Alfred E. Neuman is the fictional mascot of Mad magazine. His likeness has graced the cover of most monthly issues. He first appeared in November 1954 on the cover of The Mad Reader, a collection of reprints from earlier issues. Neuman has appeared as Santa Claus, Darth Vader, George Washington and Uncle Sam, to name a few. Although Neuman appeared on the cover, the name did not become associated with the image until 1956. He ran for President with the slogan, "You could do worse, and always have!" He appeared in issues of the magazine as a candidate for President in both 1968 (when his face appeared on a balloon on the cover among other "candidates") and 2004.

Along with his face, Mad also features a humorous quotation by him in every issue. His catch phrase is "What, me worry?"

The likeness of Neuman probably derived from an early 20th century popular newspaper comic strip, The Yellow Kid. Many advertisements from that era included the likeness and his famous slogan, which was likewise, "What, me worry?" When Mad was sued for copyright infringement, one defense it used was that it had copied the picture from materials dating back to 1911. An almost-identical image appeared as "nose art" on an American World War II bomber, where it was sometimes referred to as "The Jolly Boy". Norman Mingo did the characterization artwork for Mad magazine in 1956.

There is a dispute about the origin of the name. Neuman's name was used on a radio show by Henry Morgan. Alfred E. Neuman is also the name of a classical music conductor.

External links

• A collection of Neuman quotes (http://www.leedberg.com/mad/quotes/quotes.html)
• Origins of Alfred E. Neuman (http://www.toonopedia.com/alfred_e.htm)

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