Americans storm Berlin, strike gold!

(Photo courtesy of Jürgen Burkhart)

"Toot! Toot! Toot!"

America's new super hero, Toot Joslin, took first place and earned a gold trophy in the Sideburns category at the World Beard and Moustache Championships held in Berlin, Germany, on October 1, 2005. Toot is seen here flanked by Italy's Bruno Panza (left, second place) and Germany's Uwe Wankmüller (right, third place).

As expected, Germany dominated the event, taking gold in 14 of the 17 categories.

While the Americans didn't exactly hoist the stars and stripes over the Brandenburg Gate as they had hoped, they were invited along with all other competitors to appear on stage in front of the famous gate (the symbol of Berlin, once inaccessible in the no-man's land separating East and West Berlin) during celebrations on German Unity Day, October 3.

"This was a building year for us," says Phil Olsen, self-appointed captain of Team USA, who was pleased with the results. "We'll be back next time with a bigger and even stronger team."

The next World Beard and Moustache Championships will take place in Brighton, England, on September 1, 2007.

Toot is still waiting for the traditional congratulatory phone call from President Bush.