Archie's Mad House (sometimes rendered asArchie's Madhouse) was acomic book magazine published byArchie Comics from 1959 to 1982. The series went through a number of overhauls and name changes. Classic stories have occasionally appeared indigest magazines.
The first 18 issues featured the "Archie gang" in stories that were a bit more "off the wall" than the normal Archie series. The idea was to produce stories that made no sense. The titleMad House was written as two words instead of one to suggest a false connection toMAD Magazine and recapture its success. Beginning with issue 19, the Archie gang was dropped (though it was still calledArchie's Mad House), and the title began featuring monsters, space stories and other wacky short stories.[1] The gags in the comics often parodied the latestfads andpopular culture. For a time, it would focus on stories with what were intended to be one-off characters. There were, however, exceptions to this rule. Characters becoming popular enough would appear again.
Perhaps the most noteworthy installment was issue 22 whenSabrina the Teenage Witch was introduced, with art by Archie mainstayDan DeCarlo.[2] This issue has become one of the most sought after Archie issues of the Silver Age. Sabrina began making intermittent appearances through issue 74, and then transitioned over to other titles, such asArchie's TV Laugh-Out and her ownSabrina title. Other recurring characters included a bungling but victorious superhero named Captain Sprocket[3] and a hippie named Clyde Didit (occasionally spelled Diddit) who served as a mascot for a while.
Shortly before Sabrina's departure, the title began a series of name changes, morphing intoMadhouse Ma-ad Jokes,Madhouse Ma-ad Freakout, andMadhouse Glads.[4] Issues #95-97 were published under theRed Circle Comics Group logo and published horror. It was renamedMadhouse Comics for issue #98-130 and returned to humor. TheMadhouse Glads run introduced yet another "gang" into the Archie universe, but much like the "gang" introduced inThat Wilkin Boy several years earlier, the "Madhouse Glads" gang never caught on with fans like the Josie gang did.Madhouse then returned to the series' irregular, nonsensical style before finally being discontinued.
In the late 1960s, the comic went through a major overhaul due to the impact ofhippies,mods androck and roll on popular culture. Clyde Didit, originally a mascot, and occasionally in featuring within the comics, originally had unkempt brown hair and sunglasses, though he also appeared inJosie for a few issues with an orange Afro. The series was renamedMad House Ma-ad starting with issue #66. At this point, Clyde and his friends took over the series, and it became more the typical style of thatArchie used in the early 1970s. Thus, many stories focused more on adventure than humor, with a somewhat more serious tone.
Clyde was given a more clean-cut appearance and black hair. He and his gang continued intoMad House Glads (which started with Issue #73). At this time, Clyde and three his brothersDippy Didit (orange hair),Dick Didit (brown hair) andDan Didit (blonde hair) had a teenaged band called the Madhouse Glads (originally called the Madhouse Ma-ads), which somewhat resembledThe Monkees. Clyde played the drums, while the other three each played a guitar. Other characters included the brothers' frustrated fatherMr. Didit; a narcissistic, fashion-obsessed mod known asRod "the Mod" Roman;Bippy the Hippie, a weird, freaked-out hippie; the band's crazed groupie,Fran the Fan, who dated both Clyde and Rod; and Fran's blonde friendAnnette. As the series progressed, Dippy and Dan were relegated to supporting roles, while Fran and Rod grew in prominence. Dick, however, being Clyde's best friend, remained as involved in the storylines as ever until the gang was dropped from the series.