Main Index Page

Last updated 15/4/2025

x

This page attempts to record what is known about the inclusion of paperfolding in the American satirical magazine Mad. Please let me know if you find any errors or omissions in the information on this page. Thank you.

My thanks to Laura Rozenberg, David Shall and Michel Grand for identifying the original designers of some of the designs pictured on this page.

**********

1964 onwards

In issue 86, published in 1964, Mad featured an innovative inside back cover illustration by Al Jaffee which was designed so that the picture folded inwards in a zigzag fashion to reveal another picture, with a satirical connection between the two. These 'Fold-ins' became a regular feature of the magazine. According to Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Fold-in ) 'From its debut in 1964, the Fold-In has rarely been absent from Mad's pages. Since issue #86, six issues (#121, #190, #212, #219, #353 and #360) did not feature Fold-Ins'.

Both forms of the third such fold-in, published in issue 88 in July 1964, on the occasion of the Beatles finishing their tour of the USA, are shown below. This is the only diagonal fold-in ever to have been published in Mad.

The Wikipedia article contains much more interesting information on this subject.

**********

1967

Issues 110 of April 1967, 111 of June 1967, 112 of July 1967, 113 of Sept 1967, 114 of October 1967 and 115 of December 1967 of Mad Magazine included adverts for subscriptions to the magazine featuring origami designs folded from dollar bills. These designs were folded by, and in most cases probably also designed by, Giuseppi Baggi.

**********

1968

Issues 117 of March 1968, 118 of April 1968, 119 of June 1968, 120 of July 1968 and 122 of September 1968 of Mad Magazine included adverts for subscriptions to the magazine featuring origami designs folded from dollar bills. These designs were folded by, and in most cases probably also designed by, Giuseppi Baggi.

**********

1969

Issue 129 of September 1969 included a ' Mad Origami Zoo of Cliche Creatures', also folded, and many probably also designed by, Giuseppi Baggi, from media appropriate to the title of the design.

**********

1993

Origami was revisited in issue 318 of April 1993 where the pages of magazines were 'folded' into designs appropriate (or inappropriate) to their title. My thanks to Michel Grand for providing this information.

**********

1998

The mailing wrapper of issue 376 of December 1998 proclaimed that it was designed to be folded into a Whimsical Swan.

**********

2003

Issue 436 of December 2003 contained an article on Norigami - the Ancient Japanese Art of Paper Unfolding. My thanks to Michel Grand for providing this information.

**********