PLANKING

A Story by Evan Soubliere

Where did this craze come from “The Lying Down Game”,

the original name of the game, was invented in 1997 by Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon from Britain.

Some believe that it was connected to the slave trade.

The “game” had a very slow start, but picked up in 2007 when its first Facebook page was released.

http://images.brisbanetimes.com.au/2011/05/16/2364579/

Why is it so popular In 2007, the original founders Gary Clarkson and

Christian Langdon opened a Facebook page in search for the craziest planking pics.

The soon-to-be fad swept to Australia where it took on the new name “planking”.

News coverage In 2007 told how seven doctors and nurses from the A&E were suspended for Planking on the job.

What do I think I believe that planking is just another way for

people to do something stupid, but also creative, that can be in some ways dangerous and unsafe which causes adrenaline that gets them attention.People are always looking for quick ways to get famous or noticed, or get their name in the news, no matter the consequence.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/man-dies-fall-balcony-planking-dangerous-new-craze-cops-fearing-deaths-article-1.144076

The Planking Journey First introduced in the U.K. in the late 90’s, “The

lying down game” made its way to Australia where it flourished and received its new name, Planking.

After the launch of the new facebook page, Plankers around the world began a search for the most insane locations to snap a planking pic.

http://www.ibtimes.com/planking-dead-long-live-animal-planking-photos-708479

Is it too Dangerous While some people choose to post

harmless planking pics with their friends, others attempt the most insane and dangerous planks ever seen on the web.

20-year old Australian man from Brisbane proves the seriousness of this game after his untimely death due to the fall from a plank on the balcony of a seven story building.

Australian police has since been considering Planking as a dangerous activity and have charged people who insist to perform this obscure activity.

Who is it for There aren’t any boundaries regarding age,

physical ability, or any skill whatsoever that direct this fad towards a specific group, however it seems to be more popular among the youth culture, specifically those in high school and post secondary.

Spin Offs Since the game’s creation, people have been

looking for new ways to plank in the most unusual of ways, however for some people planking alone is not enough, so they have created other weird variations to the game.Some variations include:

Hadoukening, Vadering, Teapotting, Owling, Horsemanning, Batmanning, and Springing.

There have also been many football-related variations.

Planking Today Since the death of the death of the 20-year old

man in Australia, Planking has a seen a notable decline in activity over the internet, however people it is still popular among many around the world.

Planking For The Future Like many other fads, they eventually die out and

become unpopular, however through many years of silence they may soon become the new “thing” once again.

Planking is a game which requires little to no skill and is fuelled by adrenaline, so its access is extremely easy and it has proven to be a fun game to play when you’ve got a few minutes to kill.

My thoughts are that once planking has completely disappeared, some kids may start it back up, mainly since no-one is doing anymore and it is cool to be the only one doing it.

Did it deserve the hype For a game this pointless it’s hard to say whether

or not it was worthy of the popularity that it received. None the less, It did offer people of all ages to show their creativity and imagination in a new and unusual way that was not bound by cost and did not require the purchase of products to play. I believe that this game, though as pointless as it is, did deserve the fame that it got because it was so easy yet fun at the same time, and was something new that anyone was able to do.

What’s next Fads come and go, and hopefully this

one gets lost on its way back and never returns.

Much like the Phone booth stuffing fad of the 1995’s, people like quick and random ways to get attention, however these types of fads do fade away very quickly.

These types of fads will always exist and there will always be a new ridiculous way for people to impress others.

"Want More World News? Join Us on Facebook | Follow Us on Twitter." Msnbc.com. N.p., 11 May 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2014.

"Who, What, Why: What Is Planking?" BBC News. BBC, 16 May 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2014.

The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

Hughes, Sarah Anne. "Is ‘planking’ Connected to the Slave Trade?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 27 July 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

Meltzer, Tom. "Planking: A Brief History." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 17 May 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

;)

Now that was something