Zip the Pinhead

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This article is about the circus performer. For the comic strip character, see Zippy the Pinhead.
William Henry Johnson (Zip the Pinhead)
Zip the pinhead.jpg
Born
William Henry Johnson

c. 1857
Liberty Corner, New Jersey, US
Died(1926-04-09)April 9, 1926 (aged 68–69)
New York, New York, US
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFreak show performer
Known forperformer with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey sideshows, entertainer at Coney Island

William Henry Johnson (c. 1857 – April 9, 1926), known as Zip the Pinhead, was an American freak show performer famous for his tapered head.

Early life[]

William Henry Johnson was born one of six children to a very poor African-American family.[citation needed] His parents were William and Mahalia Johnson, former slaves.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] His unusual appearance caused many to believe that he was a "pinhead", or microcephalic. Microcephaly patients are characterized by a small, tapering cranium and often have impaired mental faculty.[citation needed] It is arguable, however, whether William Henry was intellectually disabled.[1]

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.[citation needed] He was a popular attraction, and his success led young William Henry's agent to show his charge to showman P.T. Barnum.[citation needed]

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?"[2]

Career[]

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.[citation needed]

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 an attraction to Barnum's American Museum as the famous Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker.[citation needed]

In later years, Zip became more "civilized" in his act. He shared the stage with other anomalies, including his friends "Texas Giant" , "Tallest Man in the World" Jack Earle and Koo-Koo the Bird Girl. He traveled extensively with the Ringling Brothers circus.

In 1860, he was visited at the museum by Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales; his photo was taken by Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.[3]

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.

In his later years, Zip eschewed traveling in favor of performing 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.[4]

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.[citation needed]

It is estimated that during his 67 years in show business, Zip entertained more than one hundred million people.[5]

Zip the Pinhead was buried in Plot 399 of the Bound Brook Cemetery on April 28, 1926. A small gravestone bearing the inscription "William H. Johnson, 1857–1926" marks his resting place.[citation needed]

Inspiration[]

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 not the first pinhead in the American circus sideshows, his costumes and presentation led to the display of several other microcephalic people to the American public.[6]

See Also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Fuller, Randall (2017). The book that changed America: how Darwin's theory of evolution ignited a nation. New York: Viking. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-5254-2833-6.
  2. ^ Hornberger, Francine (2005). Carny Folk: The World's Weirdest Sideshow Acts. New York: Citadel Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-8065-2661-4.
  3. ^ Racial profiling | The San Diego Union-Tribune
  4. ^ Zip Rescues Drowning Girl | Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 29, 1925
  5. ^ Colin Campbell (director), David Carradine (host) (21 December 2004). "Wild West Tech" Freak Show Tech. History Channel productions.
  6. ^ Mateen FJ, Boes CJ (2010). "'Pinheads': the exhibition of neurologic disorders at 'The Greatest Show on Earth'". Neurology. 75 (22): 2028–32. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181ff9636. PMID 21115959. S2CID 207118420.

External links[]

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