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Tar Baby, published in 1917, was the first
in a series of campus humor magazines. For the next several decades,
other imprints devoted to humor came and went, although some would
be revived for short periods of time after their initial runs. Many
of the early comedic offerings were professionally printed on glossy,
high-quality papers. Nevertheless, all eventually closed either due
to student indifference or to community criticisms of their alleged
risqué or low-brow content. After the demise of Tarnation
in 1947, very few humor magazines survived past a few issues.
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Bounce: Carolina’s
Satirical Spin on the World, March, 2001
Debuting in March, 2001, Bounce is the most recent addition
to the humor genre. In this first issue editors characterize Bounce
as “a non-partisan humor magazine dedicated to amusing and enriching
the UNC-Chapel Hill community with satirical commentary on current
events, both on campus and around the globe . . . .” This issue
contains features such as “Political Fun with Left and Right,”
and “Top 6 Reasons to be Glad Student Elections Finally Ended.”
Bounce is published six times a year.
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The Carolina Buccaneer
The Buccaneer remains the longest-running of the humor magazines.
Beginning publication in 1924, it contained jokes, cartoons, and advertisements.
Each issue was devoted to a theme, for example, the “pirate’s
issue,” the “football issue,” and the “commencement
issue.” From its inception, the Buccaneer published
slightly risque material, but by 1934 was considered by some a magazine
of “dirty jokes.” Students and faculty repeatedly objected
to the magazine’s content over the years, and the November 1939
issue was considered so offensive all copies were destroyed and the
magazine was abolished.
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The Worthless Gazette, June 24, 1966
The Worthless Gazette was published in the summer of 1966.
Its editors professed their mission as taking on “grits, politicians,
klansmen, presumptuous weenies—in short, EVERYBODY.” The
magazine includes satires on other student publications and a cartoon
serial about “Super Grit,” the “über-WASP of
the South.”
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Tarnation, 1947
Tarnation, which premiered in 1947, was published sporadically
for seven years. An editorial in the first issue proclaimed that Tarnation
would be more than just a humor magazine; it would contain “straight”
articles as well. The magazine’s publishers also said they would
abstain from printing dirty jokes or offensive covers in an effort
not to fail as the Buccaneer had. Nevertheless, some readers
roundly objected to Tarnation’s humor. The magazine
struggled along until 1954, when it ceased publication due to lack
of student interest.
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