Sylvester P. Smythe was Cracked magazine's mascot

Mascot

The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

, appearing in every issue and on virtually every cover. He was typically portrayed as short, blond, wide-cheeked and mute. He was seen by some as an imitation of Alfred E. Neuman

Alfred E. Neuman

Alfred E. Neuman is the fictional mascot and cover boy of Mad magazine. The face had drifted through American pictography for decades before being claimed and named by Mad editor Harvey Kurtzman...

, the mascot of Mad

Mad (magazine)

Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...

magazine. While there were similarities, Smythe was more than just an image, being portrayed as the janitor

Janitor

A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...

for Cracked and interacting with the magazine's other characters, such as Nanny Dickering and even the publisher, Robert C. Sproul. In the 1980s, he gained a look-a-like girlfriend, Eva.