Conehead Zombies are zombies with roadcones on their head for protection. While they are relatively easy to defeat, they are slightly more difficult to kill than both the Flag Zombie and the ordinary Zombie. They have somewhat normal health, but they can only be directly hurt once the roadcone on their head takes enough damage and falls off.
Conehead Zombie first appears in Level 1-3. It is the third zombie the player encounters, after the ordinary Zombie and the Flag Zombie.
The Conehead Zombie absorbs 570 damage, and his appearance changes upon absorbing 130, 260 and 370 damage when his roadcone is destroyed, and 470 damage before dying at 570 damage.
Suburban Almanac entry
Conehead Zombie
His traffic cone headpiece makes him twice as tough as normal zombies.
Toughness: medium
Conehead Zombie shuffled mindlessly forward like every other zombie. But something made him stop, made him pick up a traffic cone and stick it on his head. Oh yeah. He likes to party.
(China only)(Archived content)
竹篓僵尸
他的竹篓头盔使他更能经受来自植物的打击
强度: 中等
竹篓僵尸是个持家的好父亲,他最大的爱好就是追着别人询问哪里可以买到特价的脑子。
In English: Bamboo Baskethead Zombie
His bamboo basket helmet allows him to take more damage from plants
Toughness: medium
Bamboo Baskethead Zombie is a good father who lives a thrifty lifestyle, his favorite activity is chasing behind others asking where brains are on sale.
(China only)(Archived content)
海螺僵尸
他的头上戴着海螺,觉得这样可以突出自己在海底的特征。
强度: 低
尽管他带了只海螺在头上,但是看起来和普通僵尸没有太大区别。
In English: Conchhead Zombie
He has a conch worn on his head, thinking that it would make him look more special.
Toughness: low
Though he wears a conch on his head, he still looks rather similar to Browncoat Zombies.
Even though he takes more hits than the regular Zombie, the zombie is not at all difficult to stop. A Snow Pea, two Peashooters, or a Repeater can take him down easily. He is weak to almost all strategies, so your basic setup should take him out. However, do not underestimate him, as he can be a threat in the early levels and the beginning of the game where you do not have access to many powerful plants. A single Peashooter can be sufficient to kill one if the Conehead Zombie is far enough away, but two or three work better, especially if there are multiple zombies that need to be killed.
After the normal Zombie is replaced by the Imp, use this zombie for the lanes you want a small amount of damage absorption. Their roadcones are not affected by the Magnet-shroom, so use them to take out the Magnet-shroom if it is not well defended. However, be careful not to send them to a highly defended lane. For puzzles involving Scaredy-shrooms, time Conehead placement and location, so the most Scaredy-shrooms in a lane are hiding, allowing Coneheads to walk down the row with no or minimal harm.
In the Suburban Almanac, it is stated that a Conehead Zombie is twice as tough as a normal Zombie, but in fact he 2.85x as tough as one.
Conehead Zombie's concept design
As seen in the concept design for the Conehead Zombie posted on the Plants vs. Zombies Facebook page, the Conehead Zombie, instead of just being a normal zombie with a traffic cone on his head, would've worn what appears to be a construction uniform. He also would've had a mustache.
Conehead Zombie is the third most frequently occurring zombie (other than regular Zombies and the Flag Zombie).
Some of the Game of the Year edition packs come with a punch-out cardboard cone that can be placed on the head of the zombie figurine. This cone will require minimal construction first, possibly with the aid of tape.
If Plants vs. Zombies: Game of the Year Edition was purchased on Steam before May 5, 2011, players from Team Fortress 2 will be awarded with a Dead Cone, a promotional cosmetic item for the Pyro that resembles the Conehead Zombie's cone.