Mad For Monsters

The "monster kids" era of the famed Aurora model kits featuring the Universal Monsters. Introduced in 1962 with the Frankenstein Monster, these plastic model sets created a sensation so by 1964 the phfrightful phenomenon was satirized by Mad magazine—and can there be any other greater honor? Painted by prolific Mad cover artist Norman Mingo, this September 1964 cover for Issue 89 amusingly portrays the Monster who started it all as a monster kid deeply immersed in his hobby: assembling the truly "scary" figure of Mad mascot Alfred E. Neuman. For me, one of the best details is the Monster (remember, he's not Frankenstein—that's the name of his creator) wearing that strange, furry vest/jacket/overcoat/life-preserver that he first wears in Son of Frankenstein (1939). This monstrously mad Mad cover is part of the 2014 Countdown to Halloween blogathon. Stop by Tulgey Wood all through October for more Halloween madness.