The Guy Fawkes mask is a stylised depiction of Guy Fawkes, the best-known member of theGunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up the House of Lords in London in 1605. The use of a mask on aneffigy has long roots as part of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations.
A stylised portrayal of a face with an over-sized smile and red cheeks, a wide moustache upturned at both ends, and a thin vertical pointed beard, designed by illustrator David Lloyd, came to represent broader protest after it was used as a major plot element in V for Vendetta, published in 1982, and its2006 film adaptation. After appearing in Internet forums, the mask became a well-known symbol for the online hacktivist group Anonymous, used in Project Chanology, the Occupy movement, and other anti-government and anti-establishment protests around the world.