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=== Publication history === ''National Lampoon'' was started in 1969 by Harvard graduates and ''[[Harvard Lampoon]]'' alumni [[Douglas Kenney]], [[Henry Beard]], and [[Robert Hoffman (businessman)|Robert Hoffman]],<ref name=NYT2005>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/03/arts/03tapp.html|title=''National Lampoon'' Grows Up By Dumbing Down|author-link=Jake Tapper|first=Jake|last=Tapper|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 3, 2005}}</ref> when they first licensed the "Lampoon" name for a monthly national publication.{{efn|''[[The Harvard Lampoon]]'' established in 1876, was a long-standing tradition of the campus, influencing the later National Lampoon brand in its evolution from illustration-heavy publication to satirical wit, ranging from short fiction to comic strips.}} While still with ''The Harvard Lampoon'', in the years 1966 to 1969, Kenney and Beard had published a number of one-shot parodies of ''[[Playboy]]'', ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'', and [[Time (magazine)|Time]] magazines;<ref name=NYT1969>{{cite news|title=National Laughs for Lampoon: What Harvard boys have hopefully been chuckling about for 93 years will be offered in March to a nation much in need of a laugh or two|department=Advertising|first=PHILIP H. |last=DOUGHERTY|date=November 24, 1969|page=75|work=The New York Times|url=https://nyti.ms/3TnfPCZ}}</ref><ref name=AVClub2013>{{cite news|title=How National Lampoon became the lost paradise and missing link of modern comedy|first=Phil|last= Dyess-Nugent|date=July 31, 2013|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|url=https://www.avclub.com/how-national-lampoon-became-the-lost-paradise-and-missi-1798239708}}</ref> they had also written the popular [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] parody book ''[[Bored of the Rings]]''.<ref name=AVClub2013 /> The ''National Lampoon''{{'}}s first issue, dated April 1970, went on sale on March 19, 1970.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109313936/national-lampoon-introduced/ |title=New publication is strictly for laughs|first=Diane |last=White|work=Boston Globe|date=March 11, 1970|page=3|quote=The first issue, which is devoted entirely to sex, will go on sale Mar. 19.}}</ref> Kenney (editor) and Beard (executive editor) oversaw the magazine's content, while Hoffman (managing editor) handled legal and business negotiations.<ref name=NYT1969 /><ref name=AVClub2013 /> After a shaky start, the magazine rapidly grew in popularity. Like ''The Harvard Lampoon,'' individual issues had themes, including such topics as "The Future", "Back to School", "Death", "Self-Indulgence", and "Blight". The sixth issue (September 1970), entitled "Show Biz", got the company in hot water with [[The Walt Disney Company]] after a lawsuit was threatened because of the issue's cover, which showed a drawing of [[Minnie Mouse]] topless, wearing [[pasties]].<ref name=Vulture>{{cite news|date=June 25, 2013|title=Big and Glossy and Wonderful: The Birth of the 'National Lampoon' Magazine|first=Ellin |last=Stein|work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|publisher=New York|url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/06/big-and-glossy-and-wonderful-the-birth-of-the-national-lampoon-magazine.html}}</ref> [[Image:TeddyVWad.jpg|right|thumb|200px|''National Lampoon''{{'s}} fake [[Volkswagen Beetle]] print advertisement, originally published in the 1973 Anthology ''[[The National Lampoon Encyclopedia of Humor]]'' and created by Phil Socci, mocking [[Ted Kennedy]]'s [[Chappaquiddick incident]].]] The magazine's finest period was from 1971 to 1975 (the point at which Beard, Hoffman, and a number of the original creators departed).<ref name=MVLNLS>{{cite web|url=https://www.marksverylarge.com/intro/|title=Introduction|website=Mark's Very Large National Lampoon Site|first=Mark|last=Simonson}}</ref> The ''National Lampoon''{{'}}s most successful sales period was 1973–75:{{efn|The publishing industry's newsstand sales were excellent for many other magazines during that time: there were sales peaks for ''[[Mad (magazine)|Mad]]'' (more than 2 million), ''[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]'' (more than 7 million), and ''[[TV Guide]]'' (more than 19 million).{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} }} Its national circulation peaked at 1,000,096<ref name=NYT2005 /> copies sold of the October 1974 "Pubescence" issue.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.marksverylarge.com/issues/7410.html |date = October 1974 |title = National Lampoon Issue #55—Pubescence |access-date = July 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080723175712/http://www.marksverylarge.com/issues/7410.html |archive-date = July 23, 2008 |via=Mark's Very Large National Lampoon Website}}</ref> The 1974 monthly average was 830,000, which was also a peak.{{efn|Former ''Lampoon'' editor [[Tony Hendra]]'s book ''[[Going Too Far]]'' includes a series of precise circulation figures.<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Tony Hendra|first=Tony|last=Hendra|title=Going too Far: the Rise and Demise of Sick, Gross, Black, Sophomoric, Weirdo, Pinko, Anarchist, Underground, Anti-establishment Humor |publisher=Dolphin Doubleday|date=1987|isbn=978-0-385-23223-4}}</ref> }} Although the glory days of ''National Lampoon'' ended in 1975, the magazine remained popular and profitable long after that point. As some of the original creators departed, the magazine saw the emergence of [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]] and editor-in-chief [[P.J. O'Rourke]], along with artists and writers such as Gerry Sussman, [[Ellis Weiner]], [[Tony Hendra]], [[Ted Mann (writer)|Ted Mann]], Peter Kleinman, Chris Cluess, Stu Kreisman, [[John Weidman]], [[Jeff Greenfield]], [[Bruce McCall]], and [[Rick Meyerowitz]]. ''National Lampoon'' continued to be produced on a monthly schedule throughout the 1970s and the early 1980s, and did well during that time. A more serious decline set in around the mid-1980s: as described in a ''New York Times'' profile of the magazine from August 1984, "circulation of the magazine <nowiki>[</nowiki>had<nowiki>]</nowiki> fallen from a high of 638,000 to about 450,000. Publishing revenues were down to $9 million in 1983 from $12.5 million in 1981."<ref name=NYT1984>{{cite news|department=ADVERTISING|title= SINGLE SUBJECT FOR LAMPOON|first=Pamela G. |last=Hollie|date=Aug 7, 1984|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/07/business/advertising-single-subject-for-lampoon.html?smid=url-share}}</ref> In 1985, company CEO Matty Simmons took over as the magazine's editor-in-chief.<ref name=NYT1984 /> He fired the entire editorial staff, and appointed his two sons, Michael and Andy Simmons, as editors,<ref name=NYT2005 /> and Larry "Ratso" Sloman as executive editor. Peter Kleinman returned to the magazine as creative director and editor. That year, each monthly issue was devoted to a single topic, with the first being "A Misguided Tour of New York."<ref name=NYT1984 /> In November 1986, ''National Lampoon'' moved to a bimonthly schedule, publishing six issues a year instead of every month. [[J2 Communications]] bought the magazine and its properties in 1990. In 1991, an attempt at monthly publication was made; nine issues were produced that year,<ref>{{cite news|title=National Lampoon Cuts Back|page=15 |work=The Comics Journal|number=145 |date=Oct 1991|department=Newswatch}}</ref> and cartoonist [[Drew Friedman (cartoonist)|Drew Friedman]] come on board as comics editor, introducing the works of [[Daniel Clowes]] and [[Chris Ware]] to a wider audience.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lampoon adds Friedman, Drops Sex|department=Newswatch|page=14|work=The Comics Journal|number=140 |date=Feb 1991}}</ref> After this, J2 decided instead to focus on licensing the "National Lampoon" brand, exhibiting very little interest in the actual magazine, only publishing it sporadically and erratically. To retain the rights to the Lampoon name, J2 was contractually obligated to publish only one new issue of the magazine per year, so for the rest of the 1990s the number of issues per year declined precipitously. Only two issues were released in 1992.<ref>{{cite news|title=National Lampoon on Hiatus|page=26 |work=The Comics Journal |number=150 |date=May 1992 |department = Newswatch}}</ref> This was followed by one issue in 1993,<ref>{{cite news|title=National Lampoon Returns Again|page= 25 |work= The Comics Journal|number=158 |date=Apr 1993 |department=Newswatch}}</ref> five in 1994, and three in 1995. For the last three years of its existence, the magazine was published only once a year. The final issue was published in 1998. In 2007, in association with Graphic Imaging Technology, Inc., National Lampoon, Inc. released a collection of the entire 246 issues of the magazine in [[PDF]] format. The cover of the DVD box featured a remake of the January 1973 "Death" issue, with the caption altered to read "If You Don't Buy This DVD-ROM, We'll Kill This Dog". The pages are viewable on both [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] (starting with [[Windows 2000]]) and [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] (starting with [[OSX]]) systems.
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