MAD Mumblings

[madcoversite]

Doug,
Mad did two visual gags "Thimk" and "Plan Ahead" represented on this sign in the 50s. I was hoping you could tell me what issue these gags appeared in.
Appreciated,
Andy


Andy,
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this was not a Mad invention. This has been associated with Mad because somebody put the Alfred E. Neuman image with the words (but I believe that somebody was not Mad). Now before I make too much of a fool of myself, I'll defer to other idiots at madmumblings.com to come up with a more definitive answer.
Doug

[DD]

For decades, IBM was known for posting motivational "THINK" signs in the workplace. In the mid-1950s, it became culturally popular to explore the growing (and worrisome) effects of corporate clout on "the American dream" (e.g. "The Organization Man" and "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit"). Around this time, the "THIMK" sign began appearing. It was a nose-thumbing office gag along the lines of "You don't have to be crazy to work here... but it helps!"

Although the "THIMK" gag appeared in MAD in "MOXIE" fashion, I'm almost certain that it didn't originate there. Instead, THIMK was one of those anonymous "Kilroy was here" things that became ubiquitous for a time. The quest to locate the original author is a little like trying to name the first person to type "LOL" on the internet.

I'm delighted to not have answered the guy's question.

[melvin_m_melvin]

I agree totally with DD, except that the first person to use Lol in text/email was probably Lol Creme of 10CC