Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of polka-dot wearing pinheads and upright horny toads… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!

By Bob Andelman

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Order 'Bill Griffith: Lost and Found: Comics 1969-2003' by clicking the book cover above

You know what I really want to know from cartoonist Bill Griffith?

It’s this: does he collect a royalty every time the housekeeper on “Two and a Half Men,” Berta, calls Jon Cryer’s character Alan Harper “Zippy”?

Because with repeats, he should be a rich man.

Nothing telegraphs an opinion of someone’s intellect more rapidly than calling him or her a “pinhead.” And no one has done more to expand the use of the term “pinhead” in our society than daily cartoonist Bill Griffith, creator of the long running “Zippy the Pinhead” comic strip.

BILL GRIFFITH audio excerpt: “I’m sure somebody will be offended, which will be nice—to still offend somebody after all these years. People who only know Zippy comics through King Features will probably be surprised to see that Zippy was more adult-oriented.” 

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You can LISTEN to this interview with cartoonist BILL GRIFFITH, creator of ZIPPY THE PINHEAD, by clicking the audio player above!

Zippy is an American icon, a mouthpiece alternatively for the social and political views of his creator or just a place to drop a twisted joke or punchline.

But for those who know Zippy the Pinhead only as a syndicated daily comic in newspapers around the world, you might be surprised to learn the character has a rich history starting in the underground comix world of the 1970s. And he was actually a secondary banana to creator Griffith’s first character, Mr. Toad.

Order 'Are We Having Fun Yet??' by clicking on the book cover above

All sorts of pinhead history can be found in Griffith’s introduction to his new collection, Lost and Found: Comics 1969-2003. It’s a 364-page treasury of some of the cartoonist’s earliest work, including Zippy and pre-Zippy, such as Young Lust, Tales of Toad, Thrilling Murder and more.

This is my second conversation with Griffith; the first was back in 1997, when Mr. Media was a syndicated weekly newspaper column.

Bill Griffith Website • Zippy the Pinhead daily comic strips • Facebook • Wikipedia • Order Zippy merchandise

Image via Wikipedia

• Order Lost and Found: Comics 1969-2003

Bob Andelman is the author or co-author of 12 books, including Mind Over Business with Ken Baum, The Consulate with Thomas R. Stutler, The Profiler with Pat Brown, Built From Scratch with the founders of The Home Depot, The Profit Zone with Adrian Slywotzky, Mean Business with Albert J. Dunlap, and Will Eisner: A Spirited Life. Click here to see Bob Andelman’s Amazon Central author page. He is a member in good standing of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (member page).

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