A custard pie to the face (or a ‘pie-ing’) was popularised in British music halls, particularly by king of music hall slapstick Fred Karno.
The first custard pie to the face in cinema was in 1909’s ‘Mr. Flip’. Since then, custard pie fights have got bigger and sillier, with Laurel & Hardy throwing a splatting 3,000 pies in their 1927 film ‘The Battle of the Century’.
Famous splatees include Charlie Chaplin, Michael Palin, Frank Sinatra, Andy Warhol and Bugs Bunny.
Every year, The World Custard Pie Throwing Championships take place in Kent.
If you prefer pies in your face rather than on them, go to the recipe section for the latest custard pie recipes.