Al Jaffee stuck around long enough to know that " MAD" at 102 he brought joy for so many, and he didn't pick up bullets, he picked up a pen and created so much humour for so many!
Bob Clarke, another MAD artist, was a family friend. My Mom kept up the subscription to MAD magazine long after we kids were out of the house. Thanks for remembering this publication that we all enjoyed so much
For my 12th birthday, my mother got me a subscription to MAD Magazine. Truth be told, she enjoyed reading it as much as I did. We both shared a twisted sense of humor. Thanks, Al, for all the great cartoons!
"Humor in a jugular vein!" An early motto of Mad Magazine, Mad easily had some of the sharpest insights on modern and future culture. Heck,if you are lucky enough to have the very first issue of Mad there's an article that eerily predicts our electronically dependant culture. R.I.P. Al.
Of all of the MAD magazine artists/contributors, Al Jaffee was by far my favorite. I couldn't read his "Snappy Answers...." books without literally rolling around, screaming with laughter. I loved the "Comebacks to Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" equally. RIP Al, and thank you for helping to corrupt my childhood, too, along with the 3 Stooges, Monty Python, Cheech and Chong and so many other comedy greats.
I owned a comic books and collectibles store, M & M Comics, in Nyack, New York for almost 20 years. A lot of celebrities came into my shop, and one day an older gentleman came in, and I had a rack with a bunch of MAD paper backs, I had gotten them very inexpensively, so I was selling them relatively cheaply; maybe a buck 50 apiece or something like that. And he said that’s all these are going for? And then he introduced himself as Al Jaffee, the guy that had written a bunch of these books. I explained that I thought they were were or should be worth a lot more, but right now that’s what the market seemed to be, and I was just looking to move them. But I did enjoy reading them myself. 102 years old. That’s a life well lived.
How is the google profiting from one-liner sock puppets making comments? Plus more offensive ads! Maybe depoliticizing America's legal system would help? So: "A nonpartisan Justice may compel two recusals by junior partisan Justices." How about that idea?
When I was a pre-teen kid, my cool Aunt Betty bought me a Mad Magazine to keep me amused during a long trip. I was immediately hooked, and saved my allowance so I could buy each new edition. RIP Al Jaffee. You made my childhood lots more fun.
My cousin's husband used to buy a lot of comics and MAD magazine. He had huge stacks of them! I used sneak in and steal his MAD magazine and read them under the covers at night, trying hard not to laugh and make noise. Then I would carefully sneak it back, attempting to put it back where I found it in the pile. RIP Al for all the giggles you brought into my life!
I loved reading MAD when I was growing up, and Al usually stood out from the usual gang of idiots, possibly by standing on them. Thanks for the whimsical tribute.
my teen years were spent in the libraries, wherever I lived, and MAD Magazine was one of the things I read and re-read, and enjoyed. RIP Al. The world is a better place from your works.
As an aspiring cartoonist, working at the time for a county mosquito abatement program, I happened to meet MAD Magazine genius, Sergio Aragonés, while he was giving a cartooning class to a group of children at a small-town library. Afterwards, we chatted about strategic caricatures and the life they add to life. We strolled across the street and he treated me to lunch! There is nothing "marginal", I'm "thinking", about Sergio's MAD kindness and his 'Atticus Finch'-like wisdom and insight into the foibles of the human condition. Is it any wonder then that after MAD Magazine ceased publishing regularly with new material that society slowly devolved into the authoritarianism of that condition's pinheaded pinnacle, DJT?!
Mad Magazine saved kids like me: I had alcoholic, abusive (emotionally and physically), wife-swapping parents. The madness expertly lampooned by Mad gave me relief from the madness in my own young life. Telling the truth is a radical act.
Al Jaffee's work made my childhood brighter and widened my ideas of both art and humour. Thanks for sharing your affectionate memory with one who enjoyed both your work and his. All hail Truthiness, and thank you for introducing my family to that concept - now used in drama and literacy ed.
The UK MAD magazine was something I picked up very occasionally as they were a rare find in only certain stores. When I read of Al Jaffee’s death, I felt a sense of shock. I never met him but his humour and style always raised a smile with me. Thanks for the tribute, Stephen.
I'd have to say that Al Jaffee affected my life too. He helped create the perverse sense of humor that I have passed down to my daughter. I read a lot of MAD magazines and books as a child. I too am saddened by his passing.
Yes, my childhood was pleasantly corrupted by MAD, too. I especially appreciated their revisions of popular TV shows and movies, much better than the originals.
I was a hard-core, Mad Magazine fanatic as a child and teenager. I never missed an issue and bought many Mad anthology books. I’ve snuck a few looks since then, especially when my son was the right age for the Mad right of passage. He took to it like a duck to water. - Jaffee was an amazing cartoonist and comic with a keen eye for social satire. I credit Mad magazine for much of my critical thinking skills and sense of humor. - Jaffee and co-artist at Mad, Don Martin, were the Jedi masters to millions of us.
As an aspiring cartoonist, working at the time for a county mosquito abatement program, I happened to meet Sergio while he was giving a cartooning class to a group of children at a small-town library. Afterwards, we chatted about strategic caricatures and the life they add to life! We strolled across the street and he treated me to lunch! There is nothing "marginal", I'm thinking, about Sergio's MAD kindness and his 'Atticus Finch'-like wisdom and insight into the foibles of the human condition. Is it any wonder then, that after MAD Magazine ceased publishing regularly, that American society is slowly devolving into the authoritarianism of that condition's pinheaded pinnacle, DJT?!
Oh, wow. That is a life well-done. R.I.P. He used my (now 91) stepdad as a model for one of his folding covers: the old man in a hospital bed getting his (blood) money sucked out of him. What a coincidence: I just chatted with him ( the Stepdad, not Al Jaffee.) That framed copy was one of his favorite personal items.
What’s sad is that Jaffee’s work doesn’t translate that well to our online universe. I hope Stephen’s tribute inspires you young ‘uns to look up his work, but what I really hope is that you can get your hands on an actual vintage MAD Magazine so you can know the joy of discovery of Al’s genius as you flip its pages, ending with doing the fold-in at the back (Al’s sly way of ensuring that there would never be a market for pristine copies of the magazine, which means that older editions shouldn’t be too expensive.) Happy Hunting and RIP AJ.
"Are you dead, Mr Jaffee?" -- "No I'm preparing for the next Weekend At Bernies role" -- "No , I'm studying horticulture from the inside out" -- "No, I decided to start a worm farm" -- "No, this is a library and I have to be very, very quiet." -- "No, I just needed these two coins on my eyes for the parking meter.".
Reading Mad Magazine was a staple of my youth... Some the best humor in the World, flowed from it's pages. Al Jaffee's art and humor was a highlight. His "Snappy answers to stupid questions" segments were a firm favorite of mine. RIP Al Jaffee
Along with a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter. Those were the greats. I'm 50yo & i still remember it like yesterday. Also.. 1-2-3 with a cherry on top. Everybody sleeps. Everybody eats.
Oh my goodness yes so I was born in 1954 I grew up on Mad Magazine there so they were so subversive so insightful my goodness I had to collect their the magazines I had add a stack about 4 feet high of man magazines
Are we retreating from Moscow, mon General? Non! We're advancing on Paris mon Idiot! Are you sleeping? No, I'm dead. Leave the flowers and get out. RIP, Mr. Jaffee.
the man was a genius & had me LOL in my room, as a silly kid propped up in my bed reading & rereading that ridiculous magazine of his. godspeed & rest in splendid irony, al. 😻😹💖
Learning about Al Jaffee‘s passing I only just found out that Don Martin has been dead since January 2000. No wonder I have been feeling somewhat down this whole millennium. And it‘s getting worse now. I immediately join the Sergio Arragones-campaign.
Al Jaffee’s work in the 1970s was SO creative and funny. I especially liked his technical drawings and diagrams that made all of his outlandish ideas seem plausible.
Oh, I concur Mr. Colbert. Al was a HUGE part of my childhood and my sense of humour, which has gotten me into SO much trouble over the years.....even more so in this new world. RIP Al Jaffee. A giant amongst cartoonist and humourist.
Just a couple weeks ago I was trying to explain "Snappy Answers to stupid questions--a love story" to my dad. Dad's also a big Mad magazine fan, but he's more of a Don Martin kind of guy. Anyway, rest in peace, Mr Jaffee.
I grew up with Mad. Al gave a long talk at my summer camp in upper Westchester County NY as a kid in 1984. His fine attention to detail in his drawings was unrivaled.
Kudos for paying tribute to Al Jaffe -- he was a genius of language, like Leo Rosten. I love these people who think about words.
I'm 74, and I grew up smuggling Mad into my house. What a proud day it was when my husband and I gave a Mad subscription to our elder son. RIP, Al
Al Jaffee stuck around long enough to know that " MAD" at 102 he brought joy for so many, and he didn't pick up bullets, he picked up a pen and created so much humour for so many!
I got the first MAD in 1956 or so. Still corrupting nicely, thanks to him and his mates
Wow, 102!! A life that was well lived and brought a great deal of joy to so many people. RIP
After the fold in from Stephen's stated age of 1012
Bob Clarke, another MAD artist, was a family friend. My Mom kept up the subscription to MAD magazine long after we kids were out of the house. Thanks for remembering this publication that we all enjoyed so much
The fold-ins were always my favorites. I was born in '99, and I grew up reading Mad. I was sad when they stopped printing them.
For my 12th birthday, my mother got me a subscription to MAD Magazine. Truth be told, she enjoyed reading it as much as I did. We both shared a twisted sense of humor. Thanks, Al, for all the great cartoons!
Loved Mad Magazine as a kid! The fold-ins were one of my favorites! Thanks for corrupting my childhood as well, Al!
I can't believe al Jaffee lived to be 102! I loved Mad Magazine as a kid. Now I want to go find old copies and re-read them.
Al and all those guys knew exactly how to make kids laugh...grownups too. He had a rare gift. Kids these days need more MADness and less madness.
"Humor in a jugular vein!" An early motto of Mad Magazine, Mad easily had some of the sharpest insights on modern and future culture. Heck,if you are lucky enough to have the very first issue of Mad there's an article that eerily predicts our electronically dependant culture. R.I.P. Al.
MAD Magazine will live forever! RIP Al! 🙌❤️
Mad magazine was a must-read when I was growing up. Spy vs spy and the fold ups were among my favorites. Thank you Al Jaffe!!
Of all of the MAD magazine artists/contributors, Al Jaffee was by far my favorite. I couldn't read his "Snappy Answers...." books without literally rolling around, screaming with laughter. I loved the "Comebacks to Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" equally. RIP Al, and thank you for helping to corrupt my childhood, too, along with the 3 Stooges, Monty Python, Cheech and Chong and so many other comedy greats.
Absolutely for me as well. My very favourite.
Opens door to dark room. Person laying on the bed. Q: "Are you sleeping?" A: "No. I'm dead. Leave the flowers and get out."
I honestly think it's Al's "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" that gave Bill Engval the inspiration for his "Here's your sign" bit.
I know, right? Slowly I turned...
What a beautiful tribute and yes, what a childhood staple. Thank you Al!
Loved Mad magazine as a kid especially when they did the movie parodies.
I owned a comic books and collectibles store, M & M Comics, in Nyack, New York for almost 20 years. A lot of celebrities came into my shop, and one day an older gentleman came in, and I had a rack with a bunch of MAD paper backs, I had gotten them very inexpensively, so I was selling them relatively cheaply; maybe a buck 50 apiece or something like that. And he said that’s all these are going for? And then he introduced himself as Al Jaffee, the guy that had written a bunch of these books. I explained that I thought they were were or should be worth a lot more, but right now that’s what the market seemed to be, and I was just looking to move them. But I did enjoy reading them myself. 102 years old. That’s a life well lived.
Oh, man! I loved ‘Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions’ as a kid back in the 70’s! Rest well, Al, you made so many of us laugh and laugh.
I loved reading my Dad's Mad books as a kid. I was born in the early 90s and as an Autistic person, Al helped me understand comedy. I'm very grateful.
I finished watching the video clip and I thought that it was so darn sweet. Then I read your comment and thought the same thing. Thanks for posting!
Beautiful comment thank you !!!
That's wonderful!
Sam, that's so wonderful to hear. I hope you still have have access to those issues of beloved, MAD.♡♡♡♡♡♡
How is the google profiting from one-liner sock puppets making comments? Plus more offensive ads!
Maybe depoliticizing America's legal system would help?
So: "A nonpartisan Justice may compel two recusals by junior partisan Justices."
How about that idea?
When I was a pre-teen kid, my cool Aunt Betty bought me a Mad Magazine to keep me amused during a long trip. I was immediately hooked, and saved my allowance so I could buy each new edition. RIP Al Jaffee. You made my childhood lots more fun.
Thank you from a Mad kid of the 60's
My cousin's husband used to buy a lot of comics and MAD magazine. He had huge stacks of them! I used sneak in and steal his MAD magazine and read them under the covers at night, trying hard not to laugh and make noise. Then I would carefully sneak it back, attempting to put it back where I found it in the pile. RIP Al for all the giggles you brought into my life!
Up with truthiness!
What a wonderful legacy.
Yes, Steven I too was a big fan of snappy answers to stupid questions. Al Jaffe’s sarcasm will live on in my brain cell forever.
I introduced my son to Mad Magazine decades ago & I think it remains one of his favs! 💙
I loved reading MAD when I was growing up, and Al usually stood out from the usual gang of idiots, possibly by standing on them. Thanks for the whimsical tribute.
Oh man, MAD Magazine was my entire childhood's worth of humor and comedy. RIP Al! 🤘 I'm grateful you corrupted my childhood too...
Same! I bought them religiously 😉
my teen years were spent in the libraries, wherever I lived, and MAD Magazine was one of the things I read and re-read, and enjoyed. RIP Al. The world is a better place from your works.
Absolutely made an impact on my childhood growing up reading MAD. Thanks for the memories Al.
I remember finding my dad’s MAD magazines from the 70’s and laughing hysterically at Jaffe and Don Martin.
MAD Fold-Ins! Every comedy bit you see in movies and tv today started with MAD. The more you know! RIP Al.
Unforgettable characters. Cartoonish humor can brighten many a dark day. A special art by a special artist. Thanks Al 🙏🏻
Wonderful and deserved tribute to a true giant!!
Al Jaffee is a true comedic genius. I’m thankful for the out of body experiences MAD gave me over the years.
RIP, Al. 😔
Mad Magazine was the greatest discoveries of my childhood. Thank you for your tribute to one of its finest.
I remember MADMagazine all to well my absolute favorite was Spy vs Spy🕵 I was about 9 when my brother and myself would get a new mad! RIP Al Jaffee🕊☮
MAD fold-ins inspired us to make up our own together with the kids. Great fun yet very precious lesson: always look behind the obvious.
I was born in the 50s and Mad magazine was hugely influential on my humor, and thus, my life. Thanks, Al. I'll never forget you.
Al Jaffe is a legend! RIP
Still have my subscription to this day!
As an aspiring cartoonist, working at the time for a county mosquito abatement program, I happened to meet MAD Magazine genius, Sergio Aragonés, while he was giving a cartooning class to a group of children at a small-town library. Afterwards, we chatted about strategic caricatures and the life they add to life. We strolled across the street and he treated me to lunch! There is nothing "marginal", I'm "thinking", about Sergio's MAD kindness and his 'Atticus Finch'-like wisdom and insight into the foibles of the human condition. Is it any wonder then that after MAD Magazine ceased publishing regularly with new material that society slowly devolved into the authoritarianism of that condition's pinheaded pinnacle, DJT?!
Mad Magazine saved kids like me: I had alcoholic, abusive (emotionally and physically), wife-swapping parents. The madness expertly lampooned by Mad gave me relief from the madness in my own young life. Telling the truth is a radical act.
Auch mich,...auch mich.
Al Jaffee's work made my childhood brighter and widened my ideas of both art and humour. Thanks for sharing your affectionate memory with one who enjoyed both your work and his.
All hail Truthiness, and thank you for introducing my family to that concept - now used in drama and literacy ed.
Thank you AL ..........You will be missed but remembered forever
The UK MAD magazine was something I picked up very occasionally as they were a rare find in only certain stores. When I read of Al Jaffee’s death, I felt a sense of shock. I never met him but his humour and style always raised a smile with me. Thanks for the tribute, Stephen.
I'd have to say that Al Jaffee affected my life too. He helped create the perverse sense of humor that I have passed down to my daughter. I read a lot of MAD magazines and books as a child. I too am saddened by his passing.
Loved the fold ins ❤
Yes, my childhood was pleasantly corrupted by MAD, too. I especially appreciated their revisions of popular TV shows and movies, much better than the originals.
As a kid, MAD was my refuge from everything bad in the world. Al Jaffee's cartoons made me laugh SO HARD so many times... My heart hurts.
I learned more about the world through the pages of MAD magazine than I did in the class-room
Me too. Mostly because I read MAD magazine in the classroom!
Yup. MAD Magazine taught me more about how the human race thinks and behaves than any sociology class could ever do.
I was a hard-core, Mad Magazine fanatic as a child and teenager. I never missed an issue and bought many Mad anthology books. I’ve snuck a few looks since then, especially when my son was the right age for the Mad right of passage. He took to it like a duck to water. - Jaffee was an amazing cartoonist and comic with a keen eye for social satire. I credit Mad magazine for much of my critical thinking skills and sense of humor. - Jaffee and co-artist at Mad, Don Martin, were the Jedi masters to millions of us.
I had the honor to sell comics to Don Martin for a short while. He was a great guy!
@@geekdivaherself Cool. - What kind of comics did you sell to. him? I can imagine from his work that he was a great human being!
I am so proud to be born in the early 70s & experienced the great 70s & 80s & 90s to the full extent. It was awesome.
May Al rest in peace.
We'll miss ya, Al!
I had all his books and all the other Mad magazine artists too.
Formative humor that definitely shaped my childhood. RIP Al!
I loved mad! Everyone form a protective circle around Sergio Aragonés!
Facts. Though Mort Drucker's passing hit me most.
Sergio, the sweetest guy you will ever meet at a convention
As an aspiring cartoonist, working at the time for a county mosquito abatement program, I happened to meet Sergio while he was giving a cartooning class to a group of children at a small-town library. Afterwards, we chatted about strategic caricatures and the life they add to life! We strolled across the street and he treated me to lunch! There is nothing "marginal", I'm thinking, about Sergio's MAD kindness and his 'Atticus Finch'-like wisdom and insight into the foibles of the human condition. Is it any wonder then, that after MAD Magazine ceased publishing regularly, that American society is slowly devolving into the authoritarianism of that condition's pinheaded pinnacle, DJT?!
Oh, wow. That is a life well-done. R.I.P. He used my (now 91) stepdad as a model for one of his folding covers: the old man in a hospital bed getting his (blood) money sucked out of him. What a coincidence: I just chatted with him ( the Stepdad, not Al Jaffee.) That framed copy was one of his favorite personal items.
Old Mad Men never die; they just fold away.
What’s sad is that Jaffee’s work doesn’t translate that well to our online universe. I hope Stephen’s tribute inspires you young ‘uns to look up his work, but what I really hope is that you can get your hands on an actual vintage MAD Magazine so you can know the joy of discovery of Al’s genius as you flip its pages, ending with doing the fold-in at the back (Al’s sly way of ensuring that there would never be a market for pristine copies of the magazine, which means that older editions shouldn’t be too expensive.) Happy Hunting and RIP AJ.
"Are you dead, Mr Jaffee?" -- "No I'm preparing for the next Weekend At Bernies role" -- "No , I'm studying horticulture from the inside out" -- "No, I decided to start a worm farm" -- "No, this is a library and I have to be very, very quiet." -- "No, I just needed these two coins on my eyes for the parking meter.".
Never heard of Al Jaffee, but from what Stephen’s saying about him I now have a great respect for his work.
Can probably find some examples online. It was new at the time and hadn't been done. Kind of a comedy pioneer.
Vale, Al Jaffee. Thanks for all the mad fun...
Reading Mad Magazine was a staple of my youth... Some the best humor in the World, flowed from it's pages. Al Jaffee's art and humor was a highlight.
His "Snappy answers to stupid questions" segments were a firm favorite of mine.
RIP Al Jaffee
I was in tears until I looked up some of his classic stuff, and found myself laughing.
Along with a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter. Those were the greats. I'm 50yo & i still remember it like yesterday.
Also.. 1-2-3 with a cherry on top.
Everybody sleeps.
Everybody eats.
Al Jaffee would appreciate that, and so do we!
1,012! Hah!
Al Jaffee was the best!!!!
A thousand thumbs up ❤️❤️❤️
Oh my goodness yes so I was born in 1954 I grew up on Mad Magazine there so they were so subversive so insightful my goodness I had to collect their the magazines I had add a stack about 4 feet high of man magazines
Snappy answers to stupid questions was classic.
WHAT ME WORRY? RIP MR JAFFE, THANK YOU FOR THE LAUGHS 😅😅😅❤❤❤
Beautiful ❤️ powerful
Nurse, “Wake up! … Wake up!… it’s time for your sleeping pill!”
I still laugh when I think of his jokes. RIP Al
MAD magazine and Al Jaffee will live on forever! Forever an iconic legend, trailblazer and pioneer. Great tribute as always Stephen Colbert ❤ ♥️
Are we retreating from Moscow, mon General? Non! We're advancing on Paris mon Idiot! Are you sleeping? No, I'm dead. Leave the flowers and get out. RIP, Mr. Jaffee.
the man was a genius & had me LOL in my room, as a silly kid propped up in my bed reading & rereading that ridiculous magazine of his. godspeed & rest in splendid irony, al. 😻😹💖
Damn, sad to hear Al died. That guy owed me twelve bucks!
I collected Mad Magazines! Tons of them!
Learning about Al Jaffee‘s passing I only just found out that Don Martin has been dead since January 2000. No wonder I have been feeling somewhat down this whole millennium. And it‘s getting worse now. I immediately join the Sergio Arragones-campaign.
"Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" taught me an important life lesson:
It is far better to be a Smartass...
Than it is to be a Dumbass!
Mad and Monty Python were everything a boy of 8-14ish needed for comedy.
Mad Magazine a gift I shared with my 20 year old, when he first learned how to read.
Thanks Al for all the craziness you shared with us, even those of us that are "normal".
Wonderful tribute Mr. Colbert. As a Mad-dict for more than 50 years and whose childhood WAS corrupted by this man and his cohorts at Mad, I thank you.
loved this mag
Al Jaffee’s work in the 1970s was SO creative and funny. I especially liked his technical drawings and diagrams that made all of his outlandish ideas seem plausible.
RIP Al. You did indeed corrupt so many and we are eternally grateful.
Well said and very appropriate.
A true master of his art. RIP.
Oh, I concur Mr. Colbert. Al was a HUGE part of my childhood and my sense of humour, which has gotten me into SO much trouble over the years.....even more so in this new world. RIP Al Jaffee. A giant amongst cartoonist and humourist.
Just a couple weeks ago I was trying to explain "Snappy Answers to stupid questions--a love story" to my dad. Dad's also a big Mad magazine fan, but he's more of a Don Martin kind of guy. Anyway, rest in peace, Mr Jaffee.
Its a World, World , World Mad. RIP Al. 😪
I grew up with Mad. Al gave a long talk at my summer camp in upper Westchester County NY as a kid in 1984. His fine attention to detail in his drawings was unrivaled.
Loved his work. He will be missed.
Well most of the mad staff are back together again in the afterlife. Now Bill can take them on more of the famous mad Crew vacations.
Along with his excellent knowledge of the Silmarillion and the Tolkien universe, Stephen Colbert just never ceases to amaze me. So good.
I was definitely a Mad kid.
My sense of humor stopped developing at 12 and IDC at all. Lol
a solid new yorker