Al Jaffee dies at 102; hall-of-fame Mad artist created the Fold-In

The Washington Post reported that Al Jaffee was a long-time cartoonist at Mad magazine, and the creator of the distinctive Back-page Fold In, has died. His age was 102.

Jaffee, well known for his self-portraits in his Mad cartoons, as well as recurring series like “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions,” was Mad’s longest-tenured contributor, appearing in the magazine from April 1964 to April 2013. A fan page that tracks such appearances shows only one issue published during this time without Jaffee contributing new or original work.

Jaffee, who had been actively involved for 22+ years before joining Mad, was awarded the Guinness World Records record for having the longest comic-artist career.

Jaffee was born March 13, 1921 in Savannah, Georgia, and after a series of moves to and from his parents’ native Lithuania, eventually settled in Queens, N.Y. After World War II, during which he worked for the War Department as an artist, he returned to New York to contribute to the humor books published by the predecessor of today’s Marvel Comics.

Jaffee’s initial, one-off contributions to Mad predated his 50-year run beginning in 1964. His best known work, the Fold-In, was an instant success after Jaffee came up with the first gag for that year’s April issue.

An unfolded Fold-In showing a man sitting in an easy chair, with a though balloon above him illustrating all kinds of terrible disasters and calamities — An example of a Mad Fold-In, published in 2011’s anthology “The Mad Fold-In Collection.” Art by, of course, Al Jaffee

A solved Fold-In revealing that Al Jaffee’s greatest fear is “That the Damn Thing Doesn’t Line Up,” meaning the art of the completed Fold-In — And voilá, here is the solution.

Fold-In, which is essentially a joke puzzle, allows readers to take the back of the magazine and fold it in threes. Then, connect the outer thirds and reveal a hidden punchline and illustration.

Jaffee, in several interviews, said the Fold-In began as a kind of satire of the high-quality, color photograph, “gatefold” fold-outs in magazines such as National Geographic and, of course, Playboy. The Fold-In was featured in many pop culture references over a period of 50 years, with a few exceptions like a guest appearance in the movie “Fold-In”. E.T. Extra-TerrestrialAs a visual hint for the upcoming event, Jeopardy! question.

Jaffee received a Reuben Award in 1972 from the National Cartoonists Society, specifically for Fold-In. In 1971, 1975 and 1979, he won Reubens for other categories. The NCS awarded him the Cartoonist of the Years Reuben in 2008. In 2013, he received the Will Eisner Hall of Familiarity Award.

Mad magazine ceased publishing original content in 2019, but came out of hiatus in October 2022 for a 70-year retrospective that included a tribute to Jaffee written by “Weird Al” Yankovic. Mad artist Johnny Sampson created a two-page Mad Fold In for this issue.

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