Schlitzie the Pinhead

Schlitzie the Pinhead is one of the most remarkable humans time has ever seen. Although his true identity is still somewhat of a mystery, Schlitzie was charismatic and had an incredibly infectious personality that attracted many people towards him despite his physical appearance.

Schlitzie was born with microcephalus, a condition characterized by an abnormally small and often pointed cranium. This type of condition results in retardation. Schlitzie had the cognitive abilities of a four-year-old for most of his life. He was also often identified as a girl because he frequently wore dresses and bows in his hair. All of his life, Schlitzie was seen as an outcast from the human population. Although this was extremely common with people noted as pinheads, Schlitzie attracted people are and near because of his innocence and childlike exuberance.

Throughout many years of providing entertainment for thousands of people, Schlitzie appeared in numerous circuses and movies. Since his true identity isn’t known, Schlitzie has no known family, but in 1936, chimpanzee trainer George Surtees became his full legal guardian. When he passed away in 1960, he had his daughter admit Schlitzie to a hospital in Los Angeles because he felt nobody else would be willing to care for him. After many years of living in the hospital, Bill Unks, a man known for swallowing swords, found Schlitzie to be very depressed and missing the circus life and being able to entertain others. Doctors eventually decided the best thing for Schlitzie was to return to this lifestyle, and Bill took him under his wing.

Schlitzie lived for many more years and never actually officially retired. He ended up settling down in an apartment in downtown Los Angeles and was cared for by friends who were also performers. Schlitzie lived until he was 71 years old and he passed away in 1971. Although as he aged he was performing for crowds much less, he was still seen in his final years feeding birds in the park and performing for people passing by.

Halloween is just around the corner, why not try to dress up as something as unique as The Pinhead this year?

https://www.trickortreatstudios.com/american-horror-story-pepper-mask.html

Check out this link for more cool costume ideas for this Halloween.

https://www.seventeen.com/life/g1451/halloween-1007/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/53122/67-awesome-halloween-costume-ideas