Card Game 'Das MAD Kartenspiel'

The MAD Magazine Card Game is a satirical, Uno or Mau-Mau-style card game by Parker Brothers, deeply infused with the anarchic humor and imagery of MAD Magazine.

First released in the United States in 1979, the game soon hit international markets, appearing in Germany (as Das MAD-Kartenspiel), the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland in 1980. The box art immediately declares its allegiance to the iconic satire magazine, featuring the unforgettable grinning mug of Alfred E. Neuman, MAD's cover boy and mascot.

The deck is divided into four main color suits—the Red Wool Pullover Series, the Green Leisure Series, the Blue Knight Series, and the Yellow Space Series—numbered from 1 to 6. But true to MAD's spirit of chaos, the game is peppered with special action cards (such as "Reverse Direction," "Draw One, You Rascal," and "Give Someone Two Cards [from your hand]"). The artwork for each suit depicts Alfred E. Neuman in a different thematic situation, which humorously deteriorates as the card value increases.

Adding further layers of unpredictability are the colorless "Too Much!!" cards. These powerful cards allow the player to choose the next suit, sometimes combining this power with other functions ("Swap Your Cards [with anyone you want]"), or acting as the "Too Much & Woolly" card, the "Self-Defense Card," or simply a "Wild Card."

Intriguingly for collectors, the game also included a few blank cards, which, while officially excluded from the rulebook, were suggested for players to create their own custom special cards.

Designed for 2–6 players, the rules are a blend of luck and strategy, primarily drawing from the classic Mau-Mau structure but significantly enhanced and parodied by the addition of MAD's unique action cards. As the packaging proclaims, the objective is to "... get rid of your cards first, but not your mind." With a recommended age of 8 and up, the game was a quirky collectible accessible to both young fans and adult readers of the magazine.

Though the game is no longer in production, its enduring appeal has led to at least two re-releases, making the original 1979/1980 Parker Brothers editions a nostalgic target for dedicated MAD collectors.