JANUARY 10TH 2001 CARD The Zodiac Killer was heavily influenced by the newspapers throughout his campaign of terror in northern California, which may have continued up until January 10th 2001 with the "Happy New Year" card mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle and exclaiming "You thought I was dead. No Way" (and signed Zodiac). There are three festive greeting cards connected to the Zodiac Killer story, which ended in 2001 but included the December 27th 1974 card to Mary Pilker of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (sister of Donna Lass), and the December 1990 "Eureka" card mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle with photocopied keys tied to Chester Clark Klingel. However, none of these festive greeting cards ever mentioned the word "Christmas".
The card on December 27th 1974 had the pre-printed message of "Holiday Greetings and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year". The Eureka card mailed in December 1990 had the pre-printed message of (in part) "Happy Holidays, anyway". The January 10th 2001 card had the pre-printed message of "Happy New Year. From January 1st to the end of December, here's wishing you a year to enjoy and remember". All three cards carried the word "Happy" and failed to mention "Christmas". There is a possibility that the Eureka card, with an unclear postmark, was mailed subsequent to Christmas day.
The card on December 27th 1974 had the pre-printed message of "Holiday Greetings and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year". The Eureka card mailed in December 1990 had the pre-printed message of (in part) "Happy Holidays, anyway". The January 10th 2001 card had the pre-printed message of "Happy New Year. From January 1st to the end of December, here's wishing you a year to enjoy and remember". All three cards carried the word "Happy" and failed to mention "Christmas". There is a possibility that the Eureka card, with an unclear postmark, was mailed subsequent to Christmas day.
JANUARY 10TH 2001 CARD Bearing in mind the Zodiac Killer's use of three of "The Mikado" verses in 1970 and 1974 (which Groucho Marx appeared in), and the comprehensive newspaper coverage of the 100 year anniversary of Groucho Marx's birth on October 2nd 1990, we can at best, only speculate if any of these had an influence on the choice of greeting card selected by a potential Zodiac Killer in December 1990. If the Eureka card was mailed on, say December 29th, 30th or 31st, we could reasonably argue that this festive greeting card with the phrase "Happy Holidays", was probably mailed with New Year's day in mind, similar to the "Happy New Year" message on both the December 27th 1974 and January 10th 2001 cards.
I have previously wondered whether the selection of the Groucho Marx card in December 1990 on his birthday centenary year, was chosen because of his 1959 autobiography entitled "Groucho and Me", which resurfaced because of the publicity in 1990. In other words, the Zodiac Killer orchestrated a subtle way of suggesting that his identity was actually "Me" once again, as claimed in the article Four and a Half Years of Me. The idea that "Me" should be inferred from the Eureka card is not the most convincing argument thus far, so I revisited the autobiography "Groucho and Me", and discovered that it was released on New Year's day 1959, thereby complimenting the chosen greeting card and possible late December mailing date.
The individual (or individuals) who mailed these three greeting cards opted every time to select a postage stamp of recent issue. The Currier & Ives "Winter Road" 10c stamps applied to the 1974 card were issued two months earlier, on October 23rd 1974. The 25c Contemporary Christmas:Tree and Greetings stamp applied to the 1990 card was issued approximately two months earlier, on October 18th 1990. The 34c Statue of Liberty stamp applied to the 2001 card was issued one month earlier, on December 15th 2000.
I have previously wondered whether the selection of the Groucho Marx card in December 1990 on his birthday centenary year, was chosen because of his 1959 autobiography entitled "Groucho and Me", which resurfaced because of the publicity in 1990. In other words, the Zodiac Killer orchestrated a subtle way of suggesting that his identity was actually "Me" once again, as claimed in the article Four and a Half Years of Me. The idea that "Me" should be inferred from the Eureka card is not the most convincing argument thus far, so I revisited the autobiography "Groucho and Me", and discovered that it was released on New Year's day 1959, thereby complimenting the chosen greeting card and possible late December mailing date.
The individual (or individuals) who mailed these three greeting cards opted every time to select a postage stamp of recent issue. The Currier & Ives "Winter Road" 10c stamps applied to the 1974 card were issued two months earlier, on October 23rd 1974. The 25c Contemporary Christmas:Tree and Greetings stamp applied to the 1990 card was issued approximately two months earlier, on October 18th 1990. The 34c Statue of Liberty stamp applied to the 2001 card was issued one month earlier, on December 15th 2000.
But why did the Zodiac Killer (if him) mail the "Happy New Year" greeting card on January 10th 2001 and not in late December? The envelope address style in 2001 was a near repeat of the "Secret Pal" Eureka card envelope mailed in 1990, both of which have been thoroughly examined as being authored by the Zodiac Killer. Was there something about the 2001 mailing that suggested it was our "Secret Pal" in 1990? The 2001 "Happy New Year" card was postmarked January 10th, so its sender was probably hoping it would be received and opened by the San Francisco Chronicle editor on January 11th.
Secret Pal Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated annually on January 11th. It is a day to anonymously show appreciation for friends, coworkers, or family members, similar to a year-round "Secret Santa" concept for general kindness and emotional support. This date gained recognition in the 1990s, and was further accelerated in the 2000s by the growth of the internet. Therefore, the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle would have been receiving his 2001 "Happy New Year" card on "Secret Pal Day", stating "You thought I was dead. No way". So was the Zodiac Killer deliberately delaying the delivery of the "Happy New Year" card by a couple of weeks so it would arrive on this annually recognised day and further show he was the same "Secret Pal" who mailed the 1990 Eureka card eleven years earlier?
Secret Pal Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated annually on January 11th. It is a day to anonymously show appreciation for friends, coworkers, or family members, similar to a year-round "Secret Santa" concept for general kindness and emotional support. This date gained recognition in the 1990s, and was further accelerated in the 2000s by the growth of the internet. Therefore, the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle would have been receiving his 2001 "Happy New Year" card on "Secret Pal Day", stating "You thought I was dead. No way". So was the Zodiac Killer deliberately delaying the delivery of the "Happy New Year" card by a couple of weeks so it would arrive on this annually recognised day and further show he was the same "Secret Pal" who mailed the 1990 Eureka card eleven years earlier?
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