Cartooning Comic History Magazine cartoons

Al Jaffee Hands Fold-In Off to Johnny Sampson

Skip to comments

D. D. Degg Published: December 12, 2019 Updated: March 11, 2026 1 minute 4 comments

Johnny Sampson notes:

I did the “Special Edition MAD 20 Fold-In”, out this week! Some of you know this but @original.aljaffee gave me his blessing a while back, and this is (to my knowledge) the first non-Al Jaffee Fold-in MAD’s ever published. I’m thrilled he got to see it in print for himself. (I think he is, too)

above: the first Fold-In not by Al Jaffee to be published in MAD magazine

For 55 years Al Jaffee has been the creator of MAD’s Fold-In. From 1964 to 2019 Al’s feature has been a famously recognizable part of the magazine. Now a new cartoonist has taken on the chore of finessing visual art.

As Johnny states – he’s doing it with Al’s blessing, and even participation:

Reminiscent of a hand-off almost 125 years ago.

But this is not Johnny’s first Fold-In, only the first one published in MAD.
Early this year, to celebrate Al’s 98th birthday, Johnny drew his first Fold-In:

More Johnny Sampson work can be enjoyed at his website.

Al Jaffee’s new website can be accessed here.

Pick up MAD #11 with Johnny’s Fold-In.

“But Johnny, isn’t MAD dead?”
The answer is yes, but no one ever told them.

below: Al’s first Fold-In from the April 1964 MAD magazine

Update

Making this a “First and Last” for Al Jaffee’s MAD Fold-In feature.

2019 apparently saw the last of Al Jaffee’s new Fold-Ins. The last of this year’s issues have run reprinted Fold-Ins. The June 2019 dated MAD (#7) ran the last (so far) non-reprint Fold-In. That qualification has to be stated because the last “new” Al Jaffee Fold-In is actually a rejected page that was supposed to run in the June 2013 MAD.
Editors ultimately decided not to run the idea in 2013.

Hat tip to Sunday Comics Debt for the above image.