Former Ecuadorian president Abdalá Bucaram sporting a toothbrush moustache

Animator Max Fleischer wearing a toothbrush moustache in a live action sequence from Betty Boop's Rise to Fame.

The Toothbrush moustache (also called Hitler moustache, Charlie Chaplin moustache, 1/3 moustache, or soul (mou)stache) is a moustache, shaved at the edges, except for three to five centimetres above the centre of the lip. The sides of the moustache are vertical rather than tapered. The moustache became popular during the 1920s as a response by working-class men to the flamboyant, flowing Kaiser-style moustaches of the upper classes.^[1] It was also quite popular among German soldiers during both World Wars.

This moustache is most famous for having been worn by German dictator Adolf Hitler, although it was already well-recognised as part of the movie star Charlie Chaplin's iconic Little Tramp costume. Chaplin did not wear the moustache in daily life. In a 1933 interview, Chaplin said he added the moustache to his costume because it had a comical appearance and was small enough so as not to hide his expression.^[2] Chaplin took advantage of the noted similarity between his on-screen appearance and that of Adolf Hitler in his 1940 film The Great Dictator, where he again wore the moustache as part of two new characters that parodied Hitler.^[1]

The style is now unpopular in the West due to its strong association with Hitler. Hitler originally sported a longer, "Kaiser"-style moustache, as evidenced by photographs of him as a soldier during World War I.^[3] It has been suggested Hitler was ordered to trim his moustache to facilitate the wearing of a gas mask.^[4]

In 2009, British comedian Richard Herring created a stand-up show entitled Hitler Moustache, to see if he "could reclaim the toothbrush moustache for comedy – it was Chaplin's first, then Hitler ruined it."^[5] The show also discusses broader issues, such as fascism and the British National Party.^[6][7]

In China, a trimmer version of this moustache is viewed as a stereotype of Japanese people, especially of Japanese soldiers from the Second World War.^{[citation needed]} An extreme variant of the toothbrush moustache narrows it to the philtrum only; Robert Mugabe is noted for this style.

[edit] Notable people with a toothbrush moustache

[edit] Fictional characters

• The Dad of Dennis the Menace in The Beano comic strip
• Mr Bronson in the BBC children's series Grange Hill
• Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp
• Fred the Baker
• Bartemius Crouch Sr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• J. Jonah Jameson
• Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake, in the British comedy series On the Buses
• The Gumbys
• Roderick Spode
• Sam Waldron, mobile shop owner in Postman Pat
• Sergeant Hans Schultz in the television series Hogan's Heroes

[edit] References