Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #49
Published September 1959
Cover Price 0.25 USD
Pages 52
Editing Albert B. Feldstein

Cover Details - "Want To Cool Off?"

Characters Alfred E. Neuman
Genre humor
Pencils Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Inks Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Colors Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Letters typeset

1 page Cell Telephone System story "Stop Pushing - You'll All Get A Chance To Talk To Grandma"

Synopsis Parody of long distance ad for Bell Telephone System.
Genre satire
Pencils Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Inks Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Letters typeset
Notes Inside front cover.

1 page Vital Features foreword, introduction, preface, afterword "Departments"

Pencils various
Inks various
Letters typeset
Notes Art is excerpts from this issue. There is a writer credit for Gary Belkin but uncertain what article(s) it is for.

Half page MAD Forever promo (ad from the publisher) The Perfect Follow-Up To "MAD For Keeps"

Synopsis House ad for hardcover book from Crown Publishers.
Pencils ? (photo)
Inks ? (photo)
Letters typeset

Half page Alfred E. Neuman promo (ad from the publisher) "A Delightful Pin-Up!"

Characters Alfred E. Neuman
Synopsis House ad for pinups suitable for framing.
Pencils Norman Mingo (painted)
Inks Norman Mingo (painted)
Letters typeset

Half page The Bedside MAD promo (ad from the publisher) "Wake Up Refreshed And Invigorated!"

Synopsis House ad for sixth MAD paperback book.
Pencils ? (photo)
Inks ? (photo)
Letters typeset

1 page Letters Dept. letters page "Random Samplings of Reader Mail"

Characters Leonard Brenner; Naval Fighter Squadron 141
Synopsis Letters of comment, mostly about issue #47.
Script Albert B. Feldstein; Ken Franklin; The Brothers Kaminsetzky; Jim Daniels; J. F. McGlinchy; Suzy Zuckerman; Donald Bralich; Douglas Lindsey; Marjorie Parver; J. S. Coleman, Jr.; Noll Anne Cunningham
Pencils ? (photo)
Inks ? (photo)
Letters typeset
Notes Leonard Brenner is revealed as one of the models in the MAD straight jacket ads in the previous 3 issues.

Half page MAD Magazine promo (ad from the publisher) "Summer Is The Best Time To Subscribe To MAD"

Synopsis House ad for MAD subscriptions.
Pencils Albert B. Feldstein ?
Inks Albert B. Feldstein ?
Letters typeset

Half page What - Me Worry? promo (ad from the publisher) "Now! Alfred E. Neuman Sings!"

Characters Alfred E. Neuman
Synopsis House ad for new record album featuring Alfred and his Furshlugginer Five.
Pencils ? (photo)
Inks ? (photo)
Letters typeset
Notes Album cover art is by Norman Mingo and Don Martin.

4 page Readin' And Writhin' Dept. story "The MAD Horror Primer"

Characters Dr. Frankenstein; Frankenstein's monster; The Creature; King Kong; Dracula; Wolf-Man; The Mummy
Synopsis A grade-school reader type introduction to horror movies.
Genre humor
Script Larry Siegel
Pencils Wally Wood
Inks Wally Wood
Letters typeset

2 page Don Martin Dept. story "The Boy And His Toy"

Synopsis A boy breaks another boy's new toy, and is then himself broken by the first boy.
Genre humor
Script Don Martin (signed)
Pencils Don Martin (signed)
Inks Don Martin (signed)
Letters typeset

4 page Readin' And Writhin' Dept. story "MAD Looks At Book Clubs"

Characters Millard Fillmore; Alfred E. Neuman
Synopsis Highly specialized book clubs.
Genre satire
Script Frank Jacobs
Pencils Bob Clarke
Inks Bob Clarke
Letters typeset

2 page Edifice Complex Dept. story "Functional Architecture"

Synopsis Buildings that look like the companies they house.
Genre humor
Script Dave Berg (signed)
Pencils Dave Berg (signed)
Inks Dave Berg (signed)
Letters typeset
Notes Appears to be first use of the name "Roger Kaputnik" by Dave Berg.

4 page Fun For The Road Dept. story "Half-Finished Billboards"

Characters Marilyn Monroe;
Synopsis Fun combining the messages on billboards into a single new message, when installing one message over another.
Genre humor
Script Frank Jacobs
Pencils Joe Orlando (signed)
Inks Joe Orlando (signed)
Letters typeset

1 page Hollywood Dept. story "Scenes We'd Like To See: The Cops Close In"

Synopsis The cops stage a shootout, but the criminal moved out of the building weeks ago.
Genre satire
Script Klaus Nordling
Pencils Mort Drucker
Inks Mort Drucker
Letters typeset
Notes Writer credit from "Totally MAD" CD collection.

3 page What's Buzzin' Cousin Dept. story "Family Magazines"

Characters Bing Crosby; Bob Crosby; Gary Crosby; Kathryn Grant Crosby; Bess Truman; Harry Truman; Dwight Eisenhower; Ricky Nelson; David Nelson; Ozzie Nelson; Harriet Nelson; Nelson Rockefeller; Liberace; Queen Elizabeth II; Prince Philip; Prince Charles; Edsel Ford
Synopsis Magazines that could be published by celebrity families, to inform other family members of what's going on in their lives.
Genre humor
Script Arnie Kogen
Pencils George Woodbridge (signed)
Inks George Woodbridge (signed)
Letters typeset

3 page Motorvational Research Dept. story "America's Dream Car"

Synopsis A list of consumer complaints about modern car design and a suggestion of a design that addresses them...the Model T.
Genre satire
Script Sy Reit
Pencils Bob Clarke
Inks Bob Clarke
Letters typeset

4 page Sid Caesar Dept. story "Shrunk World"

Characters Sid Caesar; Somerset Winterset; Professor Ludvig Von Rumblemacher; Progress Hornsby; Edward T. Morrow
Synopsis Three of Sid Caesar's characters are guests on a parody of the tv show "Small World."
Genre satire
Script Sid Caesar
Pencils Mort Drucker
Inks Mort Drucker
Letters typeset

1 page Don Martin Dept. story "The Sculptor In His Studio"

Synopsis A sculptor handles his lazy assistant in an unusual manner.
Genre humor
Script Don Martin (signed)
Pencils Don Martin (signed)
Inks Don Martin (signed)
Letters typeset

2 page Brave Of The Home Dept. story "MAD Medals For Everyday Heroes"

Characters Zelda Zitzlaff; Fenwick J. Finster; Arthur L. Mudge; Elihu Bunchwell; Freda Prawn; Fanny Strongthumber
Synopsis Medals that could be awarded for overcoming everyday problems.
Genre humor
Script Dave Berg
Pencils George Woodbridge (signed)
Inks George Woodbridge (signed)
Letters typeset

4 page Anything For A Buck Dept. text story "A Best Seller Hits The Commercial Trail"

Characters Brigette Bardot; Steve Canyon
Synopsis A rather prescient look at the future of merchandising for a successful novel, using "Doctor Zhivago" as an example.
Genre satire
Script Sy Reit
Pencils Wally Wood (signed)
Inks Wally Wood (signed)
Letters typeset

1 page Television Dept. story "TV Ads We'd Like To See"

Synopsis The day the Clawettes breath meter doesn't work; a parody of ad for Clorettes breath mints.
Genre satire
Pencils Joe Orlando
Inks Joe Orlando
Letters typeset

1 page Special Delivery Dept. text article "Lincoln's Gettysburg Address"

Characters Abraham Lincoln
Synopsis The original address compared to an updated, "Cool School" version.
Genre satire
Script Paul Laikin
Pencils Mort Drucker (signed)
Inks Mort Drucker (signed)
Letters typeset

2 page Two Weeks With Prey Dept. text article "MAD's Specialized Resorts Section"

Synopsis Resorts that cater to extreme niche markets.
Genre humor
Script Paul Laikin
Pencils Bob Clarke
Inks Bob Clarke
Letters typeset
Notes Writer credit from "Totally MAD" CD collection.

1 page Television Dept. story "TV Ads We'd Like To See"

Synopsis The day the Colgrate toothpaste invisible shield falls on the announcer. A parody of Colgate toothpaste ads.
Genre satire
Pencils Joe Orlando
Inks Joe Orlando
Letters typeset

5 page Big Build-Up Dept. story "Vic Tinny Gyms"

Characters Vic Tinny; Popeye
Synopsis Discusses the methods and success of the new style of commercial gym. Parody of Vic Tanny Gyms.
Genre satire
Script Al Jaffee
Pencils Wally Wood (signed)
Inks Wally Wood (signed)
Letters typeset

1 page Don Martin Dept. story "The 17th Floor"

Synopsis A man knocks a spider out of a window and watches it fall.
Genre humor
Script Don Martin (signed)
Pencils Don Martin (signed)
Inks Don Martin (signed)
Letters typeset

1 page MAD T-Shirts promo (ad from the publisher) You'll "Fight 'Em Off" In Your MAD T-Shirt

Characters Leonard Brenner; Alfred E. Neuman
Synopsis House ad for tee shirts.
Pencils Larry Maleman (photo); Wally Wood
Inks Larry Maleman (photo); Wally Wood
Letters typeset
Notes Leonard is the model with the t-shirt; named in letters column. Inside back cover.

Marginal Thinking Dept. filler "Capsule Movie Reviews"

Synopsis One sentence reviews of movies.
Genre humor
Letters typeset
Notes Appear in the margins of 30 pages of the issue.

1 page Four Posies Whiskey story "We're Taking The Pledge At The Four Posies Society"

Synopsis Parody of ad for Four Roses Whiskey.
Genre satire
Pencils Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Inks Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Colors Kelly Freas (painted, signed)
Letters typeset
Notes Back cover.