On the celebration of his 95th birthday, MAD Magazine cartoonist Al Jaffee was awarded with a Guinness World Records title for the Longest career as a comic artist.
 
Jaffe has been a published comics artist for 73 years and 3 months, having worked continuously since his first publication in Joker Comics in December 1942.
 
Longest career as a comics artist Al Jaffe birthday cake
 
The cartoonist received another accolade on his birthday honoring his career. He received a proclamation from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declaring March 30 as “Al Jaffee Day”. Additionally, DC Entertainment presented him with some of his original drawings from the 1960s.
 
Al Jaffee is the mind and hands behind the iconic Fold-In of MAD Magazine. He is the elder statesman of the “Usual Gang of Idiots”, which is the term used for MAD Magazine’s talent roster that stands out for its longevity, with several creators enjoying 30-, 40- and even 50-year careers in the magazine.
 
Jaffee’s cartoons and contributions to MAD, such as “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions,” have lampooned celebrities, politicians and pop culture for decades. It has provided inspiration to countless comedians and performers who grew up reading the comic.
 
Longest career as a comics artist Snappy answers to stupid questions
 
Throughout his career, Jaffee has also been the recipient of the Reuben Award winner in 2008 and Eisner Hall of Fame in 2013.
 
When asked about how it feels to hold a Guinness World Records, Jaffe joked that he was happy he “was able to hang around long enough to get it.”
 
Talking about his career at MAD Magazine, he said: “There are so many things in this place that through the years I grew to love, the MAD staff in particular was very tough, but very fair and very good. When they told me that something that I was doing was only working 90% and something has to be done about the other 10% it literally drove me crazy but I couldn’t argue with them because they were right. So it’s been one of the most pleasant trips I’ve been on and I didn’t have to check my luggage.”