Toothbrush moustache
The style originally became popular in the late 19th century, in the United States. 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, and pencil moustaches. Charlie Chaplin was one of the most famous wearers of the toothbrush moustache, first adopting it in 1914 after his first film, "Making a Living", for his Mack Sennett silent comedies. 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. Adolf Hitler was a fan of Chaplin films, but according to cultural historian Ron Rosenbaum, "there is no evidence (though some speculation) that Hitler modeled his 'stache on [Chaplin's]". Chaplin took advantage of the noted similarity between his onscreen appearance and that of Hitler, such as in his 1940 film "The Great Dictator", where he wore the moustache in a dual role, one of which parodied Hitler. Comedian Oliver Hardy also adopted the moustache style—using it at least as early as the 1921 film "The Lucky Dog". Although Groucho Marx donned a larger moustache, novelty Groucho glasses (marketed as early as the 1940s) often elicit the toothbrush. The style was introduced in Germany in the late 19th century by visiting Americans. Prior to the toothbrush, the most popular style was called the 'Kaiser moustache', perfumed and turned up at the ends, as worn by German emperor Wilhelm II. By 1907, enough Germans were wearing the toothbrush moustache to elicit notice by "The New York Times" under the headline "'TOOTHBRUSH' MUSTACHE; German Women Resent Its Usurpation of the 'Kaiserbart'". The toothbrush was taken up by German automobile racer and folk hero Hans Koeppen in the famous 1908 New York to Paris Race, cementing its popularity among young gentry. 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." By the end of World War I, even some of the German royals were sporting the toothbrush; Crown Prince Wilhelm can be seen with a toothbrush moustache in a 1918 photograph that shows him about to be sent into exile. Hitler originally wore the Kaiser moustache, as evidenced by photographs of him as a soldier during World War I. There is no agreement as to what year Hitler first adopted the toothbrush. Alexander Moritz Frey, who served with Hitler during the First World War, claimed that Hitler wore the toothbrush style in the trenches after he was ordered to trim his moustache to facilitate the wearing of a gas mask. A 1914 photograph by Heinrich Hoffmann purports to show Hitler with a smaller moustache, but was probably doctored to serve as Nazi propaganda. According to other sources, Hitler did not wear the style until 1919. Despite the photographic evidence of his much larger moustache during the First World War, Hitler's sister-in-law, Bridget Hitler, said she was responsible for giving Hitler his toothbrush moustache before the war—considered by most scholars to be fiction designed to cash in on Hitler's notoriety. Bridget claimed that Adolf spent a "lost winter" at her home in Liverpool in 1912–13. 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. Other Nazis who wore the toothbrush style include Gottfried Feder, Heinrich Himmler, Karl Holz, Ernst Röhm and Hitler's chauffeur Julius Schreck. Additionally, an apparent body double of Hitler was found wearing the style in the aftermath of the dictator's death. After World War II, the style fell from favour in much of the world due to its strong association with Hitler, but some notable people continued to wear it. American real-estate developer Fred Trump donned it during at least the 1940s. Hitler's dentist, Hugo Blaschke (), wore it later in life. Politicians of Israel (formed as a state in 1948) such as Yisrael Yeshayahu, Yitzhak Ben-Aharon, and Yitzhak Shamir wore the style for much of their careers. Additionally, it remained somewhat fashionable in post-war Japan well into the later years of the Shōwa era (1926–1989), likely due to the fact that Hitler was the nation's wartime-ally and Japan's emperor, Hirohito, famously wore a similar mustache. The style was utilized in cartoon works beginning as early as the 1960s. Osamu Tezuka's "Astro Boy" manga and the anime series of the same name feature characters with the style, the latter including caricatures resembling nasal hair. The early 1960s American animated sitcom "The Jetsons" features a character with the moustache style—George Jetson's boss, Cosmo Spacely. Additionally, American comic-book artist Steve Ditko's original design for Spider-Man supporting character J. Jonah Jameson sports a toothbrush moustache, apparently meant to make him seem Hitleresque and thus antagonistic; most subsequent comic and cartoon appearances of the character maintain the style or a variant thereof. Keyboardist Ron Mael of the American rock band Sparks maintained a toothbrush moustache throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s. Upon achieving mainstream success in the UK in 1974 with the song "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", it was noted by "The Economist", "A whole generation switched on "Top of the Pops", saw Ron Mael's moustache, and ran out of the room, crying, 'Mum! Dad! Hitler's playing the piano on "Top of the Pops"! Referencing the resemblance of Mael's brother and Sparks lead vocalist Russell Mael to singer Marc Bolan, John Lennon allegedly phoned his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr while watching "Top of the Pops" and proclaimed, "Marc Bolan's doing a song with Adolf Hitler on the television!"
An extreme variant of the toothbrush moustache narrows it to the philtrum only, a style most notably worn by former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe from as early as 1976 to as late as 2016. In a 1992 home movie, Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain invoked a Hitler moustache (via fake eyelashes) while wearing a dress to mock a pejorative letter to the editor about his wife, Courtney Love. This was featured in the 2015 documentary "Cobain: Montage of Heck" and shared online to promote the film. In Mike Judge's 2006 comedy film "Idiocracy", the society of a greatly dumbed-down future believes that Charlie Chaplin, not Hitler, led the Nazis. In 2009, English comedian Richard Herring created a stand-up show titled "Hitler Moustache" in which he wears the facial-hair style in an attempt to "reclaim the toothbrush moustache for comedyit was Chaplin's first, then Hitler ruined it. "
In May 2010, American basketball star Michael Jordan appeared in a Hanes commercial sporting a hybrid of the toothbrush and pencil moustache, along with a soul patch. This prompted Jordan's friend Charles Barkley to say, "I don't know what the hell he was thinking and I don't know what Hanes was thinking. I mean it is just stupid. It is just bad, plain and simple."
In 2014, a photograph of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel provoked online amusement due to the former's pointing finger casting a Hitleresque shadow onto the latter's face. Later that year, British satirical website "The Daily Mash" jested that Jesus had a Hitler moustache. In more recent years, the moustache style has been used satirically and for protest purposes, maligning politicians perceived to be acting like Hitler. In 2021, Amazon changed its app logo following complaints that part of the design, meant to look like a piece of tape sealing a box, resembled a Hitler moustache.
19th century to World War II ; In Germany
The style first became popular in the United States in the late 19th century; from there it spread to Germany and elsewhere, reaching a height of popularity in the inter-war years, before becoming unfashionable after World War II due to its strong association with German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The association has become strong enough that the toothbrush has also become known as the "Hitler moustache".