Five MAD Magazine Parodies From the 1990s That Aged Well

From 1952 until 2018, MAD Magazine was the greatest source of comedy in print. Every month, the legendary publication would skewer politics, current events, and pop culture. With artists like Mort Drucker and writers like Dick DeBartolo, the MAD Magazine crew lampooned movies in multi-page comic-book-like parodies where nothing was sacred. The 1990s represented a high point in MAD Magazine history.

We identified five top pop culture parodies from the 1990s, covering movies like Gremlins 2, The Flintstones, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. More than 30 years have passed since these issues appeared on magazine racks, but most of the jokes remain fresh because the source material is still popular.

1 The Flintstones

In issue number 331 from 1994, artist Angelo Torres and writer Dick DeBartolo parodied The Flintstones to coincide with the movie starring John Goodman as Fred Flintstone. The parody features many small jokes, including Dino expressing resentment toward Barney the Dinosaur. The standout bit is a running gag about how much The Flintstones resembles the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners, with characters accidentally calling each other by names from that show.

2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Artist Sam Viviano and writer Dick DeBartolo tackled the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film in issue number 298 from October 1990. Much of the humor focuses on the characters resembling Star Wars figures, with Splinter drawing comparisons to Yoda and Shredder drawing comparisons to Darth Vader. Other jokes target the massive merchandising campaign surrounding the Turtles at the time. The top line appears on the first page when Splinter scolds Raphael for beating up a pretzel vendor since the Turtles are supposed to remain hidden.

“We must not be seen anywhere!” Splinter shouts, “except on licensed lunch boxes, sweat shirts, hats, bendable dolls, watches, and our Saturday cartoon show and Nintendo games!”

3 Gremlins 2

In MAD issue number 298 from October 1990, artist Mort Drucker and writer Stan Hart targeted Gremlins 2. The movie itself was already a parody, but the creators squeezed out jokes that play well today. The main driver is the character Daniel Clamp, played in the film by John Glover. That character was an obvious parody of Donald Trump in the movie, but the five-page parody renames him “Donald Chump” and redesigns him to resemble Trump. Additional jokes highlight his greed, including a panel where the female Gremlin becomes Chump’s secretary and he contemplates taking advantage of her at the company Christmas party.

4 The Wizard of Oz

In issue number 300 from January 1991, MAD published a 1990s take on The Wizard of Oz featuring a cast of celebrities from that era. Some remain recognizable, such as Vanna White as the Good Witch of the North, while others faded from memory, like Tammy Faye Bakker as the Wicked Witch. Donald Trump plays the Wizard. At the end of the story, instead of granting whimsical gifts like the original movie, the Wizard doles out abrasive advice, such as encouraging the Scarecrow to sell junk bonds.

5 Edward Scissorhands

Artist Angelo Torres and writer Dick DeBartolo spoofed Edward Scissorhands in issue number 304 from 1991. The parody points out the film’s idiosyncrasies, such as why Edward received scissor hands and why a woman would bring him home. A running gag features Edward trimming hedges into licensed characters like the Simpsons and Big Bird. The best joke occurs in a flashback where Edward recalls the death of Vincent Price’s character, The Inventor. The Inventor chokes on food, and Edward attempts to perform the Heimlich maneuver, inadvertently slicing him in half.

 

Source: Polygon