Humorama was a line of digest-sized magazines launched in 1938 and folding sometime in the early 1980s.Originally printed on cheap pulp paper, they were sold to blue collar males at corner stores, newsstands and cigar shops. These digests contained jokes and photographs of pinup girls like Sophia Loren, Bettie Page and Tina Louise; however, they are best known nowadays for many illustrations and gag cartoons of beautiful women.
By The '50s, Abe Goodman - brother of Martin Goodman of Marvel Comics - was in charge of Humorama digests and bought many cartoons. While a number of them were of poor quality and forgettable, some were drawn by a number of amazing artists such as Dan Decarlo, Bill Wenzel, Bill Ward and Jack Cole.
Individual Humorama titles included Breezy, Cartoon Parade, Fun House, Gaze, Jest, Joker, Laugh Circus, Laugh Riot, Romp and many more.
Humorama contains examples of the following tropes:
- Author Appeal: As opposed to the more Impossible Hourglass Figure of other artists, Bill Wenzel's cartoons featured thicker women.
- Fanservice: Up to eleven as it was the focus of the Humorama digests
- Fanservice Cover: Up to eleven to as it was practically every cover. This usually had one bigger naughty gag cartoon on the cover complete with a Ms. Fanservice, though some covers would squeeze more than one cartoon onto it.
- The '50s: Considered the golden age of Humorama along with The '60s
- Gold Digger: Some women in the cartoons were depicted as being interested only in men for their money.
- Impossible Hourglass Figure: Prominent in the cartoon women of Bill Ward and Dan Decarlo.
- Ms. Fanservice: All the women in the gag cartoons
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Many of the women in the gag cartoons had this. When not wearing Stripperiffic outfits, many wore low cut tops and tight fitting sweaters.
- Sexy Secretary: A popular type of woman featured in the cartoons, usually being ogled by male bosses and co-workers
- Sultry Belly Dancer: Another type of woman appearing in Humorama gag cartoons, complete with Stripperiffic costumes.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Showed up in some cartoons.
