The man hid his face because of a memory. It was Tim Allen’s. When he was a boy, he had a neighbor he spoke with over a tall backyard fence–He never saw the man’s whole face, just the top of his head and his eyes. Allen told the show’s writers this story, and they made the memory a rule. The joke became the foundation for the character, Wilson.
Every week, a new way to hide the face. A fence post, a tall plant, a holiday decoration, a handful of leaves–It was a challenge for the writers. It forced the audience to listen to the man’s words, not watch his expressions. The wisdom had to stand on its own – It was a simple childhood memory, made into a law.