A fake moustache or false moustache is an item of prosthetic make-up used in dressing-up, acting, espionage and crime. Fake

moustaches A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...

are made in different ways, but usually require the wearer to use adhesive to affix the moustache to their face. Some have a self-adhesive backing. National fake moustache day in the United States is on 24 February, while the international celebration is on 3 February. Mr. Pontipine, from

In The Night Garden ''In the Night Garden...'' is a British live action pre-school children's television series, aimed at children aged from one to six years old. It is produced by Ragdoll Productions. Andrew Davenport created, wrote and composed the title theme ...

, has a fake moustache.

Notable false moustaches

The most notable fake moustache of all-time was probably worn by Charlie Chaplin for his role as

The Tramp The Tramp (''Charlot'' in several languages), also known as the Little Tramp, was English actor Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character and an icon in world cinema during the era of silent film. '' The Tramp'' is also the title ...

. He initially wore a fake

toothbrush moustache The toothbrush moustache is a style of moustache in which the sides are vertical (or nearly vertical) rather than tapered, giving the hairs the appearance of the bristles on a toothbrush that are attached to the nose. It was made famous by such ...

as a means of disguising his youth for the role. Groucho Marx also used a fake moustache during his years in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and in the early

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

movies. His was drawn onto his lip with grease paint, containing no hairs or bristles. In later life he grew his own, real moustache. It, along with his cigar and waggling eyebrows, was his famous trademark. In

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

, there is a group who gathers to celebrate the joy of the fake moustache. The Gem City Fake Mustache Society meets monthly for various events, some events include 5K races, Dayton Bombers games or local parades.https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=45195598811 Kansas City has been said to have the premiere fake moustache club in North America. The Kansas City Fake Mustache Club has over 500 members throughout the world, including KCFMC Chapters in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, and Pittsburg, Kansas.

References

Costume design Artificial objects {{fashion-stub