Not many people know this about Cracked, but long before we were a Webby-acknowledged comedy supersite, we used to be a magazine, and even further before that, a magazine people actually read. Back in those halcyon, paying-customer-having days, Cracked had a bit of a rivalry with a little outfit called MAD Magazine. At the time our two magazines had similar formats and targeted similar audiences (children of average intelligence and the underemployed.) A central crux of the rivalry was the allegations that one of the magazines was a shameless rip-off of the other, more successful brand. Whether those claims were true, or merely incredibly true, has been forgotten as the years passed and one of the magazines went under several times. And so in the modern day, the rivalry is all but non-existent.
Well no longer. Eat a dick MAD magazine. Eat it so hard.
Ho-ho! It looks like the shameless hackery is on the other foot! Now granted, the folks at MAD could claim “Well ok, but we never read your magazine. We couldn’t have, you didn’t actually sell any.” Which is true, but needlessly hurtful. I also want to make it clear that I’m not defending the integrity of that particular Cracked cover. That cover sucked. Do you have any idea how tired the world was of making fun of Tom Cruise in late 2006? I do. (They were real tired of it) But even though it was a crappy joke that no-one saw, it was ours and we need it. Seriously. We made 3 issues that run. Stop stealing what little heritage we have. If you’re looking for idea, go rip off TV Guide. They’ve got like a billion covers.
The interesting thing about this, is by cribbing one of Cracked’s jokes, MAD may have inadvertently acknowledged that they’ve switched historical positions with Cracked. Now Cracked’s the timely and relevant comedy outlet and MAD’s the pale imitator. Here’s five reasons why:
1) They don’t have enough lists. You know why we write lists? Because people are busy. They need reading material broken down for them, like a mother bird does for her ugly baby birds. But look at MAD magazine, with their complicated comics, often spreading over multiple panels. Who has time to digest all that? The mayor?
2) We have a better website Granted, we have a slight advantage, in that we are a website. Consequently, we have IT professionals (I think they’re Asian) whose sole job is to make our site look awesome. MAD has evidently not gone down that road. What media company doesn’t have content on their website? It’s 2008 guys. Remember when everyone was talking about “the information superhighway?” That was 15 fucking years ago. Man up and go find one of those places Asians hang out (they have their own supermarkets, try there) and say you need help building a website. You won’t regret it.
3) We’re more environmentally friendly. With a circulation of around 200,000 issues per month, MAD magazine destroys over 8000 trees a year, devastating countless wildlife habitats. Here at Cracked, by taking advantage of a paperless delivery system, for every article published we destroy no trees, and harm only a handful of animals.
4) We tackle tougher subjects. At Cracked we only write about the thorniest issues faced by today’s comedy-patron. But here’s MAD magazine picking on poor Circuit City. How dare they! That’s like making fun of an athlete at the Special Olympics. You leave Circuit City alone MAD Magazine! They are trying their best with the abilities God gave them.
5) We are in no way associated with MADtv. Technically speaking, MAD Magazine is themselves barely associated with MADtv. They have no shared content or editorial oversight. It’s a licensing deal, sort of like how for the past 20 years National Lampoon has sold their name to any production that featured prominently displayed breasts (re: National Lampoons Titty Daze.) Also, it’s important to note sketch comedy is a lot harder than it looks. The benchmark for sketch comedy, Saturday Night Live, is maybe funny one sketch out of five. And those guys aren’t idiots. I mean they are - but they’re professional idiots - the best money can buy. Even my favorite sketch shows are only funny maybe 50% of the time.
But even taking all that into account, MADtv is funny like colon cancer.
(An aside: what would CrackedTV look like? I’m thinking a fixed camera affair where a stern older gentleman sits in a large comfortable chair smoking a pipe. He looks directly into the camera, and reads Cracked.com articles verbatim. Projected onto a screen in the background are still images of Christian Bale relaxing about his house.)
How about you guys? Does anyone here still read MAD? Are they better or worse than I think?
Last 5 posts by Chris Bucholz
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December 28th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Cracked is better than that stupid MAD anyday.
December 12th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Oh, man, this brings back memories of making my parents buy the new issue of Cracked for me when I was a kid. …Man, did I ever get my ass handed to me for being such a loud little money leech.
November 12th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa…
whoa.
wait up a minute.
you mean Cracked really WAS once a magazine? i always though people were taking the piss when they mentioned it…
November 5th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Jesus - You know “aped” is actually a verb, right?
October 7th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
whn i looked up cracked on wikipedia this is what i saw:
Founded in 1958, Cracked proved to be the most durable imitator of the popular Mad Magazine. Cracked shamelessly aped Mad’s layouts and subject matter, and even featured a dumb, wide-jowled mascot named Sylvester P. Smythe on its covers (see Alfred E. Neuman). The Smythe character was Cracked’s “janitor.” An article on Cracked.com, the magazine’s official website, explains that the magazine was “created as a knock-off of MAD magazine just under 50 years ago,” and it “spent nearly half a century with a fan base primarily comprised of people who got to the store after MAD sold out.”
now i assume that whn it says cracked aped mads layout it meant raped but still aped brings funny things to mind
October 4th, 2008 at 9:58 am
A video of the CrackedTV idea *needs* to be made now.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:32 pm
well, in all fairness, MAD has never claimed to be a good magazine. They crack on themselves hardcore, and refer to their readers as stupid clods. nuff said?
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:26 am
You could be scanning old CRACKEDs right now.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
i made the mistake of subscribing to mad about 6 months ago, and i am sorry i did. it used to be funny, but now it just sucks. unlike cracked.com, which has honestly made me laugh more times in the month since i stumbled across the site, than mad has in 6 months of subscription issues.
August 18th, 2008 at 1:01 am
I wanna see scans of old Cracked magazines! A few are out there–I got a cbr for #5 from the ’50s! PLEASE, PLEASE scan some issues for me! I REALLY wanna read ‘em!–THANX
August 17th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Yeah, Cracked dominates MAD now, but that’s kind of sad because MAD was awesome 20+ years ago. Too bad they haven’t kept up with the times and have been more than lapped by Cracked.
-Matt
August 17th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Yes, that would be an excellent idea.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Yo! I just read how you lost the art from that anthrax scare! Any of you have private collections of CRACKED magazine at home? START SCANNING! Go to Freecomicbooks.org & they will show you how to make cbrs. Don’t let your magazine be lost to time! I wanna see all the issues–you should post them here for everyone to enjoy!–or start working on a DVD rom set. These are GOOD IDEAS! Please consider these–quit crying about that lost art & get off yr ass!
August 16th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Cracked with never be a good as Mad.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Don’t worry, Alfred E. Neuman.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
First!, oh crap.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Yeah, I was expecting a Nanny Dickering pic as well. I had my pants down around my ankles already and everything.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Lol sorry, guess I was dreaming about “CrackedTV” too much. I’ll work on a Nanny Dickering pin up now…
Seriously though, CrackedTV I would happily watch all day
August 12th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Dude, you don’t know so how bad I was wanting that link to be a picture of Nanny Dickering.
Pretty funny though.
August 12th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I want it to be real so much
[IMG]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d70/Jaufwa/TV.jpg[/IMG]
August 12th, 2008 at 7:49 am
You know, if Cracked started selling Nanny Dickering pin-ups, I’m sure your web traffic would suddenly skyrocket like so many teenage ejaculations.
August 11th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
“What made CRACKED great? –JOHN SEVERIN & BILL WARD!”
“Why don’t you people put up some artwork of Nanny Dickering. That would fucking rule cause she was fucking hot.”
Quote for absolute truth!
August 11th, 2008 at 10:00 am
If you still have the rights to the art– scan each issue for us! Have a free library of each issue in cbr form. If you don’t have the rights– scan each issue anyway–it’s public domain now, right?
August 11th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Hy, Charly. Hukt on fonix werkt fur mee to.
August 10th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Nanny Dickering was the hottest! Her hairdo still haunts my dreams.
August 10th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
When I wuz smart, I red MAD, but now I reed CRACKED.
– Charly
August 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
eh, sketch comedy has always sucked in my opinion. I have this wierd thing where I need things to sound like they came out of the mouth of someone who isn’t semi-retarded.
August 10th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Also, we need a list of why cracked.com is better than the onion/the onion a/v club. because, it is.
especially those fucking snotty hipster asscocks at the a/v club.
August 10th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Dude hey. Kids In the Hall is funny about 90% of the time. AND SNL is garbage. Complete ball-less nonsense.
And MadTV is worse than if 9/11, the holocaust, and the AIDS epidemic were all one single event. Imagine how awful that one event would be, MadTV, far, far worse.
It’s a good sign o’ the times. Like in the 90s, Comedy Central had no original programming (and were far, far, far better for it) (see also: Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush) and would show KITH at least twice a day.
After school, @ 2 and 2:30. That’s where I learned to laugh and also discovered the subtle joys of cross dressing.
But now, kids today (with their jeans and their hip hop) are growing up watching MadTV, learning absolutely nothing about comedy except that fat jokes and people puking things on each other will make retards howl with laughter.
As a comic, I’m kind of happy though, since I’ll have far less actual competition from this next generation.
As for Mad, I guess it’s kind of funny when you’re ten, but after that, I don’t know.
August 10th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Am I the only one who goes through the comments and skips everyone that isn’t glendoor, kingmonkey, or a writer?
August 9th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Hey Cracked.com boss people( Jack O’Brien ) Why don’t you people put up some artwork of Nanny Dickering. That would fucking rule cause she was fucking hot.
August 9th, 2008 at 11:18 am
That’s right–ignore my comments! The SUBGENIUS website is funnier & at a more advanced level than you guys. Maybe it’s hard to accept. Perhaps it’s time to go underground. Some of your magazines have been scanned into cbr format already. I seek out back issues at comic shops & flea markets. I guess I’m gonna get some back issues from that MAD Store guy.
Maybe you guys don’t have the rights to the old art anymore, or it would be too expensive to create a dvd rom set. Someone should scan more issues into cbr format. THAT will happen soon . Just like MP3s comics are being freely traded & shared over the internet. You can read cbrs on ipods & psps. Welcome to 2008!
August 9th, 2008 at 3:06 am
I like the Christian Bale relaxing in his house idea.
August 9th, 2008 at 1:27 am
I had a Cracked magazine subscription for 2 years when I was young, never for Mad. I was glad to find this place a while ago, and to remember the great times. PS…are you gonna have any Bill Ward comics online, or is that at least your inspiration to mention boobs so much? keep up the great work.
August 8th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
quote:
“While Cracked has definitely gotten better with the move to an online format, I have to say that MAD has always been my rag of choice. Cracked (the magazine) was a sad imitation of MAD, and you simply can’t compare it as a website to MAD as a magazine. Cracked shifted gears and became something entirely different in the transition to web.
Don’t get me wrong though - I find both of them funny and not funny at times. I always digg Cracked articles on Digg, because the ones that make it to the front page there are usually a riot. But sometimes I’d rather look at some nice illustrations, or read something that’s more satire than “this is fucking win and this is fucking fail,” and for that, I keep MAD at hand.”
How did this post ever make it through? It’s so reasonable that it could have imploded the whole thread!
August 8th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
You want to hang with the beautiful mutants? Go to the CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS website & take a look. They have friggin’ Pirate Radio broadcasts called “The Hour Of Slack”. They sell CDS & DVDs along with their merch. Maybe Sylvester should take the step Alfred can’t. Get right with BOB! Join forces & they will help you publish reprints of yr MAG. Hell do the DVD rom thing. The Subgenius will give you the edge you need. Then you really WILL be on top.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Why argue about which one is funnier? I enjoy both MAD & Cracked along with WEIRDO, SICK, TRUMP, CRAZY,HELP, Nat’l Lampoon, SPY etc. Just bought CRACKED #1 at WizardWorld Chicago, along with TRUMP #1. I even got a non-EC PANIC from the late ’50s. What made CRACKED great? –JOHN SEVERIN & BILL WARD!
Keep yer website it’s good. Why not publish EXACT REPLICAS of old CRACKEDs from the begining–that would be “CLASSIC”. MAD Classics are not. “MAD KIDS” sickens me. Collectors would buy these reprints if they were available. For reals. JS & BW is what i missed about the old CRACKED!
August 8th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
yeah I used to have a bunch of your illustrated magazines when I was younger. I’m still only 27 but I loved them and remember them fondly. Then again, you people could draw in those days. I guess I still like your publication even though there are no black and white pictures. Oooh Matlock is on, gotta go!
August 8th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
At least here at cracked we don’t have to deal with those annoying Spy vs. Spy cartoons… I hate those!!
August 8th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
While Cracked has definitely gotten better with the move to an online format, I have to say that MAD has always been my rag of choice. Cracked (the magazine) was a sad imitation of MAD, and you simply can’t compare it as a website to MAD as a magazine. Cracked shifted gears and became something entirely different in the transition to web.
Don’t get me wrong though - I find both of them funny and not funny at times. I always digg Cracked articles on Digg, because the ones that make it to the front page there are usually a riot. But sometimes I’d rather look at some nice illustrations, or read something that’s more satire than “this is fucking win and this is fucking fail,” and for that, I keep MAD at hand.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Personally, I like Cracked Magazine better. If I ever had a choice betweent he two, I always chose Cracked.
Cracked has better art style, I laughed more often, and THEY DON’T HAVE THAT STUPID LOOKING MASCOT!! Man I can’t stand MAD magazine’s mascot.
MADtv is utter garbage. It is tasteless, vulgar humor. I prefer to see the “News on Cracked” and other videos on this site than watch MADtv.
August 8th, 2008 at 9:33 am
[...] leyendo la versión online de la revista norteamericana Cracked (esa que históricamente ha sido la competencia de la popular revista Mad), me encontré con un divertidísimo, pero muy certero artículo sobre [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 7:16 am
I have in my hands the last verified funny issue of Mad magazine. Cover date, May 1989.
August 8th, 2008 at 7:12 am
I always liked Cracked better than Mad, mainly for John Severin.
‘Severin began drawing professionally at the age of ten, when he contributed cartoons to The Hobo News.’
August 8th, 2008 at 6:38 am
MAD has been mentioned on the Simpsons dozens of times, Cracked exactly once. Jealous much? MAD has the history also and is very collectable if you have early copies.
August 8th, 2008 at 6:20 am
When I was a youngin, I read both magazines, prefrences asside, I remember the main diffrence between publications was one had a goofy idiot on the cover, while the other had a disturbded clown. If I am right, and my senality is not fooling me, then it is obvious that a disturbded clown is far better then a goofy idiot, so where is the clown?
August 8th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Cracked is better due to the fact that I don’t have to see that red-head’s grinning, nightmarish visage every time I log on.
August 7th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
oh . . and the fact that a grinning Dennis Miller from SNL, especially during his newscasts. . . . . . looked amazingly like Alfred E. Neuman ! ! !
seeems to have escaped most everyone until i point it out,. . ..
August 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Mad magazine no longer even registers in my mind as somewhere to look for comedy that interests me. But I do like MADtv . . The Oprah parodys Whitney parodys. . . and Glamazon Huntresses and things like that more than make up for the usual failings that ALL the sketch comedy shows have with driving characters into the ground when they think that anything written for that character will succeed in a sketch, and letting a sketch go too long. SNL still has its moments but i guess that being a longer format show, and being live. .. make it a much harder production. So on a success rate basis it must still win.
August 7th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
@ GO ON ADIETufatbastard
Yea!!! someone older than me.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
SNL sucks. The absolute gold standard for sketch comedy is Kids in the Hall.
August 7th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I always liked Cracked better than Mad. But then, I purposely choose contrarian opinions in an effort to seem interesting and unusual. Please tell me it’s working.
August 7th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I~LL TELL U WHAT U YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS~I AM53 YRS OLD AND I READ MAD AND CRACKED WHEN THEY WERE BOTH AT THE TOP! WHY JUST THE OTHER DAY IWAS SAYING TO MY WIFE UKNOW WHAT I FEL LIKE EATIN?ANICE BIG SLICE OF APPLE PIE !HEY WHERE AM I?WHATS THIS COMPUTER THINGY DOING IN MY HANDS?HUH? WHAT? HELP!!!!!!!!!
August 7th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
CAUSE that alfred e newman looks like hedo turkalou (or however you spell it) for the orlando magic yell
http://www.myspace.com/panhandoelrcorp
August 7th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Dom’t you mean “another thing to rub in his face”, Spookette? lol
August 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
My father and I have always had opposing viewpoints on this matter - I’ve always been a Cracked fan, and he’s a diehard Mad fan. Now I have something to rub in his face! Thanks, guys!
August 7th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
When I was younger, I bought both magazines religiously. I enjoyed both equally, but I do have to say that Spy vs. Spy was my favorite (sorry). I miss the paper version!!! I would wait and wait each month for the new ones to come out. I have really enjoyed Cracked.com since discovering it through a link on mental floss.com. Keep up the good work!!
August 7th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I love Tim and Eric, one of the few sketch shows thats actually doing something new and innovative… unlike the tons of crap being spewed out these days
August 7th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I suppose the UK version of MAD/Cracked would be “Viz” magazine? Though now I come to think of it that’s more a piss take of comics rather than a comical magazine… Still fucking good though.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I am 40 now.
Back in the day, I am talking about 1978-1982 I read MAD, Cracked and Marvel’s poor-ass cousin Crazy. Which was better (between Cracked and MAD) was always a toss up to me. I really liked ‘O.O.’ Severin’s art work vs. MAD’s. It was cleaner and more realistic.
But MAD’s commentary was a little more biting.
Anyways, I am glad Cracked has survived to this day; whereas with MAD– they’ve gone so far downhill since their glory days that I would not be sad if they closed up.
MADtv was more affiliated with MAD in it’s first few seasons. they had those Spy vs. Spy cartoons, and Don-I-can’t-remember-his-last-name shorts.
August 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Cuz Pepsi’s a punk-ass bitch
August 7th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Who can tell me why Coke is better than Pepsi?
August 7th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I read Mad magazine religiously for years. Actually, I began with Cracked back when I was 8 or 9 as kind of a kid friendly version of Mad. I stopped my religious reading around the time Mad went to color and started including ads. I didn’t mind the adstoo much (though I missed my hidden image fold over thing on the back page), but that seems to be about the time that the magazine took a plunge.
I still enjoy the old school stuff like Spy vs Spy, the drawings in the margins and a few things here or there. I picked up someone else’s copy of a recent Mad magazine though and it was complete and utter crap. I say that as someone who was trying to enjoy the days of her youth and enjoy what I used to spend hours reading and rereading. I wanted so hard to be able to enjoy it now that I have my own income and can afford to spend a few bucks a month on a magazine. All I have left are my old magazines somewhere and some really old copy of my father’s old mad magazine published books with “best of” stuff in it.
Cracked has come a long way. After I outgrew the magazine and moved onto Mad, I didn’t really think that the content in your magazine was that great. I wasn’t even sure until a little while ago if Cracked.com was associated with Cracked magazine. You guys are much funnier these days and are definitely pushing ahead in the race.
-Jessica
August 7th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Cracked and Mad were just runner-up’s to the far superiour CRAZY magazine.
Long live OBNOXIO the CLOWN!
Cracked and Mad both somehow traveled into the future and got a copy of CRAZY and went back into time to start their own sub-par forgeries.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thousands of vintage MAD and CRACKED magazines for sale here! Who sucks worse? Buy a bunch of both and decide for yourself!
The MAD Store.Com
Your Online Humor Source since 2000!
August 7th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Kids in the Hall rules!
August 7th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Cracked is better because it has the ability to make me laugh every now and then….MAD does not…
August 7th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Cracked’s better because…well i don’t think they even sell mad magazine over here in the UK. Plus that goofy looking kid on the cover just freaks me the fuck out.
Gladstone’s got a face of an angel compared.
August 7th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Would anyone else consider the Carol Burnett show sketch comedy?With Harvey Korman and Tim Conway? That was funny shit. and I have to confess to liking “Reno 911″. Other than that, Cracked all the way!
August 7th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Oh God, I just went on the MAD Magazine website and discovered they have a kid’s version… A KID’S VERSION???!?!? AS IF THE MAGAZINE BEFORE HAND HASN’T BEEN UTTERLY JUVENILE SINCE THE 90s…
August 7th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Bucholz, I love you. I’m shitfaced right now and blah, blah, blah, but seriously…
when i read your MGS “review” I decided i hated you, but you’ve redeemed yourself.
great article.
August 7th, 2008 at 3:58 am
Well, on one hand, Mad Magazine has fold-ins. Fold-ins kick ass. Everybody likes fold-ins, and people who don’t, wished they did.
However, on the other hand, Cracked has links to other sites, which is cleverly used by the Staff to cover up crappy jokes. So, essentially, If I get tired of a Cracked article I can just leave. If I get tired of a Mad article, I can only expect that the rest of the issue will be just as crappy, and that I’ll have no way of telling the writers about how much I thought their comic or article sucked.
Cracked wins. Woo. Now go get me a Coke…
August 7th, 2008 at 2:50 am
Yeah, I kinda figured out that Cracked was a magazine once. Ah, the antiquities. Anyway, Wikipedia told me that.
Anyway, I actually collect MAD magazines from the 60’s and 70’s. (You can’t go wrong collecting something that’s 5 cents — usually — an issue.) Too bad they haven’t been good since. Maybe someday they’ll actually be good (read: bought out by Cracked and their heaps of acquired wealth).
August 7th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Sorry-kind of jumped on commenting before I actually read the post. I was distracted by thoughts of crack-smoking. I had subscriptions to both magazines through the late 80’s/early 90’s. MAD was defenitely superior(even though it kind of blew compared to when they first started-I have some older ones from yard sales). Also, MAD was thicker, so you got a much better cough when you smoked it.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:25 am
If you try rolling up a MAD and smoke it, you’ll cough your ass off and then nothing. Crack, on the other hand, gets you high as fuck with absolutely no side effects. I guess I’m confused as to why there’s even an argument. Seems like apples to oranges to me.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:20 am
YES, no one else noticed it…. watch the episode of family guy where peter goes blind, is that a cracked magazine i see?
August 7th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Why http://www.NeilsSexSuperStore.com is 20,000 times better than Cracked!
August 7th, 2008 at 2:09 am
A lot of the Al Jaffe stuff was funny as hell.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:08 am
I find myself pining for the simpler times, when MAD(TV) was still funny, M-O-O-N still assuredly spelled humor (laws, yes), and Mr. Pibb was still called Señor Brownwater
August 7th, 2008 at 2:02 am
I love you cracked…but I have to admit, I was hooked on MAD first. I grew up reading and re-reading the old OLD issues from my Dad’s library. The ones that sill looked like books sorta. Al Jaffee was gold in my 8-10-year old eyes.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:58 am
The number 1 reason should be (other that is free) you can read it in the office and you boss thinks you are working. Only don´t laugh too lhard or it will become somewhat suspicious.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:56 am
It’s funny, I used to work in a comic book store, and we actually had that Tom Cruise issue of Cracked in the store…for three years…we marked it down…it never sold…good job on the website, guys. It was definitely the way to go.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Hey! Yes, I thought you guys were based on that Cracked magazine I used to buy yonks ago. I recognized the font. When I came onto the site at first I thought you were emulating the style of magazine from back then. I actually enjoyed Cracked magazine a lot more than MAD. It was hard to come by though especially in my country. I was sad to see it go - for me it was the better alternative. But at least we got the site now…
August 7th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Does Mad have fucking pop-over ads that have no button to make them go away? NO. All they have is my fucking cat laying down on the magazine while I’m reading but that isn’t their fault.
STOP THE POP UP FUCKING ADS.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Cracked has my heart more than Mad ever had.
Except I bet if Mad had a forum their moderators wouldn’t be quite so bitchy…
August 6th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Did it occur to you that both Cracked and MAD were simply doing the 40-year old virgin poster with someone else’s head pasted in and nobody necessarily got the idea from anyone else?
Also, as a child I think I was Cracked’s only regular reader, and I actually preferred it to MAD. I know, I know. I ate a lot of paint chips.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Australia was blessed with an Australian edition of MAD magazine. Honestly, the jokes were the equivalent of, I don’t know, a common joke now like refering to IKEA’s allen keys or something lame like that.
I used to like the American edition though.
Only time I remember reading Cracked was borrowing it from a library. Libraries had a pretty massive collection of MAD and Tintin, with a dash of Cracked.
Excluding the name, it’s difficult to see any resemblence between the mag and the website. The website is certainly more “young adult” friendly, though.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I read Mad magazine in the 60’s and 70’s and it was funny back then, I don’t think I’ve read one since very late 70’s…Madtv was very funny the first 2 seasons, then it sucked.
Cracked.com beats them both out
August 6th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
MST3k is by far the funniest show and my favorite show ever. The range of parodies and jokes they do is mind boggling and you really have to know your stuff to catch even 60% of the jokes. I probably wouldn’t have made it through high school without it… not sane at least.
Real quick, did anyone here ever listen to the Phil Hendrie show on talk radio? That was some of the most bizarre and twisted humor that I have ever listened to and I loved ever second of it.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Cracked was being read by Jack O’Neill in an episode of Stargate SG-1.
…yeah, it fucking wins.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Christian Bale. right on, fuckers
August 6th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
One thing Mad has on Cracked is that My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way never read it as a kid. Cracked however, isn’t so lucky. You realize don’t you that you made him the person he is today. If it hadn’t been for you fuckers, there may not have been a My Chemical Romance. Thanks a lot, assholes.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I used to get MAD every month but I can’t even find it at any stores without going down town to Borders. Actually I don’t even think it’s sold there anymore. Oh well, I like to save trees, since I like to, you know, breathe!
August 6th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Anyone who thinks Cracked is/was funnier than MAD is beyond salvation. You can’t help them, you can only pity them. It might be time to give eugenics a second chance.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
SNL is the benchmark of sketch comedy? no way! it goes like this:
1) the kids in the hall
2) mr. show with bob and david
3) chappelle show, even in its brief 2-season run
4) OLD SNL (pre-joe piscapo)
5) new SNL (the will ferral days) i give it maybe 1/10 skits are funny!
August 6th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I grew up with MAD decades ago and it formed my psyche, my knowledge of the world and my personality. I thought CRACKED was crap. But today I go to CRACKED.com everyday and haven’t seen MAD or MADtv in years. So, you are right.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
i was wondering if you guys were ever going to address cracked’s beginnings and subsequent feud w/ mad. when i was a kid, my mom used to buy cracked for us instead of mad, and now she reads mad for some reason. i dunno, the magazines were kinda similar, but now that i’m an adult, i gotta say that cracked is wwwwwaaaaayyyyyy funnier!
mad is good for reading while pooping, and that’s about it.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
yeah fuck MAD
August 6th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I grew up reading both Cracked and Mad, and I always preferred Cracked because of the art…John Severin ruled!! (Although it was a major coup when Cracked stole Don Martin from Mad). I saved up my paper route money for a Cracked subscription, T-shirt, and a genuine Sylvester P. Smythe hat….no, I was not a cool kid at all.
The Cracked magazine reference that I remember (Yes I am that old) was from the greatest cop show of all time….Sledge Hammer, when there was a stack of them on a glass coffee table (of course the table was smashed when somebody was thrown on top of it).
August 6th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I dont think Cracked and Mad even compare like they used to.
Cracked’s humour has changed a great deal since back then.
I’m not a fan of Mad or oldschool Cracked magazine’s brand of humour - But I do rather like this site.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Don’t get me wrong: Cracked may be funnier than MAD, but it’s not like you guys are putting out material on the level of cakefarts.com
C’mon Cracked…time to man up!
August 6th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Cracked the mag kinda sucked, but then Mad kinda sucked too, back in the day. Shit I remember being funny sometimes wasn’t all that funny (as I’ve recently discovered after re-watching Hot Dog! The Movie and History of the World Part 1).
BTW, the same goes for some animated chicks I remember being hot, but aren’t (Wizards, Fire & Ice). The chicks in Heavy Metal are still pretty hot, though, as is Mido Miko.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Good Lord, I never knew Cracked was an actual publication, as a 3D object! And I always thought that the allusion to 1958 was something random. It’s not like I’ve been living in a bubble for the last 20 years - I’ve been living in Brasil, which is a lot better than a bubble even if not as safe.
I recall when I was a child there was always some boy that bought MAD. That’s when I was learning to read and write, mind you, and you didn’t really have to know how to read to get MAD, so we liked it. Nowdays I don’t think there’s any brazillian editor importing it - I ain’t seen it in ages. So, there you go, yet another reason why Cracked is better than MAD: It brings joy to people on 3th world countries.
J.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I have to admit that I liked the MadTV’s from the 90’s. Once Bobby Lee entered, the show ceased to be even the slightest bit funny.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
It’s also worth mentioning that I still have all my MAD Magazines from 1987 to 1994 subscription days. It forms a nice big stack. Alongside those I have another stack about half as high, of Cracked Magazines from 1987 to 1994 (I was never a subscriber). Years ago I got the “Totally MAD” CD-ROM which has every MAD Magazine issue published up to that point (which is all I’d ever want, really). Cracked should do something similar.
August 6th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
No, MAD Magazine has not been funny since around 1994. I used to love it. But then they introduced those comics with the kid with the zits and bad hair… got rid of some of my favorite artists… and then eventually, the advertisements stopped being parodies and actually became real advertisements. I actually had a MAD Magazine subscription non-stop from about 1987 to 1994. Now I don’t even glance at it at the supermarket.
August 6th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
The August 2008 Mad issue is Super Heroes…
August 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Um, that should be “I knew Laurie was British because…” Damn, I spaced the fuck outta that post before hitting submit.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Ahaha, this was hilarious!
August 6th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
J-Pappi, I knew Laurie was chick from Ealing that I used to date introduced me to Blackadder.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
When I was a kid my grandmother used to give me Cracked magazines for my birthday.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
meant to say hi, not high, freudian slip
August 6th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
@kingmonkey+1 Yeah thanks for for firing Gregory, he is a top notch man servant. We don’t know what we would do without him. He says high, no, not really.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
[i]“Is there any doubt that cracked.com is 10x funnier than anything associated with the Mad brand?”[/i]
Yeah! A hundred times funnier! What poor old MAD needs to revive its fortunes are numbered ass-rape jokes. And maybe eight articles per issue about bad action movie scenes.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I rather thought GGM was aimed at a middle class audience, as it took the piss out of the way the the BBC and others used to regard Asians as only good for being in the background of Eastenders or Corrie. Prepared to be proved wrong though.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I once bought an issue of MAD, opened it read it, and went “Huh”. At cracked.com I have literally wet myself reading articles. I stay up extremely late just to post a craption (What time do they put up new ones? I usually fall asleep at the moniter before I get a chance.)
August 6th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Goodness Gracious Me I mean was aimed at an Asian audience, Little Miss Jocelyne was aimed at a functionally retarded audience.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I liked that, even though it was aimed at an Asian audience. I’m also partial to a rather obscure one called simply The Sketch Show, which featured Lee Mack, Ronni Ancona and Karen Taylor.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
And for all you guys who think SNL/MADtv is bad - Check out “Little Miss Jocelyne”. In fact just Google “Little Miss Jocelyne is shit” and save yourself the heart-burn.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Goodness Gracious Me is also mentionable.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Oh, come now glendoor42, you should know better than that. Why would I hang out waiting for a magazine when I’m illiterate?
I fired Gregory, and now I’ve got this hobo who has excellent typing skills, but an unfortunate tendency to steal canned food from my pantry, and stab local pets. He can read, but I don’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth (Ever since he tried to convince me that kidnapping hobos is against the law.)
August 6th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Cracked.com is great, and I love reading it when I’m bored and have nothing better to do, but honestly, I still love MAD magazine.
@Hyde d. Montage: sorry, your blog is a complete disaster. I’d delete it ASAP if I were you. Not to mention your moniker…why the hell would you want to be associated with one of the most airheaded idiots out there? Why be like Perez Hilton? It’s just sad.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Cracked rules and MAD sucks. Simple as that.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Smack the Pony irritated me, I guess most of the sketches were aimed at women, but still.
Not the Nine O’clock News anyone?
August 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Though you’re right about Fry and Laurie and Smack the Pony.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
“Wallsy” - Armstrong and Miller is shite. Pure, unadulterated, undisputable shite. For anyone whose interested - JD341’s top 5 sketch shows:
1. Monty Python
2. Spitting Image
3. I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue
4. MST3K
5. Bremner, Bird And Fortune.
Cracked rules.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Ochoroacho: Nah, I find Tim and Eric Funny. Not as funny as incredibly uncomfortable and awkward to watch, but funny nonetheless.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
“The benchmark for sketch comedy, Saturday Night Live”
Monty Python. They were also hit or miss, but their sketches were much more interesting and complicated.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I don’t think MAD would consider that a problem.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
“I wonder if some jackass sits outside the publishers of MAD and waits for the issues to be printed. he then sees the trucks go out and chases the one that he knows has the shortest route to travel. There, he quietly waits while the store owner opens the bundle and puts the magazine on display. Without a moment to lose, he snatches the magazine from the store owner’s hand, knocking him down on the way to the cashier. He buys the magazine, flips open to the cover article, reads it and then yells “FIRST!”
Do you think MAD has that problem?”
Yes now we know what kingmonkey+1 does with his Saturdays.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
My dad used to read MAD and had nearly half of all MAD magazines in a box in the attic. When I was a kid I found them and read all of them. The dry sarcasm and excellent drawings were awesome. The read the comical slant of view of the sub/counter culture revolution in the 60’s and through the 70’s was powerful.
Sometimes I would come across an old Cracked mag and it would make my kid brother cry, just from how awful it was (did I mentioned I punched him from bad comedy anger?).
When MAD tv came out I was still a kid and remember being so excited for the first show. God it sucked so hard. It was the beginning of the end. A few years later I cancelled my subscription.
When Gains died MAD died with him. Now they’re a bunch of sellouts and worst of all they have shitloads of annoying ads. MAD used to have awesome ad parodies. Gaines fought near bankruptcy to keep out ads. I only buy MAD now if I like the cover art.
I used to hate cracked now it is the best comedy site going.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
omg. I totally never made the reference. I used to read both MAD and Cracked in the back of my parents conversion van on family vacations. It was the only reading that didn’t give me motion sickness. Thanks!
August 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Do they still have Sergio Aragones?
If yes, you´re still owned, Cracked.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Yeah Mad has really lost their touch. Loved it when I was younger, but the newer issues are… ugh.
Say aye if you wish the Cracked writers worked for Mad on the side. Why? Well, because the Cracked writers are much better than the new writers Mad is hiring to replace the Usual Gang of Idiots after their untimely demise, they could give it the new direction they’ve been looking for and take it into the 21st Century and they’re free to do stuff for Mad since Mad and Cracked aren’t competing anymore. Come on everybody, whose with me? If enough of us say so it’ll come true!
…
Yes, I’m aware it probably won’t work, but at least I tried. Mor than I can say for the lot of you.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
@kingmonkey+1 ‘I just choked on my sandwich with laughter after reading that comment. Thanks
August 6th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
–ergoat Says:
August 6th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Mad: They make fun of Spiro Agnew more.–
He must work for em or something
August 6th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
You guys are killing MAD. They are outdated, you’re the new IN . . . There TV show sucks balls nowadays too.
http://www.digitalfuntown.com/homepage.php
August 6th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I have no problem comparing a website to a magazine. There’s really only one question: which is funnier. Is there any doubt that cracked.com is 10x funnier than anything associated with the Mad brand?
August 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Kudos to whoever brought up “A Bit of Fry and Laurie.” I have yet to meet a person in America who believes me that Dr. House is actually British.
Res_Ipsa, it’s ok, bro. Anti-Semites need love too. You’re still my boy. Do they let you wear the red suspenders in court?
Mad TV is marginally funny, but not worth watching because there are literally more commercials than content. It’s not funny enough to go through two double-length commercial breaks in the middle of AND in-between each 5 minute skit. Fuck that.
As for the magazines, read both Cracked and Mad in the 80’s, liked them both and haven’t read either since.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Well, I’m convinced. I’m gonna cancel my subscription to MAD and burn my massive MAD collection. Then maybe sacrifice a 44-Year-Old virgin over the fire to show how serious I am.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
The MAD joke is actually funnier though, even for appearing later. After all, you can’t steal someone’s thunder if no one hears you do it. Obama is a much better target than Cruise anyway, and they managed to get that gleaming hopeful look in his face that completes the joke. Point awarded to MAD.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Thanks to this article, I suffered such an attack of KITH nostalgia that I just went out and bought the “mega-complete” KITH box set. Way to stimulate the economy, guys!
August 6th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Mad: They make fun of Spiro Agnew more.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Yeah MAD… Cracked is all UP IN YOUR FACE! That’s right.. up in your grill! Honestly, MAD mag bit the dust probably 10 years ago. I remember giggling at some of the stuff in the late 70’s-early 80’s, and some of the artwork was really spot on. MADtv was slightly funny the first couple of seasons.. the one thing that sticks out in my mind is the claymation COPS skit where they pull over Santa.. pretty funny. But I do check out Cracked.com every day, because some of the lists are really over-the-top funny and have me laughing throughout the day. Never even realized that MAD had a website until today, and I am really not too impressed. Keep up the lists and continue to poke Gladstone with a cattle prod, and I think cracked.com will be funny for quite some time.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Obviously the above list of reasons wasn’t just written tongue-in-cheek, it’s tongue-lips-and-gums-in-cheek.
But MAD vs. Cracked? Is anyone hallucinating here? That’s like the “rivalry” between the hammer and the nail.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Wallsy, I’d like to add That Mitchell and Webb Look to your list. Most Britcom sketch shows tend to be top drawer. Though some stoop to Lowest Common Denominator level, most are funny without trying too hard to be. Which is what usually places them in my list of favorites when I stumble upon a new one.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I like this site a lot. But MAD is still better.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:56 am
pompous assholes
August 6th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I just picture captaingoatboy as that guy everyone knows who makes really lame, and innapropriate (in all the non-funny ways) jokes that everyone who knows him (doesn’t especially like him) just sort of half smiles and tries to put up with. By even acknowledging his bad humor is probably inviting another…. sadly….
August 6th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Why the Hell is one of my comments awaiting moderation?! I can make stupid-ass comments about dead hookers and that’s completely fine, but that comment needs moderation? Weird.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:48 am
# captaingoatboy Says:
August 6th, 2008 at 11:23 am
oh and ps, i just wanted to say that i do enjoy cracked a lot, but i’ve found chunks of cheese on my cock that are funnier than cracked tv.
hahahahaha
# Panzer-Stier Ross Says:
August 6th, 2008 at 11:35 am
which doesn’t exist.
Maybe that’s why it’s supposed to be funny? “He thinks he has a cock? *snicker* Ha!” *shrug*
August 6th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Kaitlyn–We should start a website exclusively devoted to pointless partisan arguments! Some ground rules–
1) The argument must neither be about nor devolve into actual, serious arguments. E.g., religion; politics; whether or not we can trust D.O’B.’s assertion about his abs without proof; whether or not Gladstone is really a 55-year-old man who just ages really well; &c. (Unless, say, it was about whether Benjamin Franklin being a pimp is completely awesome, or completely gross.)
2) Ad hominem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem) attacks are not allowed unless: a) they are good-natured, made in good faith, and the recipient knows this, and b) they are humorous–or at least not completely idiotic.
3) Godwin’s Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin’s_law) is in effect.
4) Grammar, spelling and capitalization will not be rigidly enforced; however, blatant and inexcusable violations will result in comment deletion. E.g., OVERUSE OF CAPS LOCK; u use the lazy and stupid “u” and “ur” in ur comments; you spell “what” as “wat,” “the” as “tha,” “to/too” as “2,” “this” as “dis,” “look” as “luk,” “as” as “az,” &c.; you consistently show that you don’t know how to use “your/you’re,” “their/there/they’re,” “its/it’s.”
5) Being a general douchebag is not tolerated. Getting angry over arguments is not tolerated. (The whole point is to viciously fight over something stupid whilst realizing it doesn’t matter one bit.)
Yeah. I know there are endless amounts of forums out there, but one devoted exclusively to sparring over pointless crap in the name of fun, not seriousness would be pretty cool. I wonder how long it would last. It’d be cool to try.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:35 am
which doesn’t exist.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:23 am
oh and ps, i just wanted to say that i do enjoy cracked a lot, but i’ve found chunks of cheese on my cock that are funnier than cracked tv.
hahahahaha
August 6th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I work for MAD TV and this article is informative.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Well I own all of the unfortunately few issues of the resurrected Cracked Magazine. I bought the first one on a whim the day it arrived at my local magazine stand and thought it was so friggin’ hilarious that they still all sit in a place of honour on the back of my toilet.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Man, I always bought Cracked magazine over MAD, anyway. Better art, funnier (to my middle-school brain) parodies and–I find now–a distinct lack of the long conga line of bullshit MAD has become by pandering lower and lower every year of publication.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:15 am
cracked saying how badly MAD sucks is kind of like the the Monkees ripping on the Beatles for being shit nowadays. i mean, seriously. for a site that researches their stuff so well i’m sure you’ll be aware cracked started off as nothing more than a cheap knock off of MAD magazine. The publication version of a DTV knock off, as in snakes on a train.
anyway, here’s my top 5 reasons for reading cracked.
1. i’m bored
2. i enjoy reading about how much of a scam scientology is.
3. i like looking at the snorgtees girls and imagine me being their boyfriend and rubbing my balls on their tits.
4. i can;t go to the office bathroom to masturbate again without someone asking questions.
5. there’s only so many hours i can waste looking at imdb.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:43 am
MAD Magazine is still around? I thought it was just a punch-line on The Simpsons.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Actually I did sometimes kind of wonder about the MadTV connection…
HE LOOKA LIKE-A MAN!!!!!
August 6th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Namorgasm - I agree!
If only I knew other MAD fans. The first one to get their issue could shout first and do a little dance while us losers roll our eyes and decry the practice, secretly wishing that was us.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Res_Ipsa said, “It’s just sometimes plain old fun to engage in faux-partisan bickering over useless shit.”
Damn straight! Great way to relieve stress and keep anger out of every day interactions.
Though I’ve been away from the message board scene too long, because these comments make me feel like shit for liking MAD past middle school.
Or I just need more sleep.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:18 am
# Chris Says:
August 6th, 2008 at 2:13 am
In all seriousness, Cracked is now my favourite site - which makes in not onlly better than MAD but better than The Onion.
The Onion used to be my favorite site to go to. Now it’s just . . . repetitive and boring. Sad. Will Cracked.com become this way?! Laws, no!
August 6th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Oh my fucking god XD King Monkey’s comment was like funnier than this whole entry. Not that the entry was bad, but…
August 6th, 2008 at 10:14 am
TL: I think the comments have to do with the people not thinking MADTV is funny. I don’t think it’s funny either. But if other people do enjoy it, that’s fine by me. It’s just sometimes plain old fun to engage in faux-partisan bickering over useless shit.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Hyde D Montage - Sadly, no.
Imagine looking for MAD in a title and just seeing a mad libs book. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the mad libs besides just confusing this little teenage mad fan.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:03 am
oh jeez, having grown up on mad magazine it is incredibly hard for me to degrade it, even MADtv, though i do have to admit it isn’t funny. the thing is Mad defecates on Cracked from up on high when comparing them as magazines but the thing is Mad IS a magazine. ‘Mad Magazine’. You cant compare the websites. Yes mad mag does fail miserably today, and i would never really buy a copy these days, mainly because i have cracked.com which is not only superior to mad’s website or current magazines, but superior to almost any other magazine or website, its just darn tootin’ funny. so i am not sure if you can even compare them at all anymore. sure they where similar back in the day when mad ruled and cracked ripped it off completely (there i said it!) you could, but now cracked has evolved and become its own thing and found it own awesome place in the world. mad may be dying/dead, but it created what cracked is doing, and basically created cracked itself. they are no longer rivals, more like father (mad) and son (cracked), similar, yet different but both fucking awesome in their day.
oh, and Craig T Nelson was the guy who voiced Mr Incredible
superhombre awaaaay amigos
August 6th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Another plus for Cracked - the online format allows for discussion and instant fan reviews.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I wonder if MAD has anything to do with Madlibs, those thigs _______ when we were _____. I wish my parents would have ______ more often. Please check out my new blog entries on http://www.onblastatlast.com, we’ve got playboy mansion party pics, a drunk Drik Nowitzki in the offseason and enough douche bags to fill a summer’s eve factory.
Hyde D Montage
August 6th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Bucholz, you’re just… not… fucking… funny. Stop fucking trying. You’re like that George Lopez-shaped sore on the underside of my cock- you don’t belong there and you’re annoying as hell, even if you’re relatively easy to ignore when I’m jacking off into someone’s coffee.
Just fucking go away. Don’t make me get the antibiotics again. Useless, no-talent bastard.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:58 am
J-Pappi–pogroms can be instituted against anybody . . . . I think. Let me check the dictionary.
From Merriam-Webster Online: “[A]n organized massacre of helpless people; specifically : such a massacre of Jews.”
Okay, to make this clear: I meant the first, non-specific meaning–not the second meaning, i.e., I did not mean any Antisemitism.
From Wikipedia: “A pogrom is a form of riot directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious, or other, and characterized by destruction of their homes, businesses, and religious centres.”
I meant it in that way. If not for the Jews, we wouldn’t have one of the funniest movies (and plays/musicals, I would bet) of all time–The Producers. Which made me laugh throughout the entire movie.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Something better about Cracked - if I’m not interested in an article/list (video games, most of the time), I only have to wait a day for a new one. And it’s free.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I love MAD, but it’s not the pope of humor. It’s imperfect and fallible.
It also used to be openly sexist. Though never really racist.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:51 am
fender - if they want to compare themselves to MAD, they need to start a Webcomic.
Or just scan and add the old Don Martin cartoons that he did for Cracked.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:48 am
But Mad has Spy vs. Spy! And Alfred E. Newman! Comedy just doesn’t get any better than Alfred E. Newman. He’s just so retarded! Plus, in some Mad magazines, you could get a little square plastic record to play on your hi-fi, like “It’s a Gas” or “Makin’ Out”. That’s gotta still count for something. Maybe you should give out some mp3s if you’re so effin funny.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I think MAD needs more ads for dating sites on the letters page. And instead of shouting First, the first letter printed could just say “FIRST!!!!”
August 6th, 2008 at 9:42 am
GeeMo - did teachers ever give you flack for bringing it to school? Mine never did, but the letters seem to say otherwise.
Butchering an already butchered flea market copy of Completely MAD gave me some great old school MAD artwork for anything bare - like my history folder and notebook. That actually impressed my History teacher, for getting the old political jokes.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Nice discussion! Older woman seduces younger man. Sound familiar? It’s a scene from —Cougarlove.com—where people can meet like-minded local younger/older friends or partners. Actress Demi Moore is 15 years older than her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher. But high-profile Hollywood couples like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins (12 years her junior)– who met and began dating on —Cougarlove.com—while filming an on-screen romance in the 1988 movie “Bull Durham” — have proven that life can indeed imitate art when it comes to matters of the heart.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I had a subscription way back when. I think I enjoyed the little sketches on the borders of the pages a little too much. I remember trying to justify the “reading material” to my parents by noting that the “Blockbuster” issues were a free bonus! That’s just money in your pocket!
August 6th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Current and former MAD fans - check out Dick Debartolo’s book “Good Days and MAD.” It is hilarious, and it came out within a year of Bill Gaines’ death.
Does anyone remember the animated Don Martin shorts on MADTv back before recurring characters took over?
August 6th, 2008 at 9:31 am
The blog post doesn’t bother me because it reminds me of a MAD article. Making fun without being too mean.
Current MAD reasons - did you hate that monkey issue as much as I did? I was glad to (finally!) see a Monk parody, but damn, not in that issue.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:23 am
M-O-O-N, that spells MAD, laws, yes.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Let me clarify this sentence - “I think MAD tops you guys even now, if only for the quality of the art.”
I do not mean the art of being funny, I meant the art. (Though the weekly photoshop contest is pretty cool.)
But you shouldn’t be compared to each other any more, as you’re no longer competing on the newsstand. Yes, you’re competing on the grand scale, with many other humorous websites and publications, but there is no longer any direct competition.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I love the Mr. Show sketch when he becomes the Buddhist monk and helps the monastery win the bike race against the fat camp by luring the kid into the bushes with candy and cutting his throat.
Mr. Show and KITH were two of the best sketch comedy shows ever. But does anybody remember The State? That shit was hilarious. Could’ve also been because I was like 13 or 14 when that was on and any guy yelling about dipping his balls in things was hilarious.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:01 am
glendoor - I do like Cracked. I wouldn’t come here every day if I didn’t!
It’s just… this is a website, that’s a magazine. Not in competition anymore.
I also felt the need to defend why I like MAD, for some reason.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:59 am
You can like Cracked and MAD at the same time.
herb - your idea is a bit mean. MAD fans aren’t doing anything to you, or to cracked.
Also, MAD magazine insults itself on a regular basis, so I’m sure a fan will link to this sooner or later.
Another plus for MAD - I took some of the books with me when I had to stay in the psych ward. Can’t do that with a website!
August 6th, 2008 at 8:58 am
I’ve never really understood the MadTV hate. Is is the funniest thing that ever was? No. It’s entertaining though. Now, I’ve never seen the older ones, so maybe that has something to do with it.
I can see Cracked ripping on them, being the competition and all. I’m talking about the comments.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Tim and Eric is the best sketch comedy going right now, Mr. Show was.
Anyone who says different should go read Mad magazine with Uncle Joey, that comedy may be more your speed.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Well, kaitlyn, that’s great and all but could you tell us exactly you feel, don’t hold back.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:57 am
My dad actually came home with an issue of MAD magazine the other day. He was so excited about it and really hoped that I would come to enjoy it as much as he did, apparently. Which is funny, because my dad gets so mad at people who misinterpret things to make it more entertaining - especially when radio announcers do such things.
I’m really quite confused about the whole thing.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I have a couple of issues of MAD magazine my dad bought about 40 years ago. They’re pretty funny. I have a couple my brother bought about 10 years ago. It’s the same jokes, but told badly and devoid of the context that made them funny the first time.
When people think of things that used to be funny but should have died a long time ago, The Simpsons usually tops the list and Garfield often gets a mention, but I think MAD really deserves the number one spot.
Oh, and though I’ve never seen any of the shows you people are talking about (aside from Monty Python, obviously), I already know that none of them is the best sketch comedy program ever, because that title belongs to The Sketch Show (the original English version, first season — I didn’t like Kitty Flannigan in it).
Also good are (in no particular order) Armstrong and Miller, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, The Micallef Pogram, Full Frontal, You Can’t Do That on Television, Big Train, Dead Ringers and Smack the Pony.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I’ve been a MAD reader since August 2001. I liked the old Cracked magazine style and hated the new version, especially when it went blooey and I got some stupid comic book for the rest of my subscription.
I ended up donating all 2 or 3 Cracked magazines that came. They weren’t worth keeping around.
I do like the website - it updates more often, doesn’t have to be clean, and it’s free.
I still love MAD, though the website does suck.
MADtv was funnier in the first season, when they had animated Spy vs Spy.
You could say I never knew MAD in its heyday (whenever you were a kid) except thanks to antique/junk stores and an online friends, I have tons of issues from the last 50 years, along with many of the old books. I have a subscription to the classic version, but I won’t renew it.
I still have some Crackeds from the ’90s and ’80s, and they’re nowhere near as good as MAD. Except for Don Martin’s pieces. He was amazing.
I think MAD tops you guys even now, if only for the quality of the art.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:43 am
You linked my article! Does this mean I have to perform unspeakable acts upon you now, or are we cool?
August 6th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Chris, agreed. I didin’t mention because it’s like if someone asks you who the greatest rock band is you don’t even say the Beatles anymore. It’s like understood.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Monty Python’s Flying Circus belongs on the list of great sketch shows.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:13 am
In all seriousness, Cracked is now my favourite site - which makes in not onlly better than MAD but better than The Onion.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:01 am
“Eat a dick MAD magazine. Eat it so hard.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
August 6th, 2008 at 1:59 am
how exactyl is Cracked.com related to the old magazine anyway? Did Jack O’Brien purchase the naming rights from some old guy for half a club sandwich and a pennywhistle?
August 6th, 2008 at 1:28 am
# DP13 Says:
August 5th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Guest_Name… I guess nobody told you. Caps lock is like cruise control for cool.
Even with cruise control, you still have to steer.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:12 am
I only know who Lil’ Wayne is ’cause I live in Atlanta. I greatly prefer Slayer. Res_Ipsa, you are aware that pogroms involve the ostracizing/killing of Jews and thus by supporting them you’re alienating 95% of all comedy writers on the planet (including every Cracked blogger but O’Brien and Swaim, and they may have changed their names)?
I read Mad and Cracked both in the 80’s; Cracked has aged considerably better.
KITH, UCB and MST3K are all funny to me. SNL and Mad tv are hit or miss and mostly miss.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I’m Chinese, I know Binary and HTTP, does that mean I’m hired?
August 5th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I remember picking up a MAD magazine once, when I was younger, and thinking “Man this shit is stupid.” I was 8 at the time (and no that isn’t an exaggeration.)
August 5th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Personally, I even liked CRAZY more than Cracked. The last issue before they tanked –before my co-bloggers were born- was excellent.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
“central crux of the rivalry was the allegations that one of the magazines was a shameless rip-off of the other, more successful brand.” Amen to that. When I was a kid, I used to only read Cracked when I was bored with Mad. Your jokes sucked. But now the online Cracked is funny whereas Mad still writes for ten-year-olds.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
how many times has cracked magazine tanked? the end of MAD is a happy day for all of us geeky cracked readers
August 5th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
invade the message boards on the mad website..link this article and enlighten those fools
August 5th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
and who cares about Lil Waynes official albums? His strentgh has always been in the mind blowing number of mixtapes he puts out that are pound for pound better than any major releases in mainstream hip hop, besides maybe Kanye
August 5th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I still laugh thinking about my favourite MST3K movie riff.
It was during Zombie Nightmare, that piece of shit Adam West vehicle with the heavy metal soundtrack. When the muscley guy with the perm stops the robbers at the faux-Italian guy’s store. Crow yells “and one and two and JAZZ HANDS!”
That or the “GET YOUR TICKETS HERE, GET YOUR TICKETS HERE” monkey robot that caused Crow to back away from the screen.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
in all honesty, MAD magazine really does blow…i thought it was the funniest thing in the world when i was 13, but currently their writers dont seem to have evolved beyond the treacherous “pun” stage of comedy
August 5th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
DOB watched the movie of the Stand–Dauber played that part.
My thing with KITH is that it was 50% hilarious and 50% revolting. “Sausages! SAAAAUUUSSAGES!”
One of my favorite sketches was from the very first episode–”I’m sorry I caused all that cancer.”
August 5th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I WOULD SO WATCH THAT SHOW.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
MST 3k
Mr Show
Tim and Eric
KITH
All very funny.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I guess if anyone would know who Little Wayne was, it would be the Archbishop of Hip Hop, Dan O’Brien.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
@MBS
Lil’ Wayne is probably one of the biggest rappers alive right now. Certainly not the best of all time, not even the best right now, but certainly one of the best mainstream rappers right now. He’s known for not writing anything down, recording and leaking music rapidly, his loose, stream-of-consciousness style, his distinct raspy voice, his total batshit insanity, and his well-documented addiction to cough syrup.
It’ll be years before his next formal album comes out, but mark my words: It’ll be fucking huge.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
But… But David Cross was To