"The earliest form of MAD culture can be traced back to personal exchanges of MAD tapes--cassette tapes containing re-edited, mash-up footage of various newsclips--among Japanese university students in the 1980s. According to this MAD FAQ page, a couple of alumni students from Osaka University of Arts & Music are cited as the original pioneers of audio MADs as well as anime MADS. The term "MAD" stems from one of the early cassette tapes originally titled "Kichigai Tape" (Tape of Madness), but for some reason, it became more commonly known by the English equivalent"
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mad
"The earliest form of MAD culture can be traced back to personal exchanges of MAD tapes--cassette tapes containing re-edited, mash-up footage of various newsclips--among Japanese university students in the 1980s. According to this MAD FAQ page, a couple of alumni students from Osaka University of Arts & Music are cited as the original pioneers of audio MADs as well as anime MADS. The term "MAD" stems from one of the early cassette tapes originally titled "Kichigai Tape" (Tape of Madness), but for some reason, it became more commonly known by the English equivalent"