Mad Magazine Letter Pages
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| LETTER TITLE | E.S.P. SUBJECT | MAD E.S.P. REFERENCES | ISSUE / DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mad's E.S.P. | Mickey Bitsko | Mad started using the name "Mickey Bitsko" as a made-up name in Mad #71 (Jun. 1962). However, Mickey Bitsko was a REAL person. He was signed by the New York Giants on Dec. 17, 1964. Bitsko, at 6'2" 225 lbs., was a Giants' future draft choice in 1963. He was selected on the ninth round of the National Football League draft. He was a linebacker for the University of Dayton and played in the East-West Shrine Football Game on Jan. 2, 1965. From Mad #71 (Jun. 1962) to Mad #163 (Dec. 1973) the name "Mickey Bitsko" and variations of his name appeared in Mad at least forty-eight times: Mad #71 (Jun. 1962) - (6) - Alfred's Poor Almanac, Mad Investigates the Sordid Business of Gambling, Rain, Celebrities' Wallets - Frank Sinatra, The Birth of a Madison Avenue Brand Name, South Chicago; Mad #72 (Jul. 1962) - (9) - Alfred's Poor Almanac, C-Men in Action, Celebrities' Wallets - Chubby Checker, Mother's Day Cards for Substitute Mothers, A Mad Guide to Party Conversation, If Comic Strip Characters Were as Old as Their Strips, Mad Mother's Day Gift Suggestions, A Typical Prison Movie of the Future, A Mad Guide to "Do-It-Yourself" TV Repairs; Mad #73 (Sept. 1962) - (8) - Subscription Ad, Alfred's Poor Almanac, Bananaz, Road Signs that Reflect the Language of the Region, Racketeer Illustrated - The Mouthpiece of the Syndicate, What if Products Only Worked Under Demonstration Conditions, The Lighter Side of Summer Vacations, The Subtle Science of Packaging; Mad #74 (Oct. 1962) - (10) - Alfred's Poor Almanac, Dr. Kiljoy, Labor Day Cards from Management to Labor, If Corporations Ran Their Own Summer Camps, If They had Summer Replacements in Everyday Life, TV Ads We'd Like to See (2), The Rock 'N' Roll Senior Citizens' Problem, A Celebrity's Wallet - Vince Edwards, Eating Out; Mad #75 (Dec. 1962) - (4) - "Robinson Crusoe" or On The Beach with Don Martin, Mad's 1962 Football Roundup for Little-Known Schools and Colleges, Chicken - The Magazine for Gentle Men (2); Mad #76 (Jan. 1963) - (2) - Modern Teenage Sports, Mad's Merry Christmas Happy New Year Alphabet Book; Mad #77 (Mar. 1963) - (1) - If Five Comic Strip Cartoonists Interpreted the Age-Old Riddle: "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?"; Mad #78 (Apr. 1963) - (2) - How Parents Guess Wrong About Their Kids' Future Careers, Old Croc Whiskey; Mad #79 (Jun. 1963) - (1) - Mad's "Discount Center" Owner of the Year; Mad #94 (Apr. 1965) - (1) - Famous People's Home-Study Courses; Mad #104 (Jul. 1966) - (2) - Advertising Campaigns with Ulterior Motives, Mad Visits the American Mediocrity Academy; Mad #112 (Jul. 1967) - (1) - Historical Events As Covered By Modern News Feature Writers; Mad #163 (Dec. 1973) - (1) - Picket & Strike - Magazine for the Modern Unionist. |
95 - Jun 1965 |
| Mad's E.S.P.? | Wilt Chamberlain in a Philadelphia uniform |
On Jan. 14, 1965, the San Francisco Warriors traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers. In Mad #93 (on sale Dec. 29, 1964), in the article "Space Magazines," Chamberlain is pictured in a Philadelphia uniform. |
95 - Jun 1965 |
| More Mad E.S.P.? | Ringo Starr and his bride |
A news photo of Ringo Starr and his first wife, Maureen Cox, on Feb. 11, 1965, bears a striking resemblance to the photo Mad envisioned he carried in his wallet in Mad #91 (Dec. 1964) "A Celebrity's Wallet." Most of the newspapers carried the same gag line for the caption: "Find Ringo's New Bride. Hint: He's on the right." |
96 - Jul 1965 |
| More Mad E.S.P.? | Steve Allen running for political office |
On Aug. 31, 1965, the Los Angeles Times reported that Steve Allen was considering running for Congress. In Mad #90 (Oct. 1964), in the article "If Celebrities Ran For Political Office," Mad pictured Allen running for Senator. |
100 - Jan 1966 |
| Mad Predictions Of National Infamy |
Richard Nixon and Watergate |
On the back cover of Mad #147 (Dec. 1971), President Richard Nixon was shown as the "Three Wise Monkeys": "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." Mad replaced "speak no evil" with "Well…Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad!" On Jun. 17, 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. Nixon and his administration resisted Congress's probes into the matter. Later, when it was revealed that Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices, the tapes proved that Nixon had attempted to cover up activities that took place after the break-in. |
162 - Oct 1973 |
| More Mad E.S.P.? | Howard Cosell TV variety show |
In Mad #150 (Apr. 1972), the article "When TV Makes Full Use of Howard Cosell" shows Howard Cosell, a sportscaster for ABC television, in various non-sports rolls on TV. From Sept. 1975 to Jan. 1976, Howard Cosell hosted "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell," an American television comedy-variety program that ran on ABC. |
182 - Apr 1976 |
| Handicaps In Other Fields |
Elton John wears a suit during a concert |
Letter writer notes Elton John recently gave a concert wearing a suit. In Mad #195 (Dec. 1977), in the article "Handicaps in Other Fields," Elton John is shown giving a concert in a Brooks Brothers suit. |
197 - Mar 1978 |
| Congressional Madness |
Seat Belt Starter-Link |
In 1974, with only a six-month lead-time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandated a seat belt interlock for all 1974 model cars in the U.S. This seat belt interlock somewhat crudely, prevented the car from being started unless all front-seat occupants buckled their safety belts first. In Mad #90 (Oct. 1964), in the article "Auto Accessories We'd Like To See," Mad proposed a seat belt interlock system in which the seat belt buckle is wired to the ignition system so that the car can't be started without fastening the seat belt. |
202 - Oct 1978 |
| Jaffee The Parking Prophet |
The Automated Ferris Wheel Rapid Parking Facility |
Park Mobile, Inc. is helping Atlantic City, New Jersey, solve the Casino parking problems by building "Ferris Wheel" parking devices. In Mad #184 (Jul. 1976), in the article "Mad Solutions To Big City Parking Problems" Al Jaffee designed a similar parking prototype. |
204 - Jan 1979 |
| Alfred E. Neuman, Nudenik |
Alfred E. Neuman nude |
In Mad #130 (Oct. 1969), the article "If This Nudity Trend In Movies Ever Spreads To The Comics" pictured a nude Alfred E. Neuman drawn by Jack Rickard on the cover of 'future' Mad #231 (Jan. 1976). The cover of Mad #202 (Oct. 1978) also drawn by Jack Rickard showed Alfred in a shower-room nudity scene. In actuality, the Jan. 1976 issue of Mad was NOT #231, but #180 and issue #231 of Mad was Jun. 1982. |
204 - Jan 1979 |
| DeBartolo Brings In A Gusher |
Gasoline Price | In a 1979 6:00 News TV broadcast it was announced that gas would go up to $1.00 within two years. In Mad #185 (Sep. 1976), in the article "Behind the Scenes at the Major Oil Companies," Dick DeBartolo predicted that gas would rise to a dollar a gallon. |
208 - Jul 1979 |
| Smeller Drama | New Car Kick Spray Can Spray |
In a 1979 broadcast of the television news show "60 Minutes," a report on aerosol can products for businessmen showed a spray for used car dealers to spray in their cars to make them smell new. In Mad #134 (Apr. 1970), the article "Spray Cans We'd Like To See" pictured "New Car Kick Spray Can Spray." |
208 - Jul 1979 |
| More Mad ESP? | Carlton TV show spin-off |
In Mad #206 (Apr. 1979), the article "TV Spin-offs Yet to Come," predicted a new CBS television show "Carlton." On May 21, 1980, "Carlton Your Doorman" aired as a "CBS Special Presentation." It was a 1980 animated television pilot for a spin-off of the live-action sitcom "Rhoda" (1974-78) produced by MTM Enterprises and starring the previously off-screen character Carlton, the Doorman (voiced by Lorenzo Music). The episode served as a pilot for a proposed weekly animated spin-off of Rhoda that was never picked up by CBS as a series. |
217 - Sep 1980 |
| More Mad ESP! | Billy Carter | In late 1978 and early 1979, Billy Carter, brother of then President Jimmy Carter, visited Libya three times with a contingent from Georgia. He eventually registered as a foreign agent of the Libyan government and received a $220,000 loan. On August 4, 1980, President Jimmy Carter wrote: "I am deeply concerned that Billy has received funds from Libya and that he may be under obligation to Libya. These facts will govern my relationship with Billy as long as I am president. Billy has had no influence on U.S. policy or actions concerning Libya in the past, and he will have no influence in the future." On the back cover of Mad #209 (Sep. 1979), Jimmy Carter is pictured carrying Billy Carter on his back with the caption "He's sure heavy, Voters...he's m' brother!" |
219 - Dec 1980 |
| More Mad E.S.P.??? | Sales Of Interior Ad Spaces |
An airplane flight from Los Angeles to New York had an airsick bag with an advertisement for film developing on it. In Mad #179 (Dec. 1975), Al Jaffee wrote an article entitled "Future No-Frills Air Travel Gimmicks." An example from the article was "Sales of Interior Ad Spaces" where space would be let out to willing advertisers. |
226 - Oct 1981 |
| More Mad E.S.P.??? | Bill Fitch | In the Mar. 14, 1981 issue of TV Guide it was reported that Boston Celtics coach Bill Fitch was ejected from a basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers and went to his team's locker room and watched CBS's coverage of the game on TV. The broadcast showed 76er coach Billy Cunningham planning offensive strategy. Fitch watched his opponent and then relayed defensive strategy to his team's bench. The Celtics won the game 114-107. In Mad #99 (Dec. 1965), in the article "Football In Depth" a television football sportscaster is shown announcing a team's next play. The following panel shows the opposing team's coach watching the game on TV and giving his team a counterplay. |
227 - Dec 1981 |
| "Now Starring" / Exit Haig: More Mad E.S.P.? |
Alexander Haig resignation |
In Mad #233 (Sep. 1982), the article "Ronald Reagan Now Starring At The White House" shows then Secretary of State Alexander Haig resigning. The magazine was on the newsstands a week before it actually happened. |
235 - Dec 1982 |
| Mad E.S.P. | Archie and Edith Bunker Christmas Television Special |
The April 10-April 16 1983 issue of TV-Cable Week magazine reported that CBS, concerned about the television show "Archie Bunker's Place" declining ratings, came up with a plan to reunite Archie and Edith Bunker in an hour-long Christmas episode. The episode would have Archie visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future ("A Christmas Carol" version of the show) all played by Jean Stapleton, returning to her role as Edith. In Mad #228 (Jan. 1982), Mad's satire of the show "Starchie Bonker's Place or A Christmas Carol O'Conner" had the same plot. The "Christmas Carol" episode of "Archie Bunker's Place" never happened. Jean Stapleton had already left the series and had no intention of returning. She had asked to be written out of the show during the first season due to becoming tired of the role. |
242 - Oct 1983 |
| More Mad E.S.P.? | Don Rickles on Gimme A Break |
On April 28, 1983, Don Rickles appeared in the television sitcom "Gimme A Break." In the episode "Nell and the Kid" he played Max, owner of "Max's Delicatessen" where he traded barbs with Nell. Rickles also appeared in Mad #240 (Jul. 1983), in Mad's satire of the show "Give Us A Break." In the satire, he also traded barbs with Nell. |
242 - Oct 1983 |
| Mad E.S.P. Mania | Darth Vader merchandising |
Star Wars cologne and bubble bath were being sold with Darth Vader on the labels.
In Mad #241 (Sep. 1983), the article "Merchandising We're Almost Sure To See And Hate!" had Star Wars mouthwash with Darth Vader on the bottle. |
244 - Jan 1984 |
| Mad E.S.P. Mania | Blah, Barfy Ballpark Beer |
Ohio is selling a beer with only half an ounce of alcohol. 12 ounces of regular beer is usually about 5% alcohol (.6 ounce). In Mad #226 (Oct. 1981), in the article "Stadium Team Owners Supply Catalogue" sold "Blah, Barfy Ballpark Beer" which was normal beer diluted with 80% tap water. |
244 - Jan 1984 |
| Mad E.S.P. Mania | Talking Toilet Device |
A magazine had an ad for a talking toilet seat. When victim sits down "someone down there" speaks out "Hey, can't you see I'm working down here?" In Mad #233 (Sep. 1982), in the article "Mad's Updated Practical Joke Catalog" Al Jaffee's The "Talking Toilet" Device says the message "What are you doing?! There are Plumbers working down here!" |
244 - Jan 1984 |
| Return Of Mad ESP | Return Of The Jedi | In Mad #230 (Apr. 1982), the article "The Star Wars Log" has Chewbacca rescued "from midget aliens." In the movie "Return of the Jedi" (1983) had Ewoks, an extremely primitive race of small creatures. |
245 - Mar 1984 |
| More Mad E.S.P.??? | UPC symbol featured on the cover of a record album |
The rock band YES produced the record album "90125" which is part of the album's UPC symbol (7567-90125-2). In Mad #198 (Apr. 1978), the article "When The UPC Symbol Takes Over Completely" showed a record album featuring a UPC symbol on its cover. |
247 - Jun 1984 |
| More Mad E.S.P.??? | Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton |
In Mad #235 (Dec. 1982), Mad's movie satire of "Rocky III," "Rockhead III," had Rockhead (Sylvester Stallone) repeatedly standing in front of large chests during his bouts. Rockhead remarked "If this kind of POSING keeps up, I want my next match to be with Dolly Parton!!" In 1984, Sylvester Stallone starred in the movie "Rhinestone" with Dolly Parton. |
251 - Dec 1984 |
| Still More Mad E.S.P. |
Old Masters paintings used in advertising |
Hershey Foods Corp. used a portrait of Henry the Eighth in a Skor candy bar ad: "Guess what candy bar he would eat if he were around today." The original portrait was created by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1537. The Frank Jacob's article "If Advertisers Made Use Of Old Masters" in Mad #256 (Jul. 1985), suggested something like this would happen eventually. |
258 - Oct 1985 |
| Mad E.S.P.Something |
Thirtysomething | TV Guide magazine's April 8, 1989 issue reported that in the final episode of the show "Thirtysomething" the characters will portray themselves as senior citizens. In Mad #286 (Apr. 1989) the ending of the satire of the show "Thirtysuffering" also had the characters as seniors. |
289 - Sep 1989 |
| All Brent Out Of Shape |
Brent Musburger | In Mad #293 (Mar. 1990) the second point in the article "Mad's 12-Point Plan for Improving America Without Spending More Tax Dollars" read, "Send Brent Musburger to explore a part of the Amazon rain forest from which no previous explorer has ever returned." On April 1, 1990, Musburger, a sportscaster on CBS television, was fired. |
297 - Sep 1990 |
| Mad E.S.P. Is Dead Right |
Mortuary Sitcom | From September 30, 1990 to February 3, 1991, "Good Grief," an American sitcom, aired for 13 episodes on the Fox network. The show was about a funeral home called "The Sincerity Mortuary" in Dacron, Ohio. In Mad #295 (Jun. 1990), Frank Jacob's article "Future Sitcoms That Break Fresh Ground" included "STIFFS"-The Mortuary Sitcom ("It's the wacky world of caskets and embalming."). |
301 - Mar 1991 |
| Mad E.S.P. | Development of grocers from pushcarts |
In Mad #43 (Dec. 1958), Dave Berg's article "Pushcarts" accurately projected the development of grocers from pushcarts to stores, to markets, to supermarkets and to malls peopled with pushcart vendors. |
304 - Jul 1991 |
| Mad E.S.P. | Storage of trash in the future |
In Mad #56 (Jul. 1960), the article "The Garbage Explosion" predicted that garbage would be shot into outer space. Recent proposals for getting rid of radioactive waste are to dispose of it in space. One such proposal was received by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in May 1978. |
304 - Jul 1991 |
| Mad E.S.P. | Children rejecting parent's values |
The Beat Generation are members of the generation that came to maturity in the 1950s, whose rejection of the social and political systems of the West was expressed through contempt for regular work, possessions, traditional dress, etc. In Mad #62 (Apr. 1961), the article "Tomorrow's Parents" predicted that children of the "beat generation" would reject their parent's values and have desires to be doctors and lawyers. Yuppies ("young urban professionals" or "young, upwardly-mobile professionals") was a term coined in the early 1980s for young professional persons working in a city. |
304 - Jul 1991 |
| Yankees Go Homer! | Sergio Aragones baseball catch marginal |
Originally in Mad #150 (Apr. 1972), in Dave Berg's "The Lighter Side of Air Travel," Sergio Aragones has a marginal drawing showing a young baseball fan reaching over the fence and catching the baseball before the outfielder could attempt to catch the ball for a possible out. This actually happened in the 1996 American League Championship Series between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. In game one, NY's Derek Jeter hit a fly ball to deep right off of Armando Benitez. Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco backed up to the wall, but twelve-year-old Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence and brought the ball into the stands and out of the field of play before Tarasco could attempt to catch the ball for a possible out. Tarasco immediately pointed above and protested that it was fan interference, but right field umpire Rich Garcia controversially ruled it a home run. The Yankees went on to win the game in extra innings. |
354 - Feb 1997 |
| Mad E.S.P.? | Tim "Torch" McVey (1982) / Timothy McVeigh (1995) |
In Mad #234 (Oct. 1982), in the article "Commemorative Stamps That Tell It Like It Really Is" a stamp honoring "50 YRS OF INSURANCE FRAUDS" shows a picture of Chicago Arsonist Tim "Torch" McVey. A Mad reader wrote in saying this is close to the same name and occupation of one of the men responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing that occurred thirteen years later. The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States on April 19, 1995 perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Mad responded by saying "If you're willing to overlook that all the facts are wrong (it's McVeigh, not McVey; it was terrorism, not arson; it was in Oklahoma, not Chicago) then you're right - we hit the nail on the head!" |
356 - Apr 1997 |
| Weather You Care Or Not |
Global Warming - Major Flooding in New York City |
On the cover of Mad #477 (May 2007), Mad saluted Global Warming by having Alfred E. Neuman driving a Jet Ski through a mostly submerged downtown Manhattan. A Mad reader wrote in saying that the day Mad #477 came out, "New York had major flooding - six inches of rain the day the magazine arrived and then two more on April 16th!" |
480 - Aug 2007 |
| Mad E.S.P. | Hillary Clinton running for President |
Mad Super Special #100 (Late Fall 1994) presented a collection of "Mad Morphs." Mad Morphs were drawings of Alfred E. Neuman's face merged with the face of a celebrity. One such morph showed "Hillar E. Neuman," a morph of Alfred E. Neuman and Hillary Clinton, as President of the United States. Bill Clinton was president at the time, of course, and Hillary, the First Lady. Hillary later ran for President in 2008 but lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama. She made a second presidential run in 2016, winning her party's nomination for President of the United States. |
480 - Aug 2007 |
| Future Shocked | Natalie Suleman has eight babies |
Originally in Mad #155 (Dec. 1972), Mad's parody of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Mary Tailor-Made Show," a character said "Hey, what say I write a story for tonight's news about a woman having eight babies." On January 26, 2009, in Bellflower, California, six male and two female children conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) were born to Natalie Suleman. |
501 - Oct 2009 |
| The Mad Crystal Ball |
Samuel L. Jackson as "Nick Fury, Agent of the Shield" |
In Mad #378 (Feb. 1999), in the article "Upcoming Movies Based On Comic Books," Samuel L. Jackson is shown in the movie "Hulk Fiction," a Mad parody of the movie "Pulp Fiction." A Mad reader points out that Jackson is drawn to look like "Nick Fury, Agent of the Shield." In 2008, in the film "Iron Man," Samuel L. Jackson makes a cameo appearance as "Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," in a post-credits scene. |
511 - Oct 2011 |
Compiled by John R. Racano
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This subscription ad from Mad #73, September 1962 shows how the name "Mickey Bitsko" was used by Mad before the real football player gained notoriety. Letters suggesting Mad E.S.P. was at work appeared in Mad #95, June 1965. That's Mad editor Al Feldstein, by the way. 
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