Line #75 Main/NixonMask


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5	[[quoteright:300:[[VideoGame/Payday2 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/payday2_mask.png]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:300:A perfect mask for a [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial non-crook]].]]
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11	->''"I knew it was you all along, Richard Nixon!"''
12	-->-- '''[[TheDitz Officer Barbrady]]''', ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''
13
14	As might be [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin inferred by the title]], a Nixon Mask is a [[MalevolentMaskedMen rubber mask]] with the caricatured features of U.S. President UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, specifically a large nose and creepy wide grin.
15
16	Its status as the best-selling political mask of all time (and in many ways the inspiration for ''all'' political masks), as a symbol of famous counterculturists like Creator/HunterSThompson and Music/BobDylan, and as a hilarious remnant of TheSeventies have made it a classic go-to prop when a strange/funny mask is needed.
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Comic Books]]
22	* Used by a group of convenience store robbers as a throw-away gag in ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''. Note that this group predates ''Film/PointBreak1991'' (see below) by a full five years.
23	%%* The Nun in ''ComicBook/{{Fell}}''.
24	* The gang of anti-clowns in ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' are all dressed as Nixon.
25	* In ''[[ComicBook/MarshalLaw Marshal Law: Fear and Loathing]]'', on one page there is a satirical poster depicting a superhero with a face resembling a Nixon mask coming out of his crotch. The text on the poster says "Big Body, Small Dick", which is a reference to Nixon's nickname "Tricky Dick."
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Fan Works]]
29	* ''Fanfic/MiraculousThePhoenixRises'' Max wears a rubber George W. Bush mask while committing an [[RuleOfSymbolism armed robbery of a gas station]].
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
33	* Hustler Kid wears one for Halloween in ''WesternAnimation/RecessTakingTheFifthGrade''
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
37	* In ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel'', when the shuttle goes to "Worp 0.5", the stewardess warns that the passengers may experience some slight metabolic changes. It then shows every passenger in a Nixon Mask.
38	* ''Film/ArmyOfThieves'': When the ''Walküre'' safe heist starts going south, Brad Cage puts a Nixon mask on and enters the bank to cause chaos for distraction in order to buy time for Gwendoline and Sebastian to escape unnoticed.
39	* Parodied in the French movie ''Brice de Nice'', where the title character is obsessed with watching ''Film/{{Point Break\|1991}}''. When he tries his hand at his first own bank robbing, he's wearing a mask of... [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfFrance Jacques Chirac]].
40	-->'''Brice:''' Écoutezz [sic]... je ne suis pas un escroc.
41	* ''Film/{{Point Break\|1991}}'' has its team of bank robbers each donning a mask of a former president (they identify themselves as the "Ex-Presidents" and declare that [[TakeThat they already robbed us when they were in office, so why not do it again now?]]), making it almost required for future criminal-themed media to reference it.
42	-->'''Bank-robber wearing Nixon mask:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F50QIqh8so I'm not a crook!]]
43	* Parodied as well in the Italian movie ''Tre uomini e una gamba'', where the main characters put on masks of former Italian presidents during an attempted robbery. Notably, [[TakeThat of them mistakes the mask he's got for Karl Popper's and complains about it]], [[FromBadToWorse only to complain even more when told that it's actually Cossiga's mask.]]
44	* ''Film/BestSeller'' (1987) opens with the robbery of a police evidence room in 1972. The robbers are not only wearing Nixon masks, they're driving a van [[HiddenInPlainSight fitted with loudspeakers broadcasting political slogans for his Presidential re-election]].
45	* The criminal in the B-Movie ''Film/HouseOnHighway5'' uses it as his scary mask of choice. It's actually kind of effective.
46	* ''Film/FulltimeKiller'': Andy Lau's titular hitman is shown wearing one of these mask while performing an assassination, in a rather blatant ShoutOut to ''Point Break''.
47	* In the Creator/JackieChan movie ''Film/{{Gorgeous}}'', Chan fights a group of mooks wearing this type of rubber masks.
48	* ''Film/TheIceStorm'': Wendy Hood (as played by Creator/ChristinaRicci) wears one while seducing her neighbor in a prime case of FetishRetardant.
49	* The body in ''Film/MenAtWork1990'' is (not so cleverly) concealed with a Nixon mask.
50	* A recreation of the Watergate break in the Creator/SpikeLee film ''Film/SheHateMe'' has the perpetrators wearing the masks.
51	* Worn by one of the cheerleaders in ''Film/SugarAndSpice'', in contrast to her partners in crime: she didn't want to go along with their heist at first, but later she changed her mind -- however, there wasn't a matching costume for her, so she had to make do with a Nixon mask, suit and tie.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Literature]]
55	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': When Erek's (an android modeled after dog-like aliens) HolographicDisguise goes on the fritz in the middle of a crowded mall the Animorphs shuffle him into a novelty shop and disguise him with a Nixon mask.
56	* Worn by three characters who just happen to take part in the same shootout in ''Literature/GoneBush'' by Chris Amies.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
60	* In the episode "Blood on the Tracks" of ''Series/ColdCase'', set in 1981, one of the witnesses rides a bike while drunk, wearing a Richard Nixon mask... and nothing else.
61	* One appears in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' 1996 Telemovie, while the Doctor is [[KleptomaniacHero rummaging through some costumes looking for something to wear]]. Amusingly, the music gets kind of scary and he looks at it like it's pretty terrifying.
62	* It also seems to be a popular disguise for streaking episodes: both Joey Gladstone of ''Series/FullHouse'' and Eric Forman of ''Series/That70sShow'' have streaked in Nixon masks (the latter in front of UsefulNotes/GeraldFord).
63	* ''Series/WillAndGrace'':
64	** Jack [=McFarland=] was conceived when his mother slept with a man in a Nixon mask at a Key Party. As a result, they're not exactly sure ''who'' his father is.
65	** Also, in the first HalloweenEpisode, in which Will and Grace get roped into babysitting Harlan's kids for the night, one of the kids is dressed as Nixon, with a mask.
66	--->'''Grace:''' (''to "Nixon"'') My dad voted for you.
67	* An episode of ''Series/{{Wings}}'' had a Nantucket bank being robbed by an unnamed criminal wearing a Nixon mask; however, he is later apprehended by Antonio and Brian.
68	* ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'' subverts it by having a robber in a UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush mask in one episode. This may be TruthInTelevision; Bush was president at the time the show aired, and masks of him were very popular in Japan.
69	* On ''Series/ICarly'' the gang is trapped in psycho girl Nora's basement. They attempt to escape but are stopped by Nora wearing a Nixon mask and holding a hatchet.
70	* One episode of ''Radio/KnowingMeKnowingYouWithAlanPartridge'' saw Alan Partridge complaining about a group of robbers who wore Alan Partridge masks.
71	* Used in ''Series/{{Underbelly}}: Tell Them Lucifer Was Here'' by Bandali Debs and his accomplices. Also applies to the real life robberies.
72	* John Enos wears a Nixon mask once in ''Series/WorldsDumbest'' to help introduce a series of clips of criminals wearing incredibly stupid "masks" (one of them uses his hands to cover his face, making them pretty useless for the actual robbery).
73	* For the Halloween episode of the short-lived game show ''Series/Wipeout1988'', host [[Series/PressYourLuck Peter Tomarken]] walked out onto the set wearing one of these.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Music Videos]]
77	* In the video for Music/BowWowWow's "Do You Wanna Hold Me" the guitarist rocks out in a Reagan mask.
78	* The Music/ManicStreetPreachers wear the masks in the music video for "The Love of Richard Nixon".
79	* One of the costumes used in Music/TheResidents' 13th Anniversary Tour was one of these.
80	* In one of the shots in Music/BillyJoel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" the kid of the couple is shown wearing the mask and holding a toy pistol.
81	* "Drive Me Wild" by [[Music/PrincesAssociates Vanity 6]] is set in a club where one of the dancing people wears the Nixon mask and juggles cassette tapes (an allusion to the tapes that precipitated Nixon's downfall).
82	* "Ain't My Fault" by Brothers Osborne features several robbers wearing masks of several presidents, and Nixon's face is among them.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Video Games]]
86	* A Nixon mask, along with a [[UsefulNotes/BillClinton Clinton]] mask, [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush George W. Bush]] mask, [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Obama]] mask, [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Trump]] mask, and [[UsefulNotes/JoeBiden Biden]] mask, is an unlockable cosmetic item in ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'' and ''VideoGame/{{PAYDAY 2}}''. There's also another set of four masks in the latter game with interesting variation of this trope, specifically a set of masks based on [[Usefulnotes/GeorgeWashington George Washington]], [[Usefulnotes/AbrahamLincoln Abraham Lincoln]], [[Usefulnotes/UlyssesSGrant Ulysses S. Grant]], and [[Creator/BenjaminFranklin Benjamin Franklin]], with green and white color schemes meant to echo the appearance of US banknotes.
87	* In ''VideoGame/Wasteland3'', a Nixon mask is being worn by Long John, no doubt to convince everyone [[HughMann that he absolutely is a human with a regular human face]] and not a synth in a poor disguise. If you kill him, you can take it for yourself and put it on one of your Rangers. They'll look silly, but it offers a surprising amount of protection ''and'' increases the Nerd Stuff skill by 1, making it a useful helmet.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Western Animation]]
91	* Meatwad wears one for Halloween in ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce''.
92	* HippieTeacher David Van Dreissen wears it for Halloween in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead''.
93	* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow'', Sketch Paree and the Mole attempt a bank robbery using a mask of Dick Tracy. Go-Go Gomez trolls them with masks of Sketch and the Mole.
94	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
95	** Meg has a SlumberParty which is interrupted by her AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents. When she tells him that they if they cared for her they wouldn't show their faces for the rest of the night, [[ExactWords Peter remarks that it's a good thing he's wearing a Nixon mask]], then pulls on a UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan mask, flashes a double peace sign and says "I am not a crook!" (Peter's not really that bright).
96	** Spoofed by having a man in the mask rob money from a charity car wash; when Joe asks Lois to describe him, she says that he was wearing a UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter mask like the robber in a movie but can't recall which one.
97	** In "The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou", Cleveland is snuck into a whites-only golf course using a Nixon mask.
98	* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'': A shark attempting to pass itself off as human in "Beach Blanket Bravo" wears one. It goes surprisingly well.
99	-->'''Surfer:''' Wait a second. You're not a shark, are you?\
100	'''Shark:''' [[MostDefinitelyNotAVillain Uh... no! I'm... Richard Nixon]]!\
101	'''Surfer:''' Cool! Hey, thanks for getting us into China and everything! (''does the V sign'')
102	* Worn by the "Chicken Lover" in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode of the same name.
103	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Squidbillies}}'', worn by an aging stunt-hooker as part of rehearsing a sex scene with a double-amputee con artist... hu... Patrick Swayze.
104	* ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'': One of the X-tacles wore a Nixon mask.
105	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'', the kids are performing various impressions, mostly making fun of teachers or kids with funny accents. Jason says that he'll do his Richard Nixon, but needs to retrieve his mask first.
106	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSylvesterAndTweetyMysteries'': The episode "Spooker of the House" features a villain impersonating the ghost of UsefulNotes/WilliamHowardTaft to scare the President away. After being unmasked, he says that he chose President Taft because, as the largest President in history, he'd make an impressive ghost -- and the costume shop was out of [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Nixon]] masks.
107	* Averted in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CodeMonkeys''. Dave and Jerry have to rob a bank (in one of multiple attempts to [[ItMakesSenseInContext pay back a drug lord]]), and instead of the expected Nixon masks, they instead don masks based on Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig, both Secretaries of State (a bystander suggests they call themselves that); they quickly become StupidCrooks and get away without robbing anything (and the cops sent to stop them -- inexplicably [[Franchise/BillAndTed Ted Logan]] and Music/BuddyHolly (??) -- just end up shooting each other).
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Real Life]]
111	* Etiquette Hell describes [[http://www.etiquettehell.com/content/eh_wedding/vendors/evendors2002arc.shtml a wedding]] where "For reasons that were never revealed, the [=DJs=] put on mariachi sleeves and latex Richard Nixon masks(?!?!) before leading the conga line under the limbo bar [...] my date whispered to me: 'LSD could add nothing to this experience'."
112	* Stories tell of a man who robbed a bank using one of these as a disguise; he was armed and it was a very serious situation, but still. And, exactly like UsefulNotes/RichardNixon himself, [[BlatantLies he was not a crook.]]
113	* A quirk of the United States electoral system is that, with the election being held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November (i.e. November 2 through 8), it's within, at most, eight days of Halloween. Since 1980, the candidate whose mask has sold better has gone on to become the next President. [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity It should be noted that, as it's Halloween, the primary reason to purchase these masks are to mock the candidate.]]
114	[[/folder]]

Context Main / NixonMask