1960s prankster Paul Krassner, who named Yippies, dies at 87

By Christopher Weber And John Rogers, The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Paul Krassner, the publisher, author and radical political activist on the front lines of 1960s counterculture who helped tie together his loose-knit prankster group by naming them the Yippies, has died.

His daughter, Holly Krassner Dawson, says Krassner died Sunday at his home in Desert Hot Springs, California. He was 87.

The Yippies, also known as the Youth International Party, briefly became notorious for such attention-grabbing stunts as running a pig for president and throwing dollar bills onto the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Krassner was an advocate for free-speech, pornography and recreational drug use, claiming he took LSD with celebrities such as Timothy Leary and Groucho Marx.

Christopher Weber And John Rogers, The Associated Press

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today