Mad #168 (Albert Feldstein) - Conservation Issue - July 1974

Above all else, Mad editors are good citizens of the earth.  They always lead the charge against political corruption, racial prejudice and unhealthy habits such as cigarette smoking.  In this issue, Mad devotes non-toxic ink and biodegradable paper to energy conservation and recycling.  Norman Mingo's cover warns against the hypocrisy of neon ad campaigns.  Dave Berg looks at "The Lighter Side of the Energy Crisis."  And, that brilliant, inventive mind of Al Jaffee offers 40 ways to recycle common household items with "A Mad Look Guide to Re-Cycling Garbage".  If you need winter clothes for your pet chicken, Jaffee has a solution for you.

Artist Bruce Day made the first of two Mad appearances with his drawings of Larry Siegel's "A Look Behind the Scenes at a TV Network."  Mr. Day is a professional illustrator who has done work for CBS, The Los Angeles Times, Simon & Schuster, and many other commercial accounts.  He grew up in Southern California but currently lives in Meridian, Idaho.  His style is distinctive but apparently not mad enough for Mad.

The issue also presented the first "Alfred's Poor Almanac" by Frank Jacobs.  The almanac will run for several years as Jacobs stretched his brain for pun-quality, almanac-type jokes.  In this first installment (May 17 to June 26, 1974) of the six-week Mad publication cycle, he spins out gems such as "June 7 - Whistler finishes portrait of his father, originates Pop Art, 1888." 

Look for Lucy Van Pelt in "The Way We Bore" and "Billy Jock".

Dave Berg pays tribute to his boss and editors with four-corner gas stations: "Nicks" (Meglin), "Al's" (Feldstein), "Jerry's" (DeFuccio) and "Bill" (Gaines) on page 24.

Reader Neil Wahlert notes that Art Director John Putnam is "Uncle Sam" on the back cover.

Departments:
A Left Jabber And a Right Uppercrust - The Way We Bore
Don Martin - One Evening at a Cocktail Party; At the Professional Glass-Eaters Banquet; One Day on a Tennis Court
Wedding Belts - A Mad Look at Marriage ... Before and After
Strike Up the Bland - Singable Theme Songs for TV Shows
Shift of Gab - Parental Non-Sequiturs
Subject to Change - Magazine Articles ... Then ... and Now
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side of the Energy Crisis
Altering the Waste - A Mad Guide to Re-Cycling Garbage
Inside-Ouch - Behind the Scenes at a TV Network
Then And Oww! - Remember When
Poor Alfred's Almanac - May 16th to June 20th, 1974
Diatribal Legend - Billy Jock

Fold-In - Price Tag