The discovery of the smallest Triceratops skull (UCMP 154452) provides a new ontogenetic end member for the earliest stage of ceratopsid (Centrosaurinae plus Chasmosaurinae) cranial development. The lack of co-ossification among the parietal, squamosals, postorbitals, quadratojugal arch, and the braincase preserves sutural contacts and bone surfaces that later become obscured in adults. The ability to document the early development and morphology of the horns and frill in Triceratops allows a reevaluation of their functional roles. UCMP 154452 shows that the cranial ornamentation of the frill and the postorbital horns were not restricted to adults, but began at an early age in this species. This evidence supports the hypothesis that the function of ceratopsid horns and frills was potentially important for visual communication and species recognition because in this young form it could not have functioned in sexual display. Although some features of UCMP 154452 anticipate or mimic the adult character states, some braincase characters recapitulate the juvenile and adult stages of more basal neoceratopsians.