the appearance of baldness, and many balding men choose to shave their heads entirely. Humor Toupées have a long and often humorous history in Western culture. The toupée is a regular butt of jokes in many media, with a typical toupée joke focusing on the wearer's inability to recognize how ineffective the toupée is in concealing their baldness. An early instance of "toupée humor" was an illustration by George Cruikshank in "The Comic Almanack" in 1837, in which he drew the effect of a strong wind, with a man's toupée whipped from his head. In the 20th century, toupées were a source of humor in virtually all forms of media, including cartoons, films, radio and television. In the 21st century, toupées continue to be a source for humor, with a variety of internet sites devoted to toupées, with a special emphasis on suspected celebrity hairpiece wearers. Also, toupée is a homophone of "to pay" and has been used in many jokes. Thaddeus Stevens, famed 19th century U.S. Congressman and abolitionist, was known for his humor and wit. On one occasion while in the Capitol, a woman requested a lock of his hair (collecting locks of hair was common at this time). Since he was bald and wearing a toupée, he ripped it off and gave it to her. There was a long-running gag in Morecambe and Wise Show about Ernie Wise's wig; in reality he had a full head of hair. Known wearers Film and television stars of both past and present often wear toupées for professional reasons, particularly as they begin to age and need to maintain the image their fans have become accustomed to. However, many of these same celebrities go "uncovered" when not working or making public appearances. Bud Abbott Marv Albert Steve Allen Neil Aspinall Fred Astaire Raymond Bailey Edgar Bergen Humphrey Bogart George Burns Archie Campbell Sean Connery Gary Cooper Howard Cosell Bing Crosby Peter Cushing Bobby Darin Ted Danson Charles O. Finley Bruce Forsyth Paul Harvey Ted Healy Charlton Heston Frankie Howerd Gene Kelly Jack Klugman Frankie Laine Bela Lugosi Fred MacMurray Miles Malleson Groucho Marx John L. Mica Ray Milland Ricardo Montalbán James C. Morton Charles Nelson Reilly Carl Reiner Rob Reiner Burt Reynolds John D. Rockefeller William Roth William Shatner Frank Sinatra James Stewart Rip Taylor James Traficant Billy Vaughn John Wayne Hank Williams Notes References Fashion accessories Human appearance Wigs