The humor that stuck: Zippy the Pinhead
“Laundry is the fifth dimension.” – Zippy (created by Bill Griffith)
Zippy is the king of the non sequitur. I start every day with a cup of coffee and a dose of Zippy the Pinhead in the morning newspaper. I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years. The only thing that’s changed is that I now need to hold the paper a lot farther away in order to focus on the tiny print.
Zippy the Pinhead starts his day with a glazed donut and a jar of taco sauce. Don’t get it? Well, you’re not supposed to, really. The trick is, you should approach a Zippy cartoon with a clear mind. (That’s why mornings are perfect: Bzzzzz.) Let the Zipster’s free association with words wash over you as you eat your cornflakes. Zippy’s dialog is all over the map. Yet, somehow he remains tethered to reality by the thinnest of hairs (like the ones on his head). This strip always brings me pleasure. The farther it goes into the realm of absurdity, the better. Sometimes, when Cynde gets to the funnys before I do, she will growl and say, "Jack, Zippy really pisses me off today." Then I know it's going to be a particularly good one. I think it would be fair to say that Zippy the Pinhead is an aquired taste.
The character Zippy is both naïve and aware. He’s like the harmless inner child of each and every one of us, after we’ve drunk six margaritas. Only one thing is certain in a Zippy comic strip: the words that come out of the Pinhead’s mouth are the last one’s you would ever expect. And I admire that – crave it, even. Especially considering the rest of the morning newspaper is entirely too predictable and depressing. Sometimes, I’ll catch myself repeating Zippy’s words, like a mantra, throughout the day: “Go on, ask me about bowling and laundry.”
Here are a few more of my favorite Zippyisms:
All life is a blur of Republicans and meat.
I’m thinking of having a mid-week crisis.
Loni Anderson’s hair should be legalized.
I’m having a big bang theory.
Karl Malden’s nose just won an Academy Award.
Zombies rule Belgium.
As a devoted fan, I am always on the lookout for roadside attractions for Zippy to have conversations with. (This has become one of Zippy’s favorite pastimes in recent years). Icons that I have found and photographed in my travels have appeared in two Zippy strips. Check out this one from my boyhood state of Pennsylvania. And then this one from Tucson, Arizona. Note the “tip” in the third panel of both strips.
http://www.zippythepinhead.com/
3:57:47 PM  Stories
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