# Pink Man > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pink_Man > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pink_Man.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Man > Source revision: 1340974271 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Michael Maxfield** (born 1961), also known as **Pink Man**, is a local celebrity from the [San Francisco Bay Area](/source/San_Francisco_Bay_Area). He can be seen riding his [unicycle](/source/Unicycle) around the cities of [Berkeley](/source/Berkeley,_California), [Oakland](/source/Oakland,_California) and [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco). He gets his name from the [shocking pink](/source/Variations_of_pink#Shocking_pink) [unitard](/source/Unitard) and cape he wears while he performs impromptu unicycle tricks in public places—spinning, engaging in sudden stops, riding down the street at high speeds, and carrying people on his back. Maxfield was born and grew up in [Leominster, Massachusetts](/source/Leominster,_Massachusetts), where he discovered the unicycle at age 13. He moved to [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco) at age 19, and then to [Oregon](/source/Oregon). While in Oregon, he started performing on his unicycle under the name Jester Max. When he moved back to Leominster years later, he found himself spending hours dancing on his unicycle, and pedalling around town, garnering a front page story in the *[Worcester Telegram](/source/Telegram_%26_Gazette)*. He moved back to Oregon, where he sought out a new unicycle persona; on a whim, he purchased a pink [Lycra](/source/Lycra) unitard costume from a dancewear catalog. The new outfit proved extremely popular, and an onlooker at the [University of Oregon](/source/University_of_Oregon) campus dubbed him "pink man".[1][2] Pink Man has performed in Oregon, Los Angeles, Houston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New Jersey, New York, the Pacific Northwest, Jacksonville, Vancouver, Paris, Tokyo, and Germany.[1][2][3] His Tokyo and Paris trips were sponsored by computer-game designer [Will Wright](/source/Will_Wright_(game_designer)), who calls Pink Man "the only real superhero I know".[1] ## Media In 2002, Pink Man performed on his unicycle in a play titled "I Wheel, the Pink Man Show" which ran at the Live Oak Theater in Berkeley, California.[2][4] In 2005, he appeared in the documentary film *[Following Sean](/source/Following_Sean)*. In May 2009, he was seen on his unicycle amusing passers-by on the streets of central London. In 2006, Pink Man was the subject of an article in local [alt weekly](/source/Alt_weekly) *[Folio Weekly](/source/Folio_Weekly)* titled "Pinky and the Brain". In it, Maxfield discusses events that led him to lead a nomadic lifestyle, including accusations of molestation and the subsequent dissolution of his marriage.[5] As of January 2008, there is a documentary film about Pink Man in production.[1] ## References 1. Hassell, Ashley (January 28 – February 3, 2009). ["Gritty in Pink"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090203152317/http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-01-28/news/gritty-in-pink/). *SF Weekly*. San Francisco: Village Voice Media. pp. 12–17. [ISSN 1060-2526](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1060-2526). Archived from [the original](http://sfweekly.com/2009-01-28/news/gritty-in-pink/) on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009. 1. Dix, Jennifer (May 30, 2002). ["Pink Man returns to Berkeley in multimedia show"](http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2002-05-30/article/12284?headline=Pink-Man-returns-to-Berkeley-in-multimedia-show). *Berkeley Daily Planet*. p. 1. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090627165204/http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2002-05-30/article/12284?headline=Pink-Man-returns-to-Berkeley-in-multimedia-show) June 27, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 30, 2009. 1. Lionna, John (August 28, 1997). ["In the Pink"](https://archive.today/20130201000349/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/13735010.html?dids=13735010:13735010&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+28,+1997&author=JOHN+M.+GLIONNA&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=In+the+Pink;+Neighborhoods:+L.A.'s+latest+colorful+street+performer+is+Michael+Maxfield,+who+darts+around+beach+areas+with+unicycle+and+single+purpose:+cracking+people+up.&pqatl=google). *Los Angeles Times*. p. B1. [ISSN 1060-2526](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1060-2526). Archived from [the original](https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/13735010.html?dids=13735010:13735010&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+28%2C+1997&author=JOHN+M.+GLIONNA&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=In+the+Pink%3B+Neighborhoods%3A+L.A.%27s+latest+colorful+street+performer+is+Michael+Maxfield%2C+who+darts+around+beach+areas+with+unicycle+and+single+purpose%3A+cracking+people+up.&pqatl=google) on February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2009. 1. Pedersen, Erica (May 29, 2002). ["Urban Guide"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070312141733/http://www.metroactive.com/urbanview/05.29.02/urban-guide-0222.html). *Oakland's Urbanview*. Oakland, California: Metro Publishing. Archived from [the original](http://www.metroactive.com/urbanview/05.29.02/urban-guide-0222.html) on March 12, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2009. 1. Citrone, John (September 5, 2006). ["Pinky and the Brain"](http://www.altweeklies.com/files/unipsycho.pdf). *Folio Weekly*. Jacksonville, FL: Sam Taylor. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120825205310/http://www.altweeklies.com/files/unipsycho.pdf) August 25, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 23, 2013. ## External links - [Archive of Pink Man's former official website](https://web.archive.org/web/20060206085048/http://pinkman.net/) - [Pink Man media clippings file, from former website](https://web.archive.org/web/20051017044110/http://www.pinkman.net/scrap.htm) - [SFist interview with Michael Maxfield](https://web.archive.org/web/20061104222628/http://www.sfist.com/archives/2005/07/01/interview_michael_maxfield.php) - [Gritty in Pink by Ashley Harrell SF Weekly Wednesday, 28 January 2009:](http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-01-28/news/gritty-in-pink/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090203152317/http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-01-28/news/gritty-in-pink/) February 3, 2009 at the Wayback Machine --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pink Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Man) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Man?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.