What is the origin of MADs new words?
It is hard to pin down the actual origin of most of the “mad” words and phrases that MAD adopted into its dialogue retinue. “Furshlugginer” is a Yiddish word meaning wild or crazy or mad, and Harvey Kurtzman started to use it in his MAD comic book, probably because his family used it when he was growing up. “Potrzebie” is a little tougher to pin down. I’m not sure how it came into use in MAD, whether it was Harvey’s doing or John Putnam’s doing (he was our “contributing” art director) or whose doing. Its origin, even, is a mystery. It was said that it was a Polish word, and was used in the Polish directions for the use of aspirin, but I won’t swear to that. Most of the gibberish words and phrases that MAD began including in its vernacular were picked up from staff, or friends, or writers or even artists. What is the origin of the “What — me worry?” slogan? Crude renditions of the face that our Alfred was based upon had been around for years before we adopted him as our trade mark and m
