Handmade Hilarity

Parties didn’t always have silly mustaches to liven them up — but then again, everything has to start somewhere. Take the mustache itself. The first evidence of anyone wearing one, real or otherwise, dates back to the 4th century B.C., well before the birth of Whisker Works.

The first recorded portrait of a man with a mustache appears on a carpet from 300 B.C., now housed in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Unintentionally inspiring Tom Selleck, Alex Trebek and countless polka-dot-winged equestrians in the process of looking fabulous.

A mustache first was photographed in 1826 in Paris, France, using a camera made primarily out of wood! Almost 100 years later, a Russian-born New Yorker created the first modern photo booth in 1925. The invention earned him $1 million.

Catapulting the artificial mustache into the mainstream, world-renown British rock band The Beatles gave away cardboard mustaches with their album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” released in 1967. As a side note, though all four Beatles eventually grew mustaches, it started with Paul McCartney, who only grew one to hide a chipped tooth.

Perhaps inspired by the Beatles record, the mustache-on-a-stick concept gained wide appeal after being featured on The Martha Stewart Show in October 2008. Made for that program of dryer lint and fabric glue, they had a hairy realism about them. I tried to make some myself, but only made a big, gross mess.

One year later, I gave the idea another shot — this time using modeling clay. They were a hit at my own wedding, delighting guests who posed for dozens of silly photographs using disposable cameras. Months later, Whisker Works was born. It’s been my full-time job ever since, now with plastic as my medium. My name is Amber and this is my blog. Welcome. 🙂