Mad Magazine Fold-ins

When I was a kid in school, I wisely spent alot of allowance money on Mad & Cracked magazines. They taught me about realities and absurdities of the world that you can't find in a textbook.

I've seen alot of funny stuff linked lately from the Cracked.com site. It's cool to see that sort of deranged sort of creative publication can successfully adapt to the Internet Age.

Anyway, a cool digital application of the classic Mad Magazine folding back cover is being featured on the NY Times site. It's an interactive slideshow where you can 'fold' the illustrations by Al Jaffee that have graced the back overs of Mad since the 60's. Even if I didn't buy a magazine back in the day, I would take one off the rack & try to at least bend the cover enough to find out what the folded picture was.

I always thought those covers were really ingenious, but being a designer has given me more appreciation for the work that goes into each one.

NY Times
"Fold-Ins, Past and Present"

There's also an interview with Al Jaffee w/ great photos of his creative process:

NY Times
"A Veteran MAD Man Remains in the Fold"

Lo & behold, I went to the Mad Magazine website & their next issue is The Monkey Issue! I saw this banner for it, & had no choice but to click it:


You can download medium-resolution sample pages, including the cover featuring an office full of stock photo primates. It's good to see the monkeys of the world getting the attention they deserve...