the Max Headroom chronicles: P-P-Parodies

Parodies & Clones

the Max Headroom chronicles

INCOMPLETE PAGE <<<

I intend to write quite a bit about these parodies and the overall influence of Max on popular culture, but that's a Phase II project. For now, I'll list the known parodies and some illustrations. Please let me know of any others - political cartoons, takeoffs, etc.!

Magazine Parodies

MAD Magazine, March 1987

This issue also contains a sidebar on the contents page of "Max" gloating about getting paid to make fun of the issue's contents. Max also made several cameo appearances over the next few years, which I'll catalog in a future addendum.

"Maxine Legroom" (Playboy, January 1987)

That's my censor bar... sorry. This is not an adult site.
I hope to include more images from this layout in the
future, perhaps with appropriate warning link-throughs.
Thanks to rakerlucas for providing the original image.

A Playboy parody is a good measure a pop icon's influence. "Maxine" was the January 1987 centerfold, reportedly with a Max-style merkin (go look it up, kids...) as well as a wig. The model is frequent Playboy poser Sondra (Sandy) Greenberg.

There is also a series of mildly softcore videos of women bodybuilders showing off their legs under the "Maxine Legroom" name. There doesn't appear to be any connection between Max, Playboy and these videos.

See also "Maxine" below.

Doonesbury

Doonesbury: "Ron Headrest"

Doonesbury ©1987 G.B. Trudeau. Reprinted courtesy of the
creator and Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved.

The first two "Ron Headrest" strips
from April 27 & April 28, 1987.

My thanks to Garry Trudeau and UPS for permitting me to include these sample strips. "Ron Headrest" makes 77 appearances through about 1993, which can be found in the UPS online archives. Garry Trudeau is quoted as saying that this was one of his least popular characters... but damn if it isn't the most spot-on parody of them all. Trudeau clearly "got" what made Max interesting and a little scary, and found the ideal candidate to carry the joke...

Movies & Television Parodies

Back to the Future II (1989)

M-M-Michael Jackson,
portrayed by E. Casanova Evans.

Ronald R-Rea-Reagan, portrayed by Jay Koch.

Joined by Kho-Kho-Khomeini,
portrayed by Charles Gherardi.

Carmen Sandiego: The Chief

The Chief, from the various "Carmen Sandiego"
animated shows and video games.

"Maxine"

Porsche Lynn strains her talents to play both "Allison Karter" and "Maxine Headroom" in this no-doubt fine cinematic effort.

Gawd help me, here's a synopsis:

"Porsche Lynn stars as Maxine, an intrepid reporter for a busy metropolitan TV news show. She's hit upon the story of a lifetime when she meets a couple of couch potatoes who claim that by watching network television that were turned into a pair of feverishly frolicking sexual animals. Rather than just enjoy the situation, though, the couple feels the need to expose the networks nefarious scheme -- to entice viewers into sex through subliminal manipulation. How causing sex among your viewers is supposed to boost ratings is a mystery, but Maxine lays bare the whole sordid story on her nightly broadcast. But now she's run afoul of the powerful network execs who created the whole plan! They plot to assassinate Maxine, but little do they suspect that her personality will be transplanted into the network's own central computer. She becomes more powerful than ever, beaming her sexy shenanigans into homes from coast to coast. A take-off on the one-time hit series 'Max Headroom,' this video uses flashly effects, gorgeous women and plenty of white-hot action to keep you intrigued from start to fiery finish. It's a cyber-sexual trip to the far side of sexual bliss -- a trip you'll be happy to take again and again."