Mad 1952 #172 - 4.5 - $4.00

Santa writes a letter to the mythical "Virginia", telling her that inflation has forced him to suspend operations.

In a parody of the film "The Great Gatsby," a boring socialite gets involved with a man with a dubious past and they proceed to be boring together.

Satirical events and milestones for the dates between November 15 and January 1.

Examples of camouflage tactics employed by insects.

Historical events are altered, in newspaper clipping form, by applying modern environmental conditions to them.

Superman stops a train from running over a man, but fails to consider the physics.

Picture road signs are expanded to encompass other traffic hazards.

Examples of events or occurrences that will depress you.

Dealing with, or hiding from, getting older.

A film about a really big tribe of primitive humans.

Ways to commemorate President Nixon that accurately reflect his effect on democracy.

Creative ways to clean up after your dog.

Things you can say to a mugger so he won't mug you.

Using picture signs to convey one's feelings rather than articulating them.

A director has a problem with filming his nature documentary short subject.

In a parody of the TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man," an astronaut injured in an accident is given bionic implants and must rescue the surgeon who implanted them from his Soviet abductors.

If you're going to excuse smoking, you might as well go all the way.

• - Inside front cover.
• - Among the letters is one from actor Dennis Weaver, with picture, commenting on the "McCloud" parody, and Barbara Nell King, a staff editor at Cosmopolitan Magazine, submitting a "Horrifying Cliche" that Paul Coker illustrates.
• Drawn Out Dramas - Cartoons drawn into the margins of random pages.
• What Simple Pasttime Is Fast Becoming a Luxury That Many Americans Can No Longer Afford? - Inside back cover.
• ...So Why Not...Pardon Hitler? - Back cover.