A tip o' the pin to Bill Griffith, who has for the second time honored the endangered 76 Balls with a visit from their pal Zippy. This strip also references our own Earl Ma, whose photo and video documentation of the 76 Balls of Honolulu and Los Angeles offers bittersweet cause for reflection in anyone who loves classic design.

We dig this rallying cry: NO NIX 76! 

Hurrah for Bill Griffith, whose daily Zippy the Pinhead strip (running in about 200 newspapers today) "Unleaded Moment" features the titular hero communing with a 76 Ball that has some very reasonable concerns about its mortality.

Thanks to the miracles of the internet, you can enjoy the strip in color (with the surrealistic choice of a navy blue backdrop for the sphere) or classic black and white. 

Bill reports that Zippy will be revisiting the 76 Ball campaign in at least one future strip. Zippy's attention was instrumental in helping to save the endangered Doggie Diner restaurant heads in the Bay Area, and we hope he can do the same for 76. Thanks, Zippy!

We are honored to report that cartoonist Bill Griffith, father of Zippy the Pinhead and champion of daffy signage (see: Doggy Diner) will be celebrating the endangered 76 Ball in a strip that will run in over 200 daily papers on July 24. Thanks, Bill and thank you Zippy! Even pinheads know how great the 76 Ball sign is... so why don't the suits at ConocoPhillips?