Creator of Mad Libs Dies, at Age 88

Friday, 10 June 2011 | by Pat's Picks

It’s a _______ (adj) day for linguaphiles. Leonard B. Stern, the creator of Mad Libs, has died at the age of 88. The New York Times pays tribute to Stern by writing his obituary with the fill-in-the-blank technique he helped make so popular. The Times says Mad Libs was born in 1953 while Stern worked as a writer on “The Honeymooners.” He was in desperate need of an adjective and a colleague supplied two—clumsy and naked. The men laughed when they thought about the adjective’s purpose—to describe character’s nose—and then realized they had a moneymaker on their hands.

More about Stern via Wikipedia; Madlibs Official Website

And here’s a link to the original Mad Libs, via Amazon: