Police stopped the car of Matthew McNelly, 23, and Joey Miller, 20 after it matched the description of a vehicle used by two men who allegedly tried to break into an Iowa apartment last Friday night.
When officers looked inside the 1994 Buick Roadmaster, they were surprised to find the men with masks, beards and moustaches painted on their face in some sort of rudimentary disguise.
"It's a little weird," police chief Jeff Cayler told Radio Iowa.
"I've been here long enough that I've seen a lot of things, but this one's a little different compared to most ... I mean, just the face thing is what sets it apart."
Mugshots of the pair show the black ink scribbles on their faces.
A number of US blogs, including the popular Huffington Post, described it as "the worst disguise ever".
The men may have been under the influence of alcohol when they devised the idea for their disguises.
"For what it's worth, it appeared they had both been drinking quite a bit and maybe weren't thinking quite rationally," Mr Cayler said.
One of the men also believed the owner of the apartment they were trying to rob was dating his girlfriend, he said.
McNelly and Miller were each charged with attempted second-degree burglary and released on bail.
Mr Cayler said numerous media outlets had contacted him about the case, while pictures of the two men have raced around the internet and blogosphere.
These guys are not just weird they are also clever despite what people may say. How do I come to that conclusion? Well they did use a permanent marker didn't they? They must have thought that after the robbery they would keep their new faces for a few months so that people wouldn't suspect them! Right?
