Paul Coker, Cartoonist at Mad for Almost Six Decades, Dies at 93 The artist behind the magazine’s long-running feature “Horrifying Cliches,” he also created, for TV, the look of Frosty the Snowman and other animated characters.
Coker was a huge part of my childhood, and that of several generations of kids, via his design work for the Rankin-Bass animated and stop-motion Christmas features (Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Year Without a Santa Claus among many others). And once again, it's time to marvel at the general longevity of Mad's Usual Gang of Idiots. Here's the updated list of classic Mad creators who made it into their 80s: Paul Coker Jr: 93 Larry Siegel: 93 Jack Davis: 91 Mort Drucker: 91 Lou Silverstone: 91 Frank Jacobs: 91 John Severin: 90 Paul Peter Porges: 89 Tom Koch: 89 Al Feldstein: 88 Stan Hart: 88 Bob Clarke: 87 Bill Elder: 87 Norman Mingo: 84 Kelly Freas: 83 Duck Edwing: 82 Nick Meglin: 82 Dave Berg: 81 And the following guys are still alive: Al Jaffee: 101! Angelo Torres: 88 Arnie Kogen: 85 Sergio Aragones: 84 Dick Debartolo: 76
That really is interesting and kind of amazing . Maybe there is something to the old cliche that laughter is the best medicine. I’ve also noticed that quite a few comics made it or are making it to a ripe old age also.
I had to read that twice. By comics, I'm guessing you mean comedians, not comic books or comic strips. But Paul Coker had a very distinct style. I can think of seeing the Frosty the Snowman special the first time it aired, and noting that it was the same artist whose work would appear in MAD.
Paul was one of my favorite MAD artists. Even though I never really read MAD.. Really, all the idiots are great, funny people. Surprised that most of them managed to live so long! RIP Paul Coker.
Yes. I specifically called them comics. because the old school guys I’m thinking of were called comics more than comedians back in their day . Many came out of vaudeville and later the Borscht Belt. Guys like Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Milton Berle, George Burns, Buddy Hackett, etc. Later guys, like Bob Newhart or Mort Sahl, etc., came out of nighclubs and “comic” didn’t really apply anymore. Borscht Belt - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Borscht_Belt Characters inspired by Borscht Belt comics include Billy Crystal...etc.
I read tons of MAD as a kid. People like Al Jaffee were my heroes. All of those guys were aces. RIP Paul Coker. Thanks for the laughs! Dan
Yes, I’m sure there was trendy satirical humor for adults back then, but for us kids Mad magazine was ground zero for making fun of everyone and satirizing everything . It kind of led the way for the National Lampoon’s and David Letterman’s and so many others in comedy that read the magazine at our very impressionable young age.
I have a distinct memory that when my youngest sister was born (1962), I was 10, we were at the hospital and my dad bought me a Mad magazine in the gift shop, probably to shut me up. That thing blew my mind - changed my outlook on life.