PI's 45th ANNIVERSARY -- The Lighter Side

By the mid-'60s, the book had a circulation of 1.75 million, at 25 cents a pop. That was important, as it did not accept advertising. All revenues were generated by subscription and newsstand sales, along with sales of Mad paperbacks and pictures, including the infamous Alfred E. Newman.

While Mad has been long known for not pulling punches, neither did the PI writer. Weiner described Gaines as a "fat, leisurely dressed man of 45." Obviously, sensitivity was not a high priority then.