But the magazine ceased to be a cultural barometer some time ago. The audience for magazines is generally smaller than it once was, and a similar satirical vein is these days found far more easily online and on TV.
When President Donald Trump—a frequent target of MAD’s barbs—recently mocked Pete Buttegieg by comparing his appearance with that of MAD’s gap-toothed, jug-eared mascot, Alfred E. Neuman (catchphrase: “What, me worry?”) the Democratic presidential candidate initially didn’t know what Trump was talking about.
“I’ll be honest. I had to Google that,” Buttegieg told Politico. “I guess it’s just a generational thing. I didn’t get the reference. It’s kind of funny, I guess.”
MAD underwent a dramatic shift at the end of 2017, when DC relocated its offices from Manhattan to Burbank, California. None of the magazine’s veteran staff came along, and MAD’s tone changed—for example, it carried a relatively somber spread about school shootings.
DC declined to comment on the reasons behind MAD’s effective end.