Mad #354 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Star Wars Macarena Issue - February 1997

The original Star Wars movie started a huge cultural phenomenon when it hit America's movie screens in May 1977.  It seemed that the Mad editors were caught by surprise but finally issued a parody ("Star Roars") in the January 1978 issue (Mad #196).  Thirty years later, Mad jumped all over the reissued version with a wrap-around Jabba-the-Hut cover and the movie parody: "Star Wars Macarena" by Frank Jacobs and Mort Drucker.  In addition, writer Larry Sutter and artist Angelo Torres envisioned the clever "Updating Star Wars for the Future."  Finally, making a comment on the enormous toy industry tie-in, David Shayne and James Warhola created six "Star Wars Playsets You May Have Missed."  Although I do not collect the toys, I made need to get an unopened, mint copy of "Al's Imperial Jiffy Lube and Garage."  These nine pages should have satisfied the hardcore syfy fan of the day.  The other excellent article in the issue is "Even More Chilling Thoughts" written by Desmond Devlin with great drawings by Rick Tulka.  It was also good to see some Jack Davis drawings ("Alternatives to the Heillich Maneuver" and the triple-splash-page video rental store ("Tell-It-Like-It-Is Video Rental Categories") by the cluttered-panel king, Tom Bunk.  [JAM 5/3/2013]

Departments:
Ron Howard's End - Rancid
Saluting the Flab - Richard Simmons' Etiquette Guide for the 1,000 lb. Man
The Fright Stuff - Even More Chilling Thoughts
Trying to Recapture That Old Industrial Light and Magic - Updating Star Wars for the Future
An Embarrassment's of Richard's - Stoppa-Da-Sneezin'
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Cigars
May the Force Be with You - The Star Wars Macarena
The Choke's on You - Alternatives to the Heimlich Maneuver
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Be Kind, Reassign - Tell It Like It Is Video Rental Categories
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs Spy
Tales From the Duck Side - The Harrowing Harpist Happenstance
Toys 'R' Bust - Star Wars Playsets You May Have Missed
Behind the Animate Ball (You Said "Ball" Heh-Heh, Heh-Heh) - Beavis and Butt-head Go Hollywood
Cliche It Ain't So - Truly Unbelievable Plot Twists in Action Movies
A Tribe Called Jest - Drama on Page 48

Fold-In - Hypodermic Needle