Mad #215

In this 1980 Mad satire, the energy crisis gets a whimsical twist as classic nursery rhymes are reimagined with a petroleum-poor punchline—think Little Miss Muffet dodging gas shortages, Jack Be Nimble leaping over a flickering pump, and a chorus of car-makers grumbling about fuel. With clever wordplay and absurd takes on familiar verses, the story turns childhood rhymes into a sharp, tongue-in-cheek commentary on the era’s anxieties—all typeset with Mad’s signature sardonic flair.

In this silent, sharply drawn one-page tale from Mad #215, a man is jolted awake by distant sirens—only to peer out his window and see a woman trembling on the ledge below. Without a word, he climbs out, gives her a firm kick, and settles back into bed, the whole scene unfolding with deadpan absurdity.