National Lampoon — June 1988 “Subliminal Sex Issue” feat. Carol Alt

June 1988. The magazine was bimonthly now, the cover price had climbed to $3.95, and National Lampoon was doing a Subliminal Sex Issue with Carol Alt on the cover. Still sealed.

National Lampoon, June 1988 — “Subliminal Sex Issue.” A bimonthly issue in sealed condition, still in its original poly bag. Cover price: $3.95. Unread, unhandled, exactly as it left the newsstand.

The Cover

Carol Alt — one of the most recognizable supermodels of the 1980s, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl, actress — photographed on a rocky beach in a blue one-piece swimsuit and open striped shirt, hair blowing, looking directly into the camera. Bold yellow background. The cover announces the Subliminal Sex Issue with the kind of straight-faced absurdity that defined the magazine at its best.

In This Issue

The cover lists the subjects covered inside — a lineup that reads like a fever dream of 1988 cultural consciousness:

Mae West · George Bush · Donald Trump · Diane Keaton · Sigmund Freud · Cheech & Chong · Quasimodo · Vivien Leigh · Jack Nicholson · Joan Crawford · Deng Xiaoping · The Evil Clown

Donald Trump appears in a 1988 National Lampoon. He was 41, had just opened the Trump Taj Mahal, and was a New York tabloid fixture. George Bush was running for president. Deng Xiaoping was running China. The Evil Clown was running something else entirely.

Context

By 1988, National Lampoon had shifted to bimonthly publication — a sign of the financial pressures that would eventually close the magazine in 1998. But the editorial voice was still sharp, the covers were still bold, and sealed copies from this era are significantly rarer than the monthly issues of the 1970s and early 80s. This one is a document of the magazine’s late period at its most itself.

Condition

• Sealed in original poly bag — never opened
• Cover: Near Mint — bright yellow, vivid color, no visible damage through the bag
• One copy available

Available in-store at The Foundry, 35 W. Huron Street, Pontiac MI, and online while this copy lasts.