MAD #54 — April 1960

"It's a good idea to keep your words soft and sweet because you never know when you'll have to eat them!" — Alfred E. Neuman

Contents

• Phonyex Mutual Life Insurance

  Written by Larry Siegel / Art by Kelly Freas

  Reprinted in 3 collections

  • The Worst From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  • MAD's Vastly Overrated Al Jaffee — 1976 Big Book
  • MADvertising — 2005
  C2 sample
• Contents Page
  1
• Letters Dept.

  Notes

  • Ads for Alfred E. Neuman portrait, MAD Forever, MAD For Keeps, Son of MAD, Subscriptions
  2–3
• Marvin Introduces A New Game: “MAD Y'OX”

  Marginal Marvin Dept.

  Written by Paul Laikin
  (consecutive places around the magazine)
• Ad Testimonials from Politicians

  Dollar Diplomacy Dept.

  Written by Tom Koch / Art by Bob Clarke
  4–7
• The Magician

  Don Martin Dept. Part I

  Don Martin

  Reprinted in 8 collections

  • Three Ring MAD — 1964 (Paperback #16)
  • The Completely MAD Don Martin — 1974 Big Book
  • MAD's Greatest Artists — The Completely MAD Don Martin — 2007
  • MAD Kids #10 — March 2008
  • Amazingly Stupid MAD — 2012
  • Amazingly Stupid MAD — Expanded Edition — 2013
  • MAD's Greatest Artists — Don Martin — 2014
  • MAD Hodgepodge of Humor — Vol. 2 — Aug/Sep 2025
  8–9
• How I Turned $6.85 into a Zillion

  One for the Bucks Dept.

  Written by Al Jaffee

  Reprinted in 1 collection

  • More Trash From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  10
• Around the World With U.S. Television

  Variations on a Screen Dept.

  Written by Larry Siegel / Art by Wally Wood
  11–16
• The Interpreter

  Nyets to You Dept.

  Written by Arnie Kogen / Art by Joe Orlando
  17–19
• Educational Billboards

  Roads Scholar Dept.

  Written by Tom Koch / Art by Bob Clarke

  Reprinted in 1 collection

  • MAD Art — 2002 (excerpt)
  20–21
• America is Getting Soft

  Berg's-Eye View Dept.

  Dave Berg

  Reprinted in 4 collections

  • More Trash From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  • Three Ring MAD — 1964 (Paperback #16)
  • Dave Berg's MAD Trash — 1977 Big Book
  • MAD's Greatest Artists: Dave Berg — 2013
  22–25 sample
• You Can Learn A Lot When You Go Through People's Garbage

  A Heap 'o Livin' Dept.

  Written by Frank Jacobs / Art by Bob Clarke

  Reprinted in 2 collections

  • More Trash From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  • MAD Treasure Trove of Trash — Vol. 1 — May/June 2022
  26–27
• Distinctive Picket Lines

  Workers of the World, Rewrite! Dept.

  Written by Frank Jacobs / Art by George Woodbridge

  Reprinted in 2 collections

  • More Trash From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  • Three Ring MAD — 1964 (Paperback #16)
  28–30
• My Fair Ad-Man (Broadway musical satire)

  Shaw-Fired Plot Dept.

  Written by Nick Meglin / Art by Mort Drucker

  Reprinted in 9 collections

  • The Worst From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  • Three Ring MAD — 1964 (Paperback #16)
  • The Ridiculously Expensive MAD — 1969
  • Completely MAD — 1991 (excerpt)
  • MAD About the Sixties — 1995
  • MAD Special #131 — October 1998
  • MADvertising — 2005 (excerpt)
  • MAD For Decades — 2007
  • Totally MAD — 2012
  31–37 sample
• Mail by Missile

  Spatial Delivery Dept.

  Written by Sy Reit / Art by Bob Clarke
  38–39
• The Hero

  Don Martin Dept. Part II

  Don Martin

  Reprinted in 2 collections

  • MAD Special #2 — Spring 1971
  • MAD's Greatest Artists — The Completely MAD Don Martin — 2007
  40
• Doctors' Progress

  Thar's Gold in Them Thar Ills Dept.

  Written by Al Jaffee / Art by George Woodbridge

  Reprinted in 2 collections

  • More Trash From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  • Three Ring MAD — 1964 (Paperback #16)
  41–42
• Movie Land (magazine parody)

  Stars and Tripe Forever Dept.

  Written by Larry Siegel / Art by Joe Orlando

  Reprinted in 1 collection

  • More Trash From MAD #4 — 1961 Annual
  43–47
• Uncle Herman and the Coke Machine

  Don Martin Dept. Part III

  Don Martin

  Reprinted in 2 collections

  • More Trash From MAD #8 — 1965 Annual
  • MAD's Greatest Artists — The Completely MAD Don Martin — 2007
  48
• Ad for life-like, 3-D, bisque china Alfred E. Neuman Bust —
  3.75″ tall = $1 / 5.5″ tall = $2

  repurposed snippet of Will Elder art from Medical

  Lester Krauss photo
  C3
• Back Cover — Aspire Boot-Lick Polish

  Art by Kelly Freas

  Reprinted in 2 collections

  • The Ridiculously Expensive MAD — 1969
  • MADvertising — 2005
  C4