Zip the Pinhead

Zip the Pinhead, born William Henry Johnson, (1842 Liberty Corners, New Jersey – April 28, 1926 New York, New York) was an American freak show performer famous for his oddly tapered head.

How smart was Zip?

William Henry Johnson was not a true microcephalic; he merely had an oddly-shaped head. He therefore did not suffer the mental retardation that microcephalics often suffer. There has been some interest in ascertaining Zip's actual mental capacity.

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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," when he came to visit her.

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An example often given of Zip's intelligence is this anecdote: Zip had picked up the habit of smoking cigars from John Ringling North, proprietor of the circus. However, his cigars had to be the same expensive brand that North smoked, or Zip wouldn't perform.

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Zip's fiddle-playing was so awful that his fellow performers and some audience members would pay him not to play. In this way, it is believed that Zip earned $14,000 in only six years – a staggering US $140,000 in 2002 dollars. Could Zip have purposefully annoyed his fellow prodigies and unappreciative audience members to earn extra cash? (Zip's money was invested by Capt. White in several ventures, including a chicken farm in Nutley, NJ.)

Related Topics:
2002 - Chicken - Nutley, NJ

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Finally, Zip's last words were to his sister, Mrs. Van Duyne. He is quoted as saying, "Well, we fooled 'em for a long time!"

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