Planking in Taiwan

Karren poses for a photograph while demonstrating planking during an interview with Reuters outside Taiwan's National Theatre in Taipei May 25, 2011. Lying face flat on the ground may not be the world's most glamourous photo pose, but two Taiwanese "planking" women have made a name for themselves on the Internet -- and hope to use the craze to spread positive social messages. Calling themselves the Pujie Girls, which translates to "falling on the street" in Mandarin, the pair are Taiwan's most well-known plankers, with almost 100,000 fans following them on Facebook. — REUTERS/Nicky Loh

• [penguinchris]

  While I probably wouldn’t go out and do it myself (though perhaps I would consider it were I a cute asian girl) I see the appeal. It’s a fun cute asian girl photography fad. Some of the photos in the link from g0d5m15t4k3 are great and even artistic – expect to see art books of these photos soon – and if nothing else, you get to look at cute asian girls.

  It’s great too because the reason why it’s being spread around the internet is mainly just because it’s so ridiculous – a true “what is this I don’t even” situation – and despite the haters, it gets people to talk (including the haters) which means it’s effective at… something, anyway.

  I agree that there doesn’t seem to be a social message at the moment, but I can think of several ways that they could be worked in. Should be interesting to see how long it’ll last.

• [Shart Tsung]

  I find this fad to be slightly amusing… for now.

• [Anonymous]

  I’m guessing here, but it seems like a uber humble reaction to the rise of the facebook ‘look at me’ generation. No face. Rigor mortis pose. People are anonymous. It could be anybody.

• [snakedart]

  The first person to do this was clever. How do thousands since justify it?

• [g0d5m15t4k3]

  Also: are they setting down something to put their forehead on? I personally would not put my face on anything in public. I might get forehead cooties. No really.

• [Donald Petersen]

  Since previous generations apparently took all the good stuff like swallowing goldfish, stuffing themselves en masse into telephone booths, sitting atop flagpoles, and running around bare-assed naked in public, I guess The Kids Today figure lying down shows sufficient wit.

  Remember a few years back when they’d do this in traffic? Good times!

• [Anonymous]

  There’s some logic that I don’t understand here and perhaps one of the whiners here could explain it to me.

  If the story on planking is so uninteresting and lame, why did you take the time to open it and post a comment? You could have simply scrolled up or down and read a different article and, presumably, been entertained.

  • [Anonymous]

    “If the story on planking is so uninteresting and lame, why did you take the time to open it and post a comment? You could have simply scrolled up or down and read a different article and, presumably, been entertained.”

    Maybe some people, who don’t find planking interesting per se, are intrigued sociologically by other people’s interest in it.

• [kelvinc]

  Haha I dunno about Mandarin, but pujie would be “pok kai” in Cantonese, a common expletive. By far the best translation of the term “planking” ever.

  • [Anonymous]

    fall street pu jie
    po kai,,, go away,,,
    zou kai,,, go away (mandarin)

• [Flying_Monkey]

  What positive social message does it send? I am finding this one slightly tricky to parse…

• [g0d5m15t4k3]

  With her feet perpendicular to the ground like that, its like one of those Cat Memes about “messing up your perspectives”.

• [Anonymous]

  shopped; pixels…

• [GuyInMilwaukee]

  *please end this craze quickly, please o please internet gods*

• [Anonymous]

  Take that, parkour.

  • [benher]

    But unlike Parkour I could probably manage this extreme sport… maybe. My hips just started going *ahem*

• [Thomas Gokey]

  Is planking something different from the “lying down game” or is it the Taiwanese variant?

  • [Dean Putney]

    Planking is really just a different name for the same thing. I kind of prefer “planking”. It’s got a nice sound to it.

• [Anonymous]

  Forget about the planking–that building is decorated with giant golden Cheez-Its!

• [g0d5m15t4k3]

  fnd sm ntrstng pcs: http://nyngtt.blgspt.cm/2011/05/twn-wrd-grl-brst-f-rd-ntwrk.html

  • [Anonymous]

    These are porn pics, not planking pics. So glad I clicked on that link at *work*. SIGH

  • [johan,karlskrona]

    Those photos were great and the google-translate, fantastic.

  • [EH]

    It was goofy until I saw those pics. I love it now!

• [kpkpkp]

  I’m trying to find an upside to the attention wasted (even if inadvertent) on this whole planking thing……. nice legs?

• [Anonymous]

  Damn, I MUST be getting old, cause this craze just makes no sense to me…

• [Culturedropout]

  I’d “plank” it…!

• [Nimdae]

  what is this i don’t even

• [Anonymous]

  Spreading positive social messages? By looking like you just lost in Tekken?

• [RadioSilence]

  Yeah, I’ve only heard it called Planking this week, it;s been called ‘the lying down game’ for years.

• [GIFtheory]

  Planking? Nobody planks anymore…

• [Suds]

  old meme is old, see RocketBoom http://youtu.be/GjppfqTAvbs

• [starfish and coffee]

  oops. g0d5m15t4k3 link is NSFW – for me at least.

  screen filled with pron, then i had to scroll down for the images.

• [MacBookHeir]

  I thought real Planking was when a person plops face down and BALANCES between two surfaces, preferably two precarious surfaces or wonky surfaces. This is not Planking. It’s plopping face down. Period.

• [mccrum]

  Planking is apparently huge in Australia but people keep doing dumb stuff (planking on a 7 story railing, falling to death; planking on top of smokestack at a factory, getting fired) and the PM down there is calling for an end to the fad.

  What social message any of it sends, I’m not sure but, just to be safe and make sure I just don’t get the kids these days: get off my lawn!