Fright wig worn by Phyllis Diller

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Costume worn by Phyllis Diller during comedy routine in Vietnam on a USO Christmas tour with Bob Hope, 1967

Costume worn by Phyllis Diller during solo piano performances with symphony orchestras as 'Dame Illya Dillya'

Object Details

Description: As part of her signature look, Phyllis Diller generally wore a fright wig: a wig with hair that stands out from the head. Diller began bleaching her hair early in her career in an attempt to look less like the average girl next door. After years of bleaching her hair it began to thin. A beauty parlor gave her a special rubber massage brush to stimulate hair regrowth, and while it did not lead to more hair growth it did make her hair stand on end, which quickly became her signature style. This style progressed and became more outlandish until she began wearing fright wigs like this one.

place made: Japan

Subject: Humor; Comedians

See more items in: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment; Popular Entertainment; Phyllis Diller

Credit Line: Gift of Phyllis Diller

Data Source: National Museum of American History

ID Number: 2003.0289.11
accession number: 2003.0289
catalog number: 2003.0289.11

Object Name: Wig

Physical Description: synthetic fibers (overall material); kanekalon (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 17 in x 14 in x 5 in; 43.18 cm x 35.56 cm x 12.7 cm

Metadata Usage: CC0

GUID: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746aa-bc03-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record ID: nmah_1218435