The cartoon face was a popular silly looking image of a smiling lad called the What-Me Worry Kid!.
The cartoon hand drawn face had drifted through American pictography since the early
1800's before being discoverd and used by Mad editor Harvey Kurtzman.
Once Kurtzman adapted the image into print, the face was given several different names...
Mel Haney, Melvin Coznowski including the What-Me Worry? kid,
also taken from
the public domain.
In issue #29 (September,
1956)-
the cartoon once known as the face was struck with the name Alfred E. Neuman and one issue later, Alfred made his first full-color
appearance on the Mad cover in a portrait drawn by Norman Mingo.
Alfred E. Neuman over the years has frequently been referenced in outside media, and his
face has often appeared in political cartoons as a shorthand for unquestioning stupidity.
A running joke since 1956 has been Alfred E. Neuman's campaign for every U.S. presidency along with one of his popular slogans: "You could do worse, and always have!"
In 2000 a depiction of Neuman as
George W. Bush became a national popular poster and t-shirt.
Mad Magazine Sued
When Mad was sued for copyright infringement by a woman claiming to hold
the rights to the cartoon image, the magazine argued that it had copied the picture from
various materials dating back to 1911 (which pre-dated the plaintiff's own
claim).
The lawsuit was unsuccessful, and the 'What Me Worry' cartoon face has since
been associated with Mad.
Popular Alfred E. Neuman Quotes:
- Today it takes more brains and effort to make out the income tax form than it does to make the income
-"Most people are so lazy, they don't even exercise good judgement!"
- "Teenagers are people who act like babies if they're not treated like adults!"
-
"You can be on the right track and still get hit by a train!"
- "Getting old is when a narrow waist and a broad mind change places!"
-
"Nowadays, a balanced diet is when every McNugget weighs the same!"
-
"Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!"
Who was Alferd E. Neuman?
