Republican Elephant

Few political mascots have found a home quite like the Republican Elephant, who trotted onto the pages of Mad #30 in 1956 — right in the thick of the Golden Age — and stuck around the satirical landscape for an impressive four decades. A fixture of Mad's irreverent brand of American commentary, this iconic symbol of the GOP shares panels with the likes of Democrat Donkey, Uncle Sam, and even President Bill Clinton, making for some gloriously pointed company. With a key issue already to its name and appearances stretching through 1997, it's a small but choice slice of political cartooning history — the kind of recurring presence that reminds collectors just how sharp and enduring Mad's wit truly was.