Alfred E. Neuman Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
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!"Along with his face, Mad also features a humorous quotation by him in every issue.
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, "What, me worry?" When Mad magazine was sued for copyright infringement, one defense it used was that it had copied the picture from materials dating back to 1911. 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.