Zip the Pinhead
Encyclopedia
Zip the Pinhead, born William Henry Johnson (ca. 1842 in Liberty Corner, New Jersey
– April 9, 1926 in New York City
, New York
), was an American
freak show
performer famous for his oddly tapered head
.
. As he grew his body developed normally but his head remained small. His tapering cranium and heavy jaw made him attractive to agents from van Emburgh's Circus in Somerville
, New Jersey
. His unusual appearance caused many to believe that he was a "pinhead", or microcephalic
. Microcephalics are characterized by a small, tapering cranium and often have impaired mental faculty. It is arguable, however, that William Henry was not mentally deficient.
William Henry's parents agreed to allow the circus to display him in return for money. He was billed as a missing link
supposedly caught in Africa and displayed in a cage. He was a popular draw and his success led young William Henry's agent to show his charge to P.T. Barnum.
Barnum purchased the right to display William Henry Johnson from the circus and gave him a new look. A furry suit was made to fit him, and his hair was shaped to a tiny point that further accented his sloping brow. Finally, he was given the name, "Zip the Pinhead," the "What-Is-It?"
Zip would then be revealed in a cage where he could rattle the bars and screech. This act was tremendously successful for Barnum, and Zip was as big a draw to his American Museum
as the famous Siamese twins
, Chang and Eng Bunker
.
In later years Zip became more "civilized" in his act. He shared the stage with other prodigies, including his friends Jim Tarver, the Texas Giant; Jack Earle
, the Tallest Man in the World; Koo-Koo the Bird Girl
and many others. Zip also traveled extensively with the Ringling Brothers
circus.
Zip drew the attention of important figures of the time. In 1860 he was visited at the Museum by Albert Edward
, the Prince of Wales
; his photo (the one pictured above) was taken by famed Civil War
photographer Mathew Brady
.
Throughout this period Zip's best friend and manager was Captain O.K. White. White conscientiously looked after Zip's interests. He also gave Zip one of his prized possessions, a tuxedo. He would wear the tuxedo on special occasions such as birthdays.
One of his other possessions was a fiddle. It was said that he purchased the fiddle in Kentucky
and that it had once belonged to Daniel Boone
. Zip was most unskillful with the instrument, but it is reported that audiences loved seeing Zip play his fiddle and dance about with it.
In his later years Zip eschewed traveling in favor of displaying himself at Coney Island
. One Sunday afternoon in 1925, Zip heard a little girl cry for help. He noticed the girl waving her arms in the ocean and swam out to rescue her. All who witnessed cheered his valor, but he left the scene to avoid their accolades.
Zip caught bronchitis
in early 1926, and despite the wishes of his doctor and Captain White he continued to perform his part in the stage play Sunny at the New Amsterdam Theater. Upon the closing of the play he returned to his home in Bound Brook, New Jersey
, where he was cared for by his doctor, Captain White, and his sister. When his condition worsened he was moved to Bellevue Hospital in New York City
where he died.
It is estimated that during his 67 years in show business, Zip entertained more than one hundred million people. He was termed "The Dean of Freaks". His funeral was attended by the greatest side show acts of the days, including Lady Olga Roderick
, the Bearded Lady; Frank Graf, the tattooed man; and many more. During the ceremonies the distraught Captain White collapsed. He died three days later.
Although there seem to be discrepancies on the certificate concerning age and date of death; Zip the Pinhead, William Henry Johnson, was buried in Plot 399 of the Bound Brook Cemetery on April 26 1926. A small gravestone bearing the inscription "William H. Johnson, 1857–1926" marks his resting place. However, it is written on Zip's burial certificate that Zip was 83 years old, which would have meant he was born in 1842 or 1843, which seems more likely considering his 1860 photograph; 1857 is more likely the year he began his career.
Johnson is partly the inspiration for Bill Griffith's comics character, Zippy the Pinhead
. He was featured in the "Freak Show Tech" episode of the History Channel series Wild West Tech
. Although Johnson was not the first pinhead in the American circus sideshows, his costumes and presentation led to the display of several other microcephalics to the American public.
William Henry's sister, Sarah van Duyne, claimed in a 1926 interview that her brother would "converse like the average person, and with fair reasoning power".
According to the interview with his sister, Zip's last words to her were "Well, we fooled 'em for a long time, didn't we?"
Bernards Township, New Jersey
-History:Bernards Township was originally formed by Royal Charter in 1760 as Bernardston Township from remaining portions of Northern precinct. It was incorporated as Bernards Township as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798...
– April 9, 1926 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
), was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
freak show
Freak show
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and...
performer famous for his oddly tapered head
Human head
In human anatomy, the head is the upper portion of the human body. It supports the face and is maintained by the skull, which itself encloses the brain.-Cultural importance:...
.
Early life
William Henry Johnson was born one of six children to a very poor African-American family. His parents were William and Mahalia Johnson, former slavesSlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. As he grew his body developed normally but his head remained small. His tapering cranium and heavy jaw made him attractive to agents from van Emburgh's Circus in Somerville
Somerville, New Jersey
Somerville is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,098. It is the county seat of Somerset County....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. His unusual appearance caused many to believe that he was a "pinhead", or microcephalic
Microcephaly
Microcephaly is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which the circumference of the head is more than two standard deviations smaller than average for the person's age and sex. Microcephaly may be congenital or it may develop in the first few years of life...
. Microcephalics are characterized by a small, tapering cranium and often have impaired mental faculty. It is arguable, however, that William Henry was not mentally deficient.
William Henry's parents agreed to allow the circus to display him in return for money. He was billed as a missing link
Missing Link
Missing link is a nonscientific term for any transitional fossil, especially one connected with human evolution; see Transitional fossil - Missing links and List of transitonal fossils - Human evolution.Missing Link may refer to:...
supposedly caught in Africa and displayed in a cage. He was a popular draw and his success led young William Henry's agent to show his charge to P.T. Barnum.
Barnum purchased the right to display William Henry Johnson from the circus and gave him a new look. A furry suit was made to fit him, and his hair was shaped to a tiny point that further accented his sloping brow. Finally, he was given the name, "Zip the Pinhead," the "What-Is-It?"
As Zip the Pinhead
Zip's early performances were set against a background story. It was told to the audience that a tribe of "missing links" had been discovered in Africa, and that Zip was one of these. It was further explained that the "wild man", the "What-Is-It", subsisted on raw meat, nuts, and fruit, but was learning to eat more civilized fare such as bread and cake.Zip would then be revealed in a cage where he could rattle the bars and screech. This act was tremendously successful for Barnum, and Zip was as big a draw to his American Museum
Barnum's American Museum
Barnum's American Museum was located at the corner of Broadway and Ann Street in New York City, USA, from 1841 to 1865. The museum was owned by famous showman P.T. Barnum and his partner and original owner, John Scudder. Prior to their partnership, the museum was known as Scudder's American...
as the famous Siamese twins
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
, Chang and Eng Bunker
Chang and Eng Bunker
Chang and Eng Bunker were the conjoined twin brothers whose condition and birthplace became the basis for the term "Siamese twins".-Life:...
.
In later years Zip became more "civilized" in his act. He shared the stage with other prodigies, including his friends Jim Tarver, the Texas Giant; Jack Earle
Jack Earle
Jacob Rheuben Ehrlich was an American silent film actor and sideshow performer. Due to acromegalic gigantism, Earle was one of the world's tallest humans at the time of his death, standing at 7 ft 7½ inch. tall. For 14 years, he traveled with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, then became...
, the Tallest Man in the World; Koo-Koo the Bird Girl
Koo-Koo the Bird Girl
Koo Koo, the Bird Girl was born Minnie Woolsey in 1880. When she died is unknown, but accounts show that she was still alive in 1960.Woolsey suffered from a rare skeletal disorder called Virchow-Seckel syndrome, which caused her to have a very short stature, a small head, a narrow birdlike face...
and many others. Zip also traveled extensively with the Ringling Brothers
Ringling brothers
The Ringling brothers were seven siblings who transformed their small touring company of performers into one of America's largest circuses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in McGregor, Iowa and raised in Baraboo, Wisconsin, they were the children of Heinrich Friedrich August Ringling...
circus.
Zip drew the attention of important figures of the time. In 1860 he was visited at the Museum by Albert Edward
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
, the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
; his photo (the one pictured above) was taken by famed Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
photographer Mathew Brady
Mathew Brady
Mathew B. Brady was one of the most celebrated 19th century American photographers, best known for his portraits of celebrities and his documentation of the American Civil War...
.
Throughout this period Zip's best friend and manager was Captain O.K. White. White conscientiously looked after Zip's interests. He also gave Zip one of his prized possessions, a tuxedo. He would wear the tuxedo on special occasions such as birthdays.
One of his other possessions was a fiddle. It was said that he purchased the fiddle in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and that it had once belonged to Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
. Zip was most unskillful with the instrument, but it is reported that audiences loved seeing Zip play his fiddle and dance about with it.
In his later years Zip eschewed traveling in favor of displaying himself at Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
. One Sunday afternoon in 1925, Zip heard a little girl cry for help. He noticed the girl waving her arms in the ocean and swam out to rescue her. All who witnessed cheered his valor, but he left the scene to avoid their accolades.
Zip caught bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
in early 1926, and despite the wishes of his doctor and Captain White he continued to perform his part in the stage play Sunny at the New Amsterdam Theater. Upon the closing of the play he returned to his home in Bound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. At the United States 2010 Census, the population was 10,402.Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township...
, where he was cared for by his doctor, Captain White, and his sister. When his condition worsened he was moved to Bellevue Hospital in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he died.
It is estimated that during his 67 years in show business, Zip entertained more than one hundred million people. He was termed "The Dean of Freaks". His funeral was attended by the greatest side show acts of the days, including Lady Olga Roderick
Jane Barnell
Jane Barnell was a US bearded lady who used the stage name Lady Olga....
, the Bearded Lady; Frank Graf, the tattooed man; and many more. During the ceremonies the distraught Captain White collapsed. He died three days later.
Although there seem to be discrepancies on the certificate concerning age and date of death; Zip the Pinhead, William Henry Johnson, was buried in Plot 399 of the Bound Brook Cemetery on April 26 1926. A small gravestone bearing the inscription "William H. Johnson, 1857–1926" marks his resting place. However, it is written on Zip's burial certificate that Zip was 83 years old, which would have meant he was born in 1842 or 1843, which seems more likely considering his 1860 photograph; 1857 is more likely the year he began his career.
Johnson is partly the inspiration for Bill Griffith's comics character, Zippy the Pinhead
Zippy the Pinhead
Zippy is an American comic strip created by Bill Griffith. The character of Zippy the Pinhead initially appeared in underground publications during the 1970s...
. He was featured in the "Freak Show Tech" episode of the History Channel series Wild West Tech
Wild West Tech
Wild West Tech was a program that aired on The History Channel in the United States. The show was originally hosted by Keith Carradine , but his brother, David Carradine took over hosting duties for season 2 and subsequent seasons...
. Although Johnson was not the first pinhead in the American circus sideshows, his costumes and presentation led to the display of several other microcephalics to the American public.
Mental capacity
William Henry Johnson may not have been a true microcephalic; he may have merely had an oddly-shaped head. Additionally, he possibly did not suffer the mental retardation that microcephalics often suffer. There has been some interest in ascertaining Zip's actual mental capacity.William Henry's sister, Sarah van Duyne, claimed in a 1926 interview that her brother would "converse like the average person, and with fair reasoning power".
According to the interview with his sister, Zip's last words to her were "Well, we fooled 'em for a long time, didn't we?"