I’ve been holding off showing these, hoping I might still find the rest of the Hot Wheels MAD series. In fact, I really wanted the Alfred E. Neuman ’64 Nova panel and the Spy vs. Spy ’66 Dodge vans. But, considering how scarce these have been on the pegs and how much I loved Don Martin when I was a kid, I’m glad I landed these two.
MAD was scarce in our house. The irreverent and sometimes racy satirical compilation was frowned upon by my fairly straight-laced parents. But they couldn’t shield me forever from my older brothers’ library, and I quickly became a fan of the magazine, which was founded by Harvey Kurtzman in 1952.
Don Martin was one of the artists brought to the magazine by Al Feldstein when he took over the editorial reigns in 1956. Martin’s immediately recognizable style and beautifully designed cartoons were often the highlight of the magazine, and he continued working for MAD up until 1988. Martin was famous for his particular brand of bizarre slapstick humor, punctuated by unique sound effects, which feature prominently in the decoration of both the cars and the packages of these Hot Wheels.
DWH25-4B10 | 2017 Pop Culture MAD #4/5 | ’55 Chevy Panel | pale green with Don Martin SPLITCH trim | RLRR5SP
DWH36-4B10 | 2017 Pop Culture MAD #5/5 | Haulin’ Gas | sky blue with Don Martin SHTOINK | RR10SP
The ’55 Chevy Panel – with its broad billboard surfaces – is a staple in the Pop Culture series, having made previous appearances decorated with 3 Musketeers (2015 M&M Mars) and Ghost Rider (2016 Marvel) branding. Haulin’ Gas is another Pop Culture regular, and I happen to have the Green Giant version from the 2013 General Mills series.
The Race Case Chevy 