Planking (fad)

Planking (or the Lying Down Game) is an activity consisting of lying face down—sometimes in an unusual or incongruous location. Both hands must touch the sides of the body. Some players compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play. The term planking refers to mimicking a wooden plank. Planking can include lying flat on a flat surface, or holding the body flat while it is supported in only some regions, with other parts of the body suspended. Many participants in planking have photographed the activity in unusual locations and have shared such pictures through social media.

Eminem references planking in his single Rap God after the practice gained popularity and eventually notoriety from late 2010 - early 2011 in Australia.

History

Precursors

A planking-like activity – called face dancing by its participants – was initiated in 1984 in Edmonds, Washington, by Scott Amy and Joel Marshall. The two high school age boys were walking in a park when they came upon a baseball game. They decided to lie face down in right field to see if anyone would react.