Zippy the Pinhead is a fictional character who is the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of ''Zippy'', an American

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

created by

Bill Griffith William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited to ...

. Zippy's most famous quotation, "Are we having fun yet?", appears in ''

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'', often simply called ''Bartlett's'', is an American reference work that is the longest-lived and most widely distributed collection of quotations. The book was first issued in 1855 and is currently in its ninet ...

'' and became a

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

. He almost always wears a yellow

muumuu The muumuu or muumuu () is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder and is like a cross between a shirt and a robe. Like the aloha shirt, muumuu exports are often brilliantly colored with floral patterns of generic Polynes ...

clown suit A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

with large red polka dots, and puffy, white

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

shoes. (Other forms of attire may be seen when appropriate to the context, e.g. a

toga The toga (, ), a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic. In Roman historical tra ...

.) Although in name and appearance, Zippy is a

microcephalic Microcephaly (from New Latin ''microcephalia'', from Ancient Greek μικρός ''mikrós'' "small" and κεφαλή ''kephalé'' "head") is a medical condition involving a smaller-than-normal head. Microcephaly may be present at birth or it m ...

, he is distinctive not so much for his skull shape, or for any identifiable form of brain damage, but for his enthusiasm for philosophical non sequiturs ("All life is a blur of Republicans and meat!"), verbal free association, and the pursuit of

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

ephemera. His wholehearted devotion to random artifacts satirizes the excesses of

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the supp ...

. The character of Zippy the Pinhead initially appeared in

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

publications during the 1970s. The ''Zippy'' comic is distributed by

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...

to more than 100 newspapers, and Griffith self-syndicates strips to college newspapers and alternative weeklies. The strip is unique among syndicated multi-panel dailies for its characteristics of

literary nonsense Literary nonsense (or nonsense literature) is a broad categorization of literature that balances elements that make sense with some that do not, with the effect of subverting language conventions or logical reasoning. Even though the most well-kn ...

, including a near-absence of either straightforward gags or continuous narrative, and for its unusually intricate artwork, which is reminiscent of the style of Griffith's 1970s underground comics.

Origin

Zippy made his first appearance in ''Real Pulp Comics'' #1 in March 1971, published by

Print Mint The Print Mint, Inc. was a major publisher and distributor of underground comix based in the San Francisco Bay Area during the genre's late 1960s-early 1970s heyday. Starting as a retailer of psychedelic posters, the Print Mint soon evolved into ...

. In a 2008 interview with Alex Dueben, Griffith recalled how it all began: The strip began in the ''

Berkeley Barb The ''Berkeley Barb'' was a weekly underground newspaper published in Berkeley, California, during the years 1965 to 1980. It was one of the first and most influential of the counterculture newspapers, covering such subjects as the anti-war movem ...

'' in 1976 and was syndicated nationally soon after (by

Rip Off Press Rip Off Press Corporation, Inc. is a comic book mail order retailer and Distribution (business), distributor, better known as the former publisher of adult-themed series like ''The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' and ''Rip Off Comix'', as well as ...

),"Zippy Congratulates Rip-Off Press," ''Rip Off Comix'' #21 (Winter 1988), p. 50. originally as a weekly strip. When

William Randolph Hearst III William Randolph Hearst III (born June 18, 1949) is an American heir, businessman, and philanthropist. Biography Early life William Randolph Hearst III was born on June 18, 1949. His father was William Randolph Hearst Jr., and his paternal gra ...

took over the ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...

'' in 1985, he offered Griffith an opportunity to do ''Zippy'' as a daily strip. Several months later it was picked up for worldwide daily distribution by

in 1986, appearing in 60 daily papers by 1988. The Sunday ''Zippy'' debuted in 1990. When the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' canceled ''Zippy'' briefly in 2002, the newspaper received thousands of letters of protest, including one from

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

, who called ''Zippy'' "by far the very best daily comic strip that exists in America." The ''Chronicle'' quickly restored the strip but dropped it again in 2004, leading to more protests as well as grateful letters from non-fans. The strip has developed a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

and continues to be syndicated in many newspapers.

Characters and story

Zippy's original appearance was partly inspired by the

Schlitzie Schlitzie (alternatively spelled Schlitze or Shlitze; September 10, 1901 – September 24, 1971), possibly born Simon Metz and legally Schlitze Surtees, was an American sideshow performer. He also appeared in a few films, and is best known for his ...

, from the film ''

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

'', which was enjoying something of a cult revival at the time, and

P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...

's sideshow performer Zip the Pinhead, who may not have been a

but was nevertheless billed as one. Griffith has never committed himself to a set origin story for Zippy; no fewer than five have appeared: * a strange visitor from another planet * a pinhead who wandered away from the circus * an android whose inventor didn't live to see its imperfections * the secret identity of a jaded heir to a fortune who decided to apply Zen to everyday life * a college student who inexplicably turned into a pinhead Griffith also never committed himself to any set time period or home location for Zippy. Griffith compares the creation of the strip to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

: "When I'm doing a ''Zippy'' strip, I'm aware that I'm weaving elements together, almost improvising, as if I were all the instruments in a little jazz combo, then stepping back constantly to edit and fine-tune. Playing with language is what delights Zippy the most." Zippy's favorite foods are

taco sauce Salsa is a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Mexican and Mexican-American foods, and as dips for tortilla chips. They may be raw or cooked, and are generally served at room temperature. Though the word ''salsa'' means a ...

and

Ding Dongs A Ding Dong is a chocolate cake produced and distributed in the United States by Hostess Brands and in Canada from Vachon Inc. under the name King Dons; in some U.S. markets, it was previously known as Big Wheels. The Ding Dong has been produced ...

. He sometimes snacks on

Polysorbate 80 Polysorbate 80 is a nonionic surfactant and emulsifier often used in pharmaceuticals, foods, and cosmetics. This synthetic compound is a viscous, water-soluble yellow liquid. Chemistry Polysorbate 80 is derived from polyethoxylated sorbitan and ...

. Zippy's signature expression of surprise is "Yow!" Zippy's unpredictable behavior sometimes causes severe difficulty for others, but never for himself. (For example, drug dealers tried to use him as a

drug mule A mule or courier is someone who personally smuggles contraband across a border (as opposed to sending by mail, etc.) for a smuggling organization. The organizers employ mules to reduce the risk of getting caught themselves. Methods of smuggli ...

, but lost their stash or were jailed.) He is married to a nearly identical pinhead named Zerbina, has two children, Fuelrod (a boy) and

Meltdown Meltdown may refer to: Science and technology * Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident * Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors * Mutational meltdown, in population genetics Arts and entertainment Music * Me ...

(a girl), both apparently in their early teens, and owns a cat named Dingy. His parents, Ebb and Flo, originally from Kansas, live in Florida. Zippy's angst-ridden twin brother Lippy also frequently appears. He is portrayed as Zippy's total opposite, often dressed in a conservative suit, thinking sequentially, and avoiding his brother's penchant for non-sequiturs. In a daily strip dated 8 March 2005, he is depicted as being deeply moved by the poetry of

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

, the landscape paintings of

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustration, illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His ...

, and the music of

John Tesh John Frank Tesh (born July 9, 1952) is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. He hosts the ''Intelligence for Your Life'' radio show. In addition, since 2014, he has hosted ''Intelligen ...

. He has four close friends: * Claude Funston, a hapless working man * Griffy, a stand-in for Bill Griffith, who often appears in the strip to complain about various aspects of modern life * Shelf-Life, a fast-talking schemer always looking for "the next big thing" * Vizeen Nurney, a 20-something lounge singer who, despite her rebellious image, has an optimistic and sympathetic nature A humanoid

toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...

, Mr. Toad (less commonly "Mr. the Toad") who embodies blind greed and selfishness, appears occasionally (along with his wife, Mrs. Toad, and their children, Mustang and Blazer), as do The Toadettes, a group of mindless and interchangeable amphibians, who pop up here and there; and the Stupidity Patrol, described by Bill Griffith as "cruising the streets of

L.A. Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, correcting the behavior of insensitive louts". (Mr. Toad first appeared in

strips done by Griffith in 1969.) Another occasionally occurring character is God, appearing either as a disembodied head or a head superimposed on various peoples' bodies. He is depicted as either conversing with Zippy on various philosophical topics, or commenting on humanity in general. In his daily-strip incarnation, Zippy spends much of his time traveling and commenting on interesting places; recent strips focus on his fascination with roadside icons featuring giant beings; Zippy also frequently participates in his long-running conversation with the giant fiberglass doggie mascot of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

's Doggie Diner chain (later, the Carousel diner near the

San Francisco Zoo The San Francisco Zoo is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. The SF Zoo is a public institution, managed by the non-profit San Francisco Zoologi ...

). For a while the Zippy website encouraged people to send photos of interesting places for Zippy to visit in the strip. In 2007, Griffith began to focus his daily strip on the fictional city of Dingburg,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, Zippy's "birthplace" which, according to the cartoonist, is located "17

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

west West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

." Griffith said: In regard to Zippy's famous catchphrase, at the 2003

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels, Griffith recalled the phone call from '' Bartlett's'':

Appearances elsewhere

Following rumors of a ''Zippy'' movie project that was never consummated, Griffith devoted dozens of strips to his real and imagined dealings with Hollywood. An animated television series, to be produced by Film Roman and co-written by

Diane Noomin Diane Robin Noomin ( Rosenblatt, May 13, 1947 – September 1, 2022) was an American comics artist associated with the underground comics movement. She is best known for her character DiDi Glitz, who addresses transgressive social issues such as ...

, was in negotiations from 1996 to 2001. On July 9, 2004, Zippy made his stage debut in San Francisco in ''Fun: The Concept'' at the Dark Room Theatre. Bill Griffith approved of the adaptation, though he did not work on the project. ''Fun: The Concept'' was adapted by Denzil J. Meyers with Jim Fourniadis. A collection of about 1,000 Zippy quotes was formerly packaged and distributed with the

Emacs Emacs , originally named EMACS (an acronym for "Editor MACroS"), is a family of text editors that are characterized by their extensibility. The manual for the most widely used variant, GNU Emacs, describes it as "the extensible, customizable, s ...

text editor. Some installations of the "

fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

" command, available on most Unix-type systems, also contain this collection. This gives Zippy a very wide audience, since most Emacs users can have a random Zippy quote printed on their screen by typing "M-x yow" and most Linux or BSD users can get a random quote by typing "fortune zippy" in a

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

. However, as a result of a decision by

Richard Stallman Richard Matthew Stallman (; born March 16, 1953), also known by his initials, rms, is an American free software movement activist and programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in such a manner that its users have the freedom to ...

prompted by FSF lawyer

Eben Moglen Eben Moglen (born 1959) is an American legal scholar who is professor of law and legal history at Columbia University, and is the founder, Director-Counsel and Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center. Professional biography Moglen started out as ...

, motivated by copyright concerns, these quotes were erased in GNU Emacs 22. Zippy under emacs now will only say "Yow! Legally-imposed CULTURE-reduction is CABBAGE-BRAINED!". Zippy can be restored by replacing the yow file with one from an older Emacs. After Griffith criticized

Scott Adams Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the syndicated '' Dilbert'' comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, and business. ''Dilbert'' gained natio ...

' comic ''

Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title charact ...

'' for being "a kind of childish, depleted shell of a once-vibrant medium," Adams responded a year and half later on May 18, 1998, with a comic strip called ''Pippy the Ziphead'', "cramming as much artwork in as possible so no one will notice there's only one joke... ndit's on the reader."

notes that the strip is "nothing but a clown with a small head who says random things" and

Dogbert This is a list of characters that have appeared in Scott Adams' ''Dilbert'' comic strip. Primary characters Dilbert The main character in the strip, Dilbert is a stereotypical technically-minded single male. Prior to October 2014, he was us ...

responds that he is "maintaining his artistic integrity by creating a comic that no one will enjoy." Zippy also makes an appearance in the 1995 round-robin work ''

The Narrative Corpse ''The Narrative Corpse'' is a chain story, or comic jam, by 69 all-star cartoonists based on ''Le Cadavre Exquis'' (see Exquisite corpse), a popular game played by André Breton and his surrealist friends to break free from the constraints of ra ...

'' where he takes the

stick figure A stick figure, also known as a stickman, is a very simple drawing of a person or an animal, composed of a few lines, curves, and dots. On a stick figure, the head is most often represented by a circle, which can be either a solid color or som ...

protagonist to

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

for "peace and quiet". Another appearance can be found in the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

' comic book-themed 2005 compilation ''

Weird Tales of the Ramones ''Weird Tales of the Ramones'' is a box set compilation by American punk band the Ramones. It was released on August 16, 2005. There are 85 songs on 3 CDs, plus a DVD containing the feature "Lifestyles of the Ramones", a documentary featuring seve ...

'', consisting of Zippy asking to play "air

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

" for the band.

Books

* ''Zippy Stories.'' Berkeley:

And/Or Press And/Or Press was an independent small press publisher based in the San Francisco Bay Area that operated from 1974 to 1983. The company published books on personal development, guides to the countercultural lifestyle, and consciousness expansion. ...

, 1981. . San Francisco:

Last Gasp Last Gasp or The Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) * ''Last Gasp'' (''Inside No. 9''), a TV episode * '' The Last Gasp'', a 2007 album by Impaled * ''The Last Gasp'' (novel) * "Last Gasp" (song) {{dab ...

, 1986. * ''Nation of Pinheads.'' Berkeley: And/Or Press, 1982. Reprinted, San Francisco: Last Gasp, 1987. Zippy strips, 1979–1982. * ''Pointed Behavior.'' San Francisco: Last Gasp, 1984. Zippy strips, 1983–1984. * ''Are We Having Fun Yet? Zippy the Pinhead's 29 Day Guide to Random Activities and Arbitrary Donuts''. New York: Dutton, 1985. Reprinted, Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1994. * ''Pindemonium.'' San Francisco: Last Gasp, 1986. Zippy strips, 1985–1986. * ''King Pin: New Zippy Strips.'' New York: Dutton, 1987. Zippy strips, 1986–7. * ''Pinhead's Progress: More Zippy Strips.'' New York: Dutton, 1989. Zippy strips, 1987–8. * ''From A to Zippy: Getting There Is All the Fun.'' New York: Penguin Books, 1991. Zippy strips, 1988–90. * ''Zippy's House of Fun: 54 Months of Sundays.'' Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1995. (Color strips, May 1990 - September 1994) * ''Zippy and beyond: A Pinhead's Progress - Comic Strips, Stories, Travel Sketches and Animation Material.'' San Francisco: Cartoon Art Museum, 1997. * ''Zippy Quarterly (eighteen collections, published from January, 1993 until March, 1998) - no ISBN identification for these publications * ''Zippy Annual: A millennial melange of microcephalic malapropisms and metaphysical muzak.'' ("Vol. 1", "Impressions based on random data".) Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2000. * ''Zippy Annual 2001.'' ("Vol. 2", "April 2001 - September 2001".) Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2001. * ''Zippy Annual 2002.'' ("Vol. 3", "September 2001 - October 2002".) Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2002. * ''Zippy Annual 2003.'' ("Vol. 4", "October 2002 - October 2003".) Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2003. * ''Zippy: From Here to Absurdity.'' ("Vol. 5", "November 2003 - November 2004".) Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2004. * ''Type Z Personality.'' ("Vol. 6", "December 2004 - December 2005".) Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2005, * ''Connect the Polka Dots.'' ("Vol. 7", December 2005 - August 2006".) Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2006. * ''Walk a Mile in My Muu-Muu.'' Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2007. * ''Welcome to Dingburg''. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2008. * ''Ding Dong Daddy from Dingburg''. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2010. * ''Zippy the Pinhead: The Dingburg Diaries''. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2013.

Notes

References

External links

Official site

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

. at

Archived
from the original on September 10, 2015
The Real Zip the Pinhead from Liberty Corner, New Jersey

''Still asking "Are we having fun yet?"'' by Bill Griffith
transcript of Griffith's talk at the 2003 University of Florida Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels
Photos of the opening night of the stage play ''Fun: The Concept''

The Heideggarian Disruptions of Zippy the Pinhead
by Ellen Grabiner, ''Philosophy Now'' (June 2011)
2003 TV interview
with Bill Griffith in his Connecticut studio. The "Zippy Theme Song" is heard on the soundtrack. *
Waymarking" website
tracks down and photographs real world locations in ''Zippy'' strips. It also links the photos to the ''Zippy'' strip in which the location appeared.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zippy the Pinhead American comic strips Gag-a-day comics Comics characters introduced in 1971 1971 comics debuts American comics characters Fictional American people Satirical comics Underground comix Metafictional comics Surreal comedy Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area People with microcephaly Adult comics Male characters in comics