" (believed to be a pseudonym for Shayne, likely because he also has writing credits for some of the ''Star Wars'' cartoon spinoffs).

* PromotedFanboy: In 2015, Music/WeirdAlYankovic became the first (and, as of the 2020 reprints, only) guest editor. And of course, there are the countless BigNameFans that got ''in'' the magazine.

** Many of the other iconic artists in the early years did not stay for long either. Most notably, Will Elder and Harvey Kurtzman were the main artist/writer duo in the early comic-book days, but both men left in 1958 (although they returned briefly from 1984-88). Other defining contributor who didn't stick around for long included John Severin (who quit after issue #10 and later became the flagship artist of rival ''Magazine/{{Cracked}}''), Wally Wood (left in 1964, except for one stray appearance in 1971), and Frank Kelly Freas (who primarily did cover art in the early days, but did not contribute at all after 1962). To their credit, all of them are known for considerably more than just their ''MAD'' work.

* UncreditedRole: Many of Don Martin's single-page gags were scripted by ghost writers, most often Duck Edwing.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: ''{{Literature/Twilight}}'', ''Series/JerseyShore'', many celebrities and musicians, along with [[BitingTheHandHumor some of Cartoon Network's own series]] are made fun of, especially the first in the series' early episodes. These date the series fairly specifically to the early 2010s.

** In their WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine and Unstoppable parody, Thomas is depicted as having both ends of his running plate dipped, not just the front. While it was done in order to not infringe on the character's image, [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/LB%26SCR_E2_class.jpg this is actually how a real life Billington E2 tank engine's running plate is built.]]

* BigNameFan: Untold numbers of comedians, but there's also a picture of Music/JimiHendrix reading an issue while getting his hair done.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: A total of seven known articles from between 1957-1964 have been omitted from ''Totally MAD'' and ''Absolutely Mad'', the majority believed due to declines from the creators or their estates.

** After Antonio Prohías retired in 1986, ''Spy vs. Spy'' went to other artists. Bob Clarke did the art from 1987 to 1993, then George Woodbridge for two issues, Dave Manak from 1993-97, and Peter Kuper ever since. Gag writing during the other artists' timespan was typically handled by Duck Edwing, although a few other writers pitched in now and then (notably, at least one installment paired Manak with his ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' collaborator Michael Gallagher, who would go on to become a semi-regular at ''MAD''). Ever since Kuper took over, he has handled almost all of the gag writing as well.

* MissingEpisode: The original cover art for issue #300 featured UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush burning a flag with Alfred's face on it. The cover was determined to be in poor taste, so it was hastily replaced with a stock image of Alfred.

** Issue #411 (November 2001) was originally supposed to have a cover featuring Alfred mistaking crime scene tape for the finish line of a foot race. The cover was deemed insensitive after 9/11, so it was hastily pulled and replaced with a stock Alfred image photoshopped to have an American flag in place of his missing tooth. A few copies of the original cover supposedly got out, and the cover was recycled in international markets.

** Issue #122 (October 1968) features Alfred holding a pin and several balloons with caricatures of prominent politicians of the day. The original cover art featured a caricature of UsefulNotes/RobertFKennedy. As RFK was assassinated just before the issue's publication, his caricature was hastily replaced with one of Alfred.
** Issue #411 (November 2001) was originally supposed to have a cover featuring Alfred mistaking crime scene tape for the finish line of a race. The cover was deemed insensitive after 9/11, so it was hastily pulled and replaced with a stock Alfred image photoshopped to have an American flag in place of his missing tooth. A few copies of the original cover supposedly got out, though.
** According to [[http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/newsmakers/cartoonist-al-jaffee-reveals-one-fold-mad-magazine-165324596.html this]] interview with Fold-In artist Al Jaffee, he created a Fold-In themed to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Aurora_shooting 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado]], and the editors decided that it was in poor taste, and 600,000 copies were shredded to cover it up. The Fold-In was finally approved for use in issue #7 of the reboot.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The show only had one DVD release and even that is out of print. Given the show's status as an UnintentionalPeriodPiece of the early 2010, as well as copyright laws being too harsh on kids show (unlike how lax they are on Adult-oriented shows like ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'') it's unlikely to see a re-release anywhere, not even on Creator/HBOMax.

* DevelopmentHell: ''MAD'' has not been renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015 and Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), it seems as if it's gone for good. (''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', which premiered a month before ''MAD'''s series finale, was observed to have essentially replaced it on CN's schedule.)

* DevelopmentHell: ''MAD'' has not been renewed for a fifth season despite Cartoon Network not officially declaring the show's cancellation. Since the show is off Cartoon Network's schedule as of 2015 and Cartoon Network is focusing on other shows (some of which are LighterAndSofter), it seems as if it's gone for good.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The Burbank reboot was barely a year into its run when the AT&T-Time Warner merger went through and new management switched to reprints, resulting in the sudden firing of the new Idiots. Even more bizarrely, the recently viral "Gashlygun Tinies" poem had shown signs of renewed interest in the magazine. Especially sore were the authors and fans of the [[CutShort serialized]] ''Potzrebie Comics'', who were [[GrowingTheBeard just getting the hang of long-form writing.]] . To the point where some of them snarked at a Series/{{Jeopardy}} [[https://mobile.twitter.com/lukeymcgarry/status/1233235750335856641 clue about the ordeal]]. Though, at least Bob Fingerman and Luke Mcgarry have said they might want to return to their ideas in the future.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The Burbank reboot was barely a year into its run when new management took over and decided to switch to mostly reprints, resulting in the sudden firing of most of the new Idiots. Even more bizarrely, the recently viral "Gashlygun Tinies" poem had shown signs of renewed interest in the magazine. Especially sore were the authors and fans of the [[CutShort serialized]] ''Potzrebie Comics'', who were [[GrowingTheBeard just getting the hang of long-form writing.]] . To the point where some of them snarked at a Series/{{Jeopardy}} [[https://mobile.twitter.com/lukeymcgarry/status/1233235750335856641 clue about the ordeal]]. Though, at least Bob Fingerman and Luke Mcgarry have said they might want to return to their ideas in the future.