The answer to the contested question of "should a toilet paper roll face over or under when on the holder?" is answered. The answer is it should face OVER.The inventor of perforated toilet paper Seth Wheeler illustrated his new and futuristic creation with the paper going up and over the roll. Modern commercial toilet paper originated in the 19th century, with a patent for roll-based dispensers being made in 1883. 7K votes, 245 comments. 19M subscribers in the Damnthatsinteresting community. Search within the title, abstract, claims, or full patent document: You can restrict your search to a specific field using field names.