The History of Toothpicks

Anthropologists have found evidence that the Neanderthals used rudimentary toothpicks to clean their teeth, and it has been reported that in ancient Rome, Emperor Nero once entered a banquet hall with a silver toothpick in his mouth. Yet despite these early versions, the modern toothpick didn’t come into being until the 1800s. A well-to-do Massachusetts native named Charles Forster was working for his uncle’s import-export business in Brazil when he noticed that the locals all used handcrafted toothpicks. He decided to mass-produce a similar product with the ultimate aim of exporting it back to Brazil to make more money. He purchased a patent that allowed him to make toothpicks, and by 1870, he was producing millions per day. However, he could not find a market for them in New England, where there was a long tradition of whittling one’s own reusable toothpicks. In response, he hired young people to request toothpicks at local stores; after the retailers were forced to turn away their business, he would show up and offer his product for them to sell. He also hired male Harvard students to eat at fancy local restaurants and make a scene when there weren’t any toothpicks available; he would subsequently go to the establishments and sell them his product. His tactics worked and even had an unexpected side-effect — toothpicks were soon seen as a status symbol because they gave the impression that a person had recently eaten at an expensive restaurant. This led many Boston locals to walk around chewing on toothpicks. One standard toothpicks were firmly established, fancier options with colored cellophane on top were created for eating hors d’oeuvres and holding together sandwiches. Notably, they mimicked ornate Portuguese toothpicks, which have been around since at least the 16th century (and are still made by Portuguese artisans today.) People also began using toothpicks to check baked goods for doneness, a practice that became so popular that today, toothpicks are often sold next to baking supplies rather than in the dental care aisle of stores. Mothers even wrapped toothpicks in cotton to clean young children's ears, a practice that led to Leo Gerstenzang’s invention of the Q-tip! Today, toothpicks are used for a wide variety of purposes and are commonly sold throughout the United States and in many other parts of the world.