Otto Titzling is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

who is

apocrypha Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

lly described as the inventor of the

brassière A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appear ...

in the 1971 book ''Bust-Up: The Uplifting Tale of Otto Titzling'', published by Macdonald in London and by

Prentice-Hall Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari B ...

in the USA. The name, a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

on "a two-tit sling", was invented by New Zealand humorist Wallace Reyburn in the 1970s. Since then, the name has appeared in the game ''

Trivial Pursuit ''Trivial Pursuit'' is a board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures gam ...

'' (believing the hoax, the game's makers listed "Otto Titzling" as the "correct answer" to the question of who invented the brassière), on the TV show

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...

in the late 1980s ( John Davidson's first two mispronunciations of the name had to be bleeped for broadcast), in the 1984 pornographic film ''Intimate Couples'' (in which Joanna acqueline Loriansreads the ''Trivial Pursuit'' card shortly before the climactic orgy scene),Fox, Scotty (director), ''Intimate Couples'' (VCX, 1984), at 1:18:30. in the 1988 movie ''

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

'' (featuring the song "Otto Titsling" sung by

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

), and in the comic strip '' Luann'' by Greg Evans,{{cite news , first=Greg , last=Evans , work= Luann , title=Luann Comic Strip, March 14, 1999, url=http://www.gocomics.com/luann/1999/03/14 , date=March 14, 1999 , accessdate=April 16, 2012 and has appeared in practice questions sent out to prospective teams by the

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

show ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

''.

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

references Otto Titzling as the inventor of the brassiere during a

Pete and Dud Pete and Dud were characters played by the comedians and entertainers Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. The dialogue format originated in 1964 when Dudley Moore invited Peter Cook to appear in a television performance. Cook scripted a conversation bet ...

skit with

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

, in their West End stage show ''Beyond the Fringe,'' first broadcast on BBC2 in 1974. A similar situation exists with

Thomas Crapper Thomas Crapper (baptised 28 September 1836; died 27 January 1910) was an English plumber and businessman. He founded Thomas Crapper & Co in London, a plumbing equipment company. His notability with regard to toilets has often been overstated, mo ...

, who was a real

plumber A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, and for sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.

but did not invent the flushing lavatory. Reyburn popularised this myth in "Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper".

Footnotes

External links

False claim: The brassiere was invented by Otto Titzling
(from Snopes.com) Urban legends Titzling