"What, Me Worry?" My Surprise Encounter With Alfred E. Neuman

   If you're anything like me and are of a certain vintage then you undoubtedly at some point in your life have either read MAD Magazine or at the very least would recognize the iconic image of  the "What, Me Worry" kid, Alfred E. Neuman, which graces the cover of the magazine.

   I was introduced to MAD magazine before I was even a teenager and then read it faithfully throughout my adolescence. I particularly enjoyed the parodies of all the popular movies of the day and, in some way, am only familiar with many of those famous movies through their MAD take-offs! I also enjoyed Antonio Prohias' "Spy v. Spy". and Dave Berg's "The Lighter Side".
   So why am I bringing up MAD Magazine today?
   Well, quite a few months ago, I found myself going through one of the old family photo albums which had come into my possession when my Dad passed away, back in 2012. This particular album I was looking at had originally been my Mum's and was filled with all manner of memorabilia from her youth. As I turned the pages, suddenly I was confronted with an image I was all too familiar with. It was a birthday greeting card which bore the gap-toothed visage of Alfred E. Neuman! What struck me was that there was no mention whatsoever of MAD Magazine and no mention of his name either. In fact, underneath his picture it said "OH JOHNNY!" The inside of the card had the message "It's a honey, hope the birthday is too!" The card was signed by someone who I

The front of the card

assume was my Aunt Eileen and, as near as I can tell, dated back to 1944, long before the inception of MAD Magazine.
   Of course, I immediately headed to Google to see what I could find out about Oh Johnny and his connection with Alfred E.

The inside, with my Aunt's signature.

   It appears as though the image we are now familiar with was actually derived from images decades older, images which evolved over time but are very clearly all connected. Essentially, they are images used to denote a simpleton and appeared whenever its publisher was interested in drawing a comparison, favourable or not. If you're interested, here is the Wikipedia link or you simply do what I did and Google it.
   All in all, things like this almost seem like archaeological finds when you come across them---ancient forms which have been preserved and enable you to compare them with their modern counterparts. These old photo albums have been a treasure trove and it seems as though I discover something different with each journey through them!