Al Jaffe, the pioneering cartoonist for Mad magazine and inventor of the “fold” who worked in publishing for seven decades and retired when he was 99, has died at the age of 102.
His granddaughter said Jaffe died Monday in a Manhattan hospital from organ failure in multiple organs New York times.
Guinness World Record holder for longest cartooning career, Jaffe is best known for inventing many of Mad’s most famous hits, including Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions and the magazine’s iconic “fold-in,” the illustration featured on the inside back cover of each A case that, when folded, revealed a second hidden image. The fold was originally designed to mock centrals in magazines such as Playboy.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2016 at the age of 95, Jaffe said he believed sarcasm was becoming more difficult to counter than politicians who had no shame in lying. “I think they defeat Mad,” he said, “because they go as far as anything we can think of doing to show the buffoonish nature of their claims.” “It used to be that politicians would claim that they will have jobs for everyone in the country in two years or something like that; now they claim that they will have jobs for everyone on Mars.”
Born Abraham Jaffe in 1921 in Atlanta, Jaffe began working in comics shortly after graduating from high school. At just 20, he sold a spoof of Superman, titled The Underman, to comic heavyweight Will Eisner, and a year later began work on soon-to-be Marvel titan Stan Lee. He started out with the name Al during World War II, as a way to protect himself from antisemitism. During the war, he worked at the Pentagon, making pamphlets and posters for the war effort.
Jaffee joined Mad in 1955, three years after its release. Aside from the famous regulars he invented, he was also known for his anti-war cartoons Hawks and Doves, which he drew during the Vietnam War. His admirers included Charles M. Schulz of Peanuts fame, Far Side creator Gary Larson, and satirical comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who celebrated Jaffee’s 85th birthday by serving a cake-fold on The Colbert Report. When the authors of Stewart and The Daily Show wrote the bestselling America (The Book), they asked Jaffee to create a hardcover for it.
“When I was done, I called the producer who called me, and I said, ‘I’m done with the fold, where do I send it?'” And he said—and that was a great compliment—”Oh, please, Mr. Jaffe, can you hand it over in person?” “The whole crew wants to meet you,” Jaffe told the Boston Phoenix.
When he retired in 2020, at the age of 99, he was the magazine’s longest-running contributor. He was a freelancer all his life, never becoming an employee. Towards the end, he worked mainly on the folds, each of which took approximately two weeks of work.
“I’ve had two jobs my whole life,” Jaffe Tell The New York Times on his retirement. Someone had to earn a living. The second was for entertainment. I somewhat hope I succeeded.”
Jaffe is survived by his two sons, Richard and Deborah. two daughters, Tracy and Judy; In addition to five grandchildren, a great-granddaughter and three great-grandchildren.
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”