The Toothbrush moustache (also called Hitler moustache or Hitlerstache, Charlie Chaplin moustache, 1/3 moustache, philtrum moustache, the postage stamp, or soul (mou)stache) is a moustache, shaved at the edges, except for three to five centimeters above the centre of the lip. The sides of the moustache are vertical rather than tapered.
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The style originally became popular in America in the late 19th century.[1] It was a neat, uniform, low-maintenance style that echoed the standardization and uniformity brought on by industrialization, in contrast to the more flamboyant moustaches typical of the 19th century such as the Imperial, Walrus, Handlebar, Horseshoe, Pencil and Fantastico moustaches.[1]
Charlie Chaplin was one of the most famous practitioners of the toothbrush moustache, first adopting it sometime after 1915 for his Mack Sennett silent comedies.[1] 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] Adolf Hitler was a fan of Chaplin, but "there is no evidence (though some speculation) that Hitler modeled his 'stache on [Charlie Chaplin]."[3] Chaplin took advantage of the noted similarity between his on-screen appearance and that of Hitler, such as in his 1940 film The Great Dictator, where he wore the moustache as part of two new characters that parodied Hitler.[1][4]
The style was introduced in Germany in the late 19th century by visiting Americans.[1] Prior to the toothbrush the most popular style was called the Kaiser moustache, perfumed and turned up at the ends, as worn by the royalty of Germany and Austria.[1][4] By 1907 enough Germans were wearing the new trimmed down and simple toothbrush moustache to elicit notice by the New York Times under the headline "TOOTHBRUSH" MUSTACHE; German Women Resent Its Usurpation of the "Kaiserbart".[1][5] The toothbrush was taken up by German folk hero Hans Koeppen in the famous 1908 New York to Paris Race, cementing its popularity among young gentry.[1][6] Koeppen was described as "Six-feet in height, slim, and athletic, with a toothbrush mustache characteristic of his class, he looks the ideal type of the young Prussian guardsman."[6] By the end of WWI even some of the German royals were sporting the toothbrush; William Hohenzollern (son of the Kaiser) can be seen with a toothbrush moustache in an 1918 photograph that shows him about to be sent into exile.[1]
Hitler originally wore the Kaiser moustache, as evidenced by photographs of him as a soldier during World War I.[7] There is no agreement what year Hitler first adopted the toothbrush.[1] Alexander Moritz Frey, who served with Hitler during WWI, said Hitler wore the toothbrush in the trenches after he was ordered to trim his moustache to facilitate the wearing of a gas mask.[1][8] Ron Rosenbaum, a cultural historian, said "Hitler didn't adopt his until late 1919," after the war.[1][3] Hitler's sister-in-law, Bridget Hitler, says she was responsible for Hitler's toothbrush.[1] Bridget was Irish and apparently Adolf spent a "lost winter" at her home in Ireland in 1912-13 (although this is disputed).[1] The two quarreled a lot, mostly, she said, because she could not stand his unruly Kaiser moustache. He cut it, as she says in her memoirs, but that in doing so, as in most things, he went "too far."[1][9] Otto Frank who escaped to the Netherlands with his family (including Anne Frank) also wore a toothbrush moustache.
After WWII the style fell from favor in the West due to its strong association with Hitler earning it the nickname "Hitler moustache".[1]
In 2009, British comedian Richard Herring created a stand-up show titled Hitler Moustache, to see if he "could reclaim the toothbrush moustache for comedy—it was Chaplin's first, then Hitler ruined it."[10] The show also discusses broader issues, such as fascism and the British National Party.[4][11] In May 2010, former basketball star Michael Jordan appeared in a Hanes commercial wearing a toothbrush moustache.[12] Reaction from the press and public was unfavorable, Jordan's friend Charles Barkley said "I don't know what the hell he was thinking. I don't know what Hanes was thinking. It was just stupid."[13] Jordan has not been seen with it since.
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. This style is depicted in the Tin Tin comic-strip album The Blue Lotus. An extreme variant of the toothbrush moustache narrows it to the philtrum only; Robert Mugabe is noted for this style.