Alfred E Neuman

Year 50 Day 163

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Me next to a white bookshelf with a number of science-fiction books visible. Next to my head is a small bust of Mad Magazine’s Alfred E Neuman with his ‘what, me worry?’ phrase on the pedestal.

Day 163: I inherited this Alfred E. Neuman bust from dad when he died. While monetary value certainly isn’t the point, I tried looking it up once, and if I did it correctly, it could be worth somewhere in the $150-$400 range. If I ever get the chance to head to Antiques Roadshow, this would probably be one of the things I’d bring along.

(Also, based on the tags WordPress is suggesting, I think I blogged about this at some point in the past. But hey, I haven’t done it this year yet!)

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So this bust of Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman is something I brought home from Alaska after Dad died. He had it on his desk for years, and now I have it near mine.

I got curious (after watching a little Antiques Roadshow) and did some Googling to see what I could find out about it.

Turns out these busts were modeled by the original designer of Alfred E. Neuman, artist Frank Kelly Freas (also well known for his sci fi artwork). They were sold through the magazine starting with issue 53 (March 1960), and were available in two sizes, either 3.75” tall for $1, or 5.5” tall for $2. This is the larger size.
Apparently the larger size is more rare, and I’ve found auction prices ranging from $125 to $400 (not that I’m planning on selling mine – not only is it a nice memory of Dad, but now I know that it’s been in the family for around 57 years…that makes it an heirloom, right?). Just neat to know a little bit more about this silly (or creepy, according to Prairie) bit of kitsch.

#madmagazine #alfredeneuman #bust #statue #antique #whatmeworry #frankkellyfreas #kellyfreas