SHMORK & WINDY

MORK AND MINDY
1978-1982 ABC

Nanoo-Nanoo, everyone. Mork week begins with the most parodied TV show of all time, in page count at least. It might be neck-in-neck with Happy Days, from which it was spun off. The five major kiddie humor magazines parodied it, and it's tied at #1 thinks to Cracked spoofing the show every other issue and publishing two specials. This Film Has Been Rated Ecch will be devoting five whole days to it starting today with versions from MAD, Crazy, Sick, Bananas, and the first one from Cracked.

SHMORK AND WINDY
MAD #209, September 1979
w: Lou Silverstone & Dick DeBartolo
a: Angelo Torres

Mork (Robin Williams) was an alien sent from the planet Ork to observe life on Earth. His space capsule was an egg he hatched from when he landed, and he was discovered by Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber). “Nanoo, nanoo” was his greeting and “Shazbot” was the catch-all curse word he used.

Mindy's father (Conrad Janis) and grandmother (Elizabeth Kerr) run a music store. They initially don't know he's an alien and he doesn't approve of their living arrangement. The grandmother, the hip one, is all for it. Mork drinking through his fingers, taking empressions literally, the way he dresses, and other eccentric traits showed he was from space. The program is also a showcase for Robin Williams' improvisation.

Lenny and Squiggy were Laverne and Shirley's creepy neighbors and were not on this show, but were part of the Happy Days universe. “Up your nose with a rubber hose” is a catchphrase from Welcome Back, Kotter.

The show always ended with Mork in Mindy's attic where he lived, reporting on Earth's follies to Orson (Ralph James), his boss on Ork. You only heard Orson's voice.

Another cover from their German edition, which used MAD's parodies on the cover more often.

Cracked did three parodies and two other articles. For some reason, they never did a play on anyone's name.

MORK AND MINDY
Cracked #158, March 1979
a: John Severin

Crazy did a full-on parody we'll feature tomorrow and two issues before that, they did this other cover. It might have been planned for the latter. I don't know.

MURK & MUNDAYN
Bananas Looks at TV, reprinted from an earlier issue, c, 1980
w: Jovial Bob Stine
a: Sam Viviano

A character in later episodes was the neighbor Mr. Bickley (Tom Poston).

The music store was replaced by a deli in later seasons, run by Jay Thomas and Gina Hecht.

From The Last Episode Of... in Bananas #48, circa 1981

From Isn't It Time That.... also in Bananas Looks at TV.

MURK & MANDY
Sick #127, June 1979
w: George Kashdan
a: Jack Sparling

There were no computer people on the show. I think Jack Sparling just liked drawing naked women.

There was no sexual tension between the characters either, but they did have a baby later.

There will be more Mork and Mindy parodies tomorrow.