

He was drawn by Norman Mingo, who painted the magazine’s covers for 20 years. In the 1975 interview with the Times, Kurtzman called the postcard a “bumpkin portrait,” adding that it was “part leering wiseacre, part happy-go-lucky kid.” The postcard was captioned “What, Me Worry?” That line, along with the drawing of the gap-toothed, red-haired boy, came to be the face of Mad Magazine.Īlfred E Neuman first appeared in Mad in December 1956, when he was featured on the magazine’s cover as a write-in candidate for president. Harvey Kurtzman, the founder of Mad Magazine, told the New York Times that he got the idea for Alfred E Neuman when he saw a postcard of a grinning boy back in the early 1950s. Here is Neuman, the cover boy of Mad Magazine: /13ucHniR1I Neuman cannot become president of the United States."

He Was Inspired by a Portrait of a ‘Bumpkin’ on a 1950s Postcard, & Came to be the Face of Mad Magazine Here’s what you need to know about Alfred E Neuman:ġ. It’s kind of funny I guess, but he’s also the president of the United States and I’m surprised he’s not spending more time trying to salvage this deal with China.” “I’ll be honest, I had to Google that, I guess it’s a generational thing,” Buttigieg said. But for others, he may be an unfamiliar, distant figure.Īsked about Trump’s comment, the 37-year-old Buttigieg said that he didn’t even know who Alfred E Neuman was. For some readers, Alfred E Neuman is an immediately recognizable cultural icon. Alfred E Neuman is the freckled, gap-toothed cartoon boy who’s been the face of Mad Magazine for decades. Neuman cannot become president of the United States,” he told Politico’s reporters. The president was dismissive of Buttigieg. On May 10, reporters at Politico asked President Trump what he thought of Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend and Democratic presidential hopeful. Democratic presidential hopeful had to look up mascot after President Trump dubbed Buttigieg "Alfred E.
