Planking (fad)

Planking (fad)
Not to be confused with Plank (exercise).
Person planking in a field

"Planking" (or the "Lying Down Game") is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the Internet is an integral part of the game.[1] Players compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play.[1] The term planking refers to mimicking a wooden plank. Rigidity of the body must be maintained to constitute good planking.

Since early 2011, many participants in planking have photographed the activity on unusual locations such as atop poles, roofs and vehicles. Planking can include lying flat on a flat surface, or holding the body flat while it's supported in only some regions, with other parts of the body suspended.

Contents

History and origination

Comedian Tom Green claims to have invented "planking" as early as 1994.[2] Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon claim to have invented planking in 2000,[3] first becoming popular in North East England.[4]

The lying down game spread to the rest of the world, where it has also been known as "시체놀이" ("playing dead") (2003, South Korea),[5][6] "à plat ventre" ("On one’s belly", France 2004),[7] "extreme lying down" (2008, Australasia), "facedowns" (2010, USA and Ireland),[8][9] and "planking" (2011, Australia & New Zealand and worldwide).[10]

Critics of the lying down game compare the game with the slave trade-era practice and manner of stowing African slaves upon the planks of a slave ship's lower hold, as illustrated in the Brookes abolitionist poster imagery,[11] although University of Pittsburgh professor Marcus Rediker states there is no "deliberate connection" between the contemporary usage and any previous meaning imputed to the term.[12]

Notable incidents

  • The game made news in September 2009, when seven doctors and nurses working at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, England were suspended for playing the lying down game while on duty.[13][14][15]
  • On 13 May 2011, a 20-year-old man from Gladstone in central Queensland was charged for allegedly planking on a police vehicle.[16]
  • On 15 May 2011, Acton Beale, a 20-year-old man, plunged to his death after reportedly "planking" on a seventh-floor balcony in Brisbane, Australia.[17]
  • On 29 May 2011, Max Key, son of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, uploaded to Facebook a photograph of himself planking on a lounge suite, his father standing behind him. After the photograph was reproduced on the front page of the New Zealand Herald two days later, the Prime Minister's office initially declined comment. [18] But later that day, confirming that the photograph was indeed genuine, Mr. Key remarked that he doesn't see anything wrong with planking when done safely and that it was he who had actually introduced Max to planking in the first place, having seen a video of the phenomenon on YouTube.[19]

Other variations

Teapotting

Teapotting is one of the many variations of planking that arose shortly after planking went viral. Teapotting consists of bending the arms into the shape of a teapot, in reference to the children's song "I'm a Little Teapot". This variation was created by teachers in Mortlake College in an attempt to create a new 'craze' after noticing the amount of attention planking received. [22]

Owling

Owling is a variation on planking in which a person squats "like an owl".[23] It was first documented on 11 July 2011 in a post on the social news website reddit.[23][24]

Horsemaning

Main article: Horsemaning

Horsemaning involves posing two people so that they appear to be a single body with a detached head and is a revival of a photography fad popular in the 1920s.[25] It is thought that the name comes from the Headless Horseman in Washington Irving's short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.[26]

Batmanning

Batmanning involves hanging upside down by your feet.[27]

Gallery

  • Planking the street lights

  • Three people plank the Taj Mahal

  • Planking across a gap between cushion-seats

References

  1. ^ a b [Staff] (September 9, 2009). "The lying down game: how to play". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/6162412/The-lying-down-game-how-to-play.html. Retrieved November 13, 2010. 
  2. ^ Jon Bershad (July 13, 2011). "You Know That Internet Phenomenon ‘Planking’? Seems That Tom Green Invented It In 1994". Mediate.com. http://www.mediaite.com/online/you-know-that-internet-phenomenon-planking-seems-that-tom-green-invented-it-in-1994. Retrieved July 14, 2011. 
  3. ^ "Who, What, Why: What is planking?". News magazine. bbc. 16 May 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13414527. Retrieved August 02, 2011. 
  4. ^ [Staff] ([undated]). "The lying down game on Facebook". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/5793939/The-lying-down-game-on-Facebook.html. Retrieved November 13, 2010. 
  5. ^ *Brad [pseud.], Chris Menning [?pseud.], Jamie Dubs [?pseud.], yatta [pseud.] (2010) "Playing Dead," Emily Huh (ed.), Brad Kim (ed.) Know your Meme Seattle and New York: Cheezburger Inc.. available online
  6. ^ [Procedurally Generated Content] "Playing Dead (Related Submemes)" [2011] Emily Huh (ed.), Brad Kim (ed.) Know your Meme Seattle and New York: Cheezburger Inc.. last accessed 2011. available online
  7. ^ Brad [pseud.], amanda b. [pseud.], yatta [pseud.], Tomberry [pseud.], James [pseud.] (2011) "Lying Down Game" Emily Huh (ed.), Brad Kim (ed.) Know your Meme Seattle and New York: Cheezburger Inc.. available online
  8. ^ Guzman, Monica (March 26, 2010). "'And here I am facedown by the Coliseum'". Seattle PI. http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2010/03/26/and-here-i-am-facedown-by-the-coliseum/. Retrieved 5 June 2011. 
  9. ^ Byrne, Niall (May 14, 2010). "Facedown on the up". Irish Independent. http://dayandnightmag.ie/2010/05/14/facedown-on-the-up/. Retrieved 5 June 2011. 
  10. ^ Russel, Mathew. "Planking Gladstone". Queensland Police. http://www.police.qld.gov.au/News+and+Alerts/Media+Releases/2011/05/Planking+Gladstone.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-26. 
  11. ^ "Is 'planking' harmless fun or fundamentally offensive?". Thegrio.com. http://www.thegrio.com/news/is-planking-harmless-fun-or-fundamentally-offensive.php. Retrieved 2011-07-25. 
  12. ^ Anne, Sarah (27 July 2011). "Is ‘planking’ connected to the slave trade? - BlogPost". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/is-planking-connected-to-the-slave-trade/2011/07/08/gIQAz1aj3H_blog.html. Retrieved 2011-07-25. 
  13. ^ Simon de Bruxelles (September 10, 2009). "Seven NHS staff suspended over Facebook 'Lying Down Game' pictures". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6827618.ece. Retrieved November 13, 2010. 
  14. ^ Richard Savill (September 9, 2009). "Hospital staff suspended over Facebook 'lying down game' pictures". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/6162292/Hospital-staff-suspended-over-Facebook-lying-down-game-pictures.html. Retrieved November 13, 2010. 
  15. ^ The Times [Staff] (September 10, 2009). "Internet Craze 'Lying Down Game' Gets 7 Doctors, Nurses Suspended in Emergency Ward". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/09/10/internet-craze-lying-game-gets-doctors-nurses-suspended-emergency-ward/. Retrieved November 13, 2010. Using content from The Times. 
  16. ^ "Planking the latest net craze" The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW) p. 9.
  17. ^ "Australia man plunges to 'planking' death - World news - Asia-Pacific - msnbc.com". MSNBC. 2011-05-15. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43036847/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/australia-man-plunges-planking-death/. Retrieved 2011-07-25. 
  18. ^ "PM's son named 'New Zealand's top planker'" Yahoo News/AFP (31 May 2011)
  19. ^ "PM says a safe plank fine by him". One News. 31 May 2011. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/plank-key-hit-facebook-4199767. Retrieved 3 November 2011. 
  20. ^ Golliver, Ben (2011-09-02). "Dwight Howard planks with 100 fans in China". CBS Interactive. http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/31700153. Retrieved 2011-09-03. 
  21. ^ Gardner, Sam. "Dwight Howard planks with 100 fans in China". FS Florida. FoxSports.com. http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/09/02/11/Dwight-Howard-planks-with-100-fans-in-Ch/landing_magic.html?blockID=558332&feedID=3720. Retrieved 3 September 2011. 
  22. ^ "Forget planking - now it's teapotting". General. Examiner. 28th July 2011. http://www.examiner.com.au/news/national/national/general/forget-planking-now-its-teapotting/2168552.aspx. Retrieved July 28, 2011. 
  23. ^ a b Doug Gross, (2011 [last update]). "Forget planking -- who's up for owling? - CNN.com". cnn.com. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/07/21/owling.meme/index.html?hpt=hp_t2. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 
  24. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlE-K_FY2Wo
  25. ^ Bentley, Paul (12 August 2011). "Off their heads! 1920s photography craze for 'horsemaning' has a very modern makeover". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024940/Horsemaning-1920s-photography-craze-replace-planking.html. 
  26. ^ http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/196497/20110811/planking-is-dead-funny-planking-photos-horsemaning-photos.htm
  27. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2035793/Planking-owling-ousted-new-craze--Batmanning.html

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