Gitnig began street performances in 1962, assuming various costumes.[1] In 1969, Gitnig sought unsuccessfully to see Mayor John V. Lindsay about getting paid for his work as a clown.[3]
By 1971, he was known as Pegasus, and became a familiar sight at Central Park Zoo in his court jester costume and mismatched shoes.[1] For a period in 1976, he complained about competition from newcomers Rosie and Herbert, whose bells and whistles distracted his audience from his relatively quiet pantomime act.[4] His main income was from performing at private parties for children, as well as tips from street performances, from which he earned $3,000 a year.[5][1]
In March 1977, Pegasus made national headlines after he returned to the seal pool at Central Park Zoo to perform, despite being arrested and issued with a police summons.[6][7] He was charged with violating a New York Parks Department regulation, which had been interpreted as requiring licenses for performers in the city's parks, although no other performer had ever been similarly charged.[5] He was arrested a second time in May 1977.[5] Gitnig was represented by Arthur Eisenberg of the New York Civil Liberties Union, who argued that the First Amendment protected the rights of performers in the park as free speech.[5][1] Later that year, the Parks Department reversed its position and agreed to drop all charges against Pegasus.[5]