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{{Short description|Satirical website that parodies Misplaced Pages}}
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NOTE: If you were directed here from a message on your talk page to leave nonsense and jokes to Uncyclopedia, be aware that what you are editing right now is still Misplaced Pages - this is simply Misplaced Pages's article on Uncyclopedia. To add nonsense pages, please paste the following URL into your URL address bar: http://uncyclopedia.org/Main_Page, and begin editing. Thank you!
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{{Infobox Website {{Infobox website
| name = Uncyclopedia | name = Uncyclopedia
| logo = Uncyclopedia logo notext.svg
| favicon =
| logo_caption =
| logo = ]
| screenshot = ] | screenshot = Uncyclopedia screenshot.png
| caption = | collapsible = yes
| caption = The ] of Uncyclopedia (retrieved May 24, 2019) is similar to Misplaced Pages's.
| url = http://uncyclopedia.org/
| type = ], ]
| commercial = No
| registration = Optional
| type = ]
| owner = Works are owned by their authors<br>] (English-language version)
| registration =
| author = Jonathan "Chronarion" Huang,<br>"Stillwaters"
| owner = ]
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2005|01|05}}
| author = ] and ''Stillwaters''/''Euniana''
| current_status = Active
| launch date = January 2005
| revenue = Donations<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Uncyclopedia:Donate |title=Uncyclopedia:Donate|access-date=October 23, 2015|website=Uncyclopedia|format=Wiki}}</ref>
| current status =
| url = ''English Uncyclopedia:''<br>{{url|https://en.uncyclopedia.co}} (2013 fork)<br>{{url|https://uncyclopedia.com}} (2019 fork) <br>{{url|https://uncyclopedia.ca}} (redirect to the latter) <br>{{url|https://uncyclopedia.org}} (“about” page; information about both)
| revenue =
}} }}


'''Uncyclopedia''' is the name of several ]s of ] ]s that ] ]. Its logo, a hollow "puzzle ]", parodies Misplaced Pages's ],<ref name="Hindu">{{cite news | url = http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/06/stories/2006110601060400.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070225120233/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/06/stories/2006110601060400.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 25, 2007 | title = Surely, you must be joking! | access-date = February 11, 2007 | last = Sankar | first = Anand |date=November 6, 2006 | work = ] | location=Chennai, India}}</ref> and it styles itself as "the content-free ]", parodying Misplaced Pages's slogan of "the 💕" and likely as a play the fact that Misplaced Pages is ] as a "]" encyclopedia. Founded in 2005<ref name="netmag">{{cite news |title=The brains behind Uncyclopedia |publisher=.net |date=May 3, 2007 |url=http://www.netmag.co.uk/zine/discover-interview/the-brains-behind-uncyclopedia |access-date=November 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201124056/http://www.netmag.co.uk/zine/discover-interview/the-brains-behind-uncyclopedia |archive-date=December 1, 2007 }}</ref> as an ] ], the project spans more than 75 languages as well as several subprojects parodying other wikis. Uncyclopedia's name is a ] of the prefix ''un-'' and the word ''encyclopedia''.<ref name="wikia"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://desciclopedia.org/P%C3%A1gina_principal | title = Desciclopédia | access-date = June 21, 2014 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref>
'''Uncyclopedia''', "the content-free<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Content-free | title = Content-free | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> ] that anyone can edit,"<ref name="main">{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Main_Page | title = Main Page - Uncyclopedia | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> is a ] ] of ], though Uncyclopedia claims the reverse<ref>{{cite web| url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Wikipedia | title = Uncyclomedia:Misplaced Pages | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> . The site was launched in January 2005 by Jonathan Huang and an unnamed counterpart (known as 'Stillwaters' or 'Euniana'), and claims to be a project of the "Uncyclomedia Foundation,"<ref name="uncyclomedia">{{cite web
| url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Uncyclomedia_Foundation | title = Uncyclomedia Foundation - Uncyclopedia | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> a parody of the ].


Various styles of ] are used as vehicles for parody, from pointed satire to light sarcasm, along with structured in-jokes and frequent ]s. The site has attracted media attention for its articles on controversial subjects including ], prominent people, places, ], and ].
Their logo is a hollow potato named Sophia, which is a ] of Misplaced Pages's ]. It should be noted that this potato is not the same entity as the "founder" of Uncyclopedia, Sophia.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Talk:Sophia#Misplaced Pages.27s_entry | title = Talk:Sophia (Misplaced Pages's Entry) | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | date = 2006-07-08}}</ref>


Many Uncyclopedia articles contain ] with a link to the corresponding Misplaced Pages ]; Uncyclopedia often denotes the corresponding Misplaced Pages article to its content as being listed "for those without ] tastes", and Misplaced Pages's article written by "so-called ]".
The original proclaimed mission of Uncyclopedia was to provide a satirical ] (SPOV) in the ] format. However, as the community grew, the content expanded to include many other forms of humour. There is no restriction on the kinds of humour allowed; however, all articles are held to a standard of comprehensibility and must appeal to more than just a small group of people.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Uncyclopedia:Deletion_Policy | title = Deletion Policy | accessdate = 2006-07-22 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Uncyclopedia:Vanity_Policies | title = Vanity Policies | accessdate = 2006-07-22 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> In addition, though all types of humor are welcomed, Uncyclopedia does not sanction articles or comments merely meant to be stupid or vengeful.


== History == ==History==
]
''Uncyclopedia'' was launched in January 2005 by cofounder Jonathan Huang (Chronarion) as a satire piece on Misplaced Pages, as a response to the demand in Misplaced Pages's "{{srlink|Misplaced Pages:Bad Jokes and Other Deleted Nonsense|Bad Jokes and Other Deleted Nonsense}}" page for a place to put their nonsense. However, it was not advertised at all on Misplaced Pages itself and became more of a place for small satirical essays on assorted topics.{{fact}}


Uncyclopedia was launched on January 5, 2005, by Jonathan Huang, known online as "Chronarion", and a partner known online as "Stillwaters".<ref name="Hindu"/> It was originally situated at <code>uncyclopedia.org</code>. In July 2006, it was acquired by ], then known as Wikia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://community.wikia.com/User_blog:Craiglpalmer/Wikia_is_now_Fandom_powered_by_Wikia|title=Wikia is now Fandom powered by Wikia|last=Palmer|first=Craig L.|website=Community Central|date=September 26, 2016|access-date=October 5, 2016|publisher=Wikia, Inc.}}</ref>
''Uncyclopedia'' quickly outgrew its original webhost; on ], ], it was announced that Uncyclopedia would be hosted by ]<ref name="joins">{{cite web | url = http://wikia.com/Uncyclopedia_joins_Wikia | title = Uncyclopedia joins Wikia | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | last = Beesley | first = Angela | authorlink = Angela Beesley | date = 2005-05-26 | work = Wikia}}</ref> Its license and domain name remained unchanged. On ], ] the uncyclopedia.org domain was switched in ownership from founder Chronarion to Wikia, Inc.<ref name="domain-name">{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Forum:Announcement:_Wikia_%26_Uncyclopedia | title = Wikia %26 Uncyclopedia | accessdate = 2006-08-20 | last = Beesley | first = Angela | authorlink = Angela Beesley | date = 2006-07-10 | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref>


In January 2013, some Uncyclopedia editors and administrators set up a ] of Uncyclopedia at <code>en.uncyclopedia.co</code>, in response to Wikia's censorship, insertion of advertising, and the imposition of content warnings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:Forks_in_the_road_-_Uncyclopedia_moving_from_Wikia,_a_discussion|title=Forks in the road – Uncyclopedia moving from Wikia, a discussion|website=Uncyclopedia.com|access-date=February 28, 2019|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327172015/http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:Forks_in_the_road_-_Uncyclopedia_moving_from_Wikia,_a_discussion|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fandom ceased hosting its version of Uncyclopedia<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:A_message_from_Fandom|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065732/http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:A_message_from_Fandom|archive-date=February 28, 2019|title=A message from Fandom|quote=... So we are looking again at Uncyc's content, and have decided that it's not the sort of thing that we want to host anymore.|publisher=Uncyclopedia (Wikia)|access-date=February 27, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> on May 14, 2019, and the Fandom site (colloquially known as the "spoon", a play on "fork") moved to <code>uncyclopedia.ca</code>, and in September 2021 to <code>uncyclopedia.com</code>. In 2023, each of these English-language versions had approximately 37,000 content pages, second only to the Portuguese. The Fandom version of the site now shows only a "Not a valid community" ].
Uncyclopedia's content is ] under the ] license. As with other Wikia sites, the full article database is freely available for online download. As of January 2007, the English-language Uncyclopedia contains a little over 21,000 articles, making it one of the largest Wikia-hosted wikis (see for a more up-to-date number).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.wikia.com/wikistats/EN/TablesRecentTrends.htm | title = Wikia Statistics | accessdate = 2006-07-22}}</ref>


A third site, at <code>mirror.uncyc.org</code>, functions only as a ] with backup copies of some Uncyclopedia pages.
== Content ==
], ] when it was changed to reflect a new version of Misplaced Pages's ] that was not yet in use. It also thanks its users for creating the ''ten'' millionth article, just after Misplaced Pages had created ''one'' million.]]
Uncyclopedia has many people who appear on many pages either in the form of quotes, or references to them in other ways. Some of these people have gained an almost cult status with a reference to them on almost every page. Some of the most used names are: A recurring ] is that of misquoting ], whose "wisdom touches on nearly every conceivable topic, often without consent..."., either with a well-known, but slightly edited, genuine quote designed to parody the overuse of quotes, or with a phrase completely different from his style. There is an entire lexicon of fictitious Oscar Wilde quotes, which has its own namespace, "Wilde:".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Wilde:Main_Page | title = Wilde:Main Page | accessdate = 2006-07-22 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> Additional people who are often "quoted" are ], ], Some guy, ], and ], ], and ] While in most cases these people appear in a good light there are others who are almost never seen well such as President Bush, Bill Gates, and Bill Clinton.


==Structure==
Self-reference is another common theme in Uncyclopedia articles. For example, the ] page is written in rot13,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/ROT13 | title = ROT13 | accessdate = 2006-07-30 | work = Uncyclopedia | format = Wiki}}</ref> while the iPod article has the second letter of every word with "i" in it capitalized,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/iPod | title = iPod | accessdate = 2006-07-30 | work = Uncyclopedia | format = Wiki}}</ref> the ] page replaces all 'c's with 'k's ,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Mortal_Kombat | title = Mortal Kombat | accessdate = 2006-07-30 | work = Uncyclopedia | format = Wiki}}</ref> the Boston page written as pronounced in a Boston accent, and the ] page written in all caps.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Caps_lock | title = Caps Lock | accessdate = 2006-10-24 | format = Wiki}}</ref> The William Shatner page is also written as if each word is its own sentence. This is a parody on the fact that ]'s most recognized character, ] also seemed to speak that way.
Uncyclopedia is built on the same ] software that Misplaced Pages uses. However, during Fandom's (Wikia's) hosting of Uncyclopedia, Fandom extensively modified its version of MediaWiki version 1.19, making the Fandom Uncyclopedia site incompatible with later MediaWiki versions. In May 2018, Fandom dropped support for the Monobook ] that its Uncyclopedia site had used to mimic Misplaced Pages, claiming this was necessary to achieve ] compliance,<ref>{{cite web|last=Quievryn|first=Tim|title=The Future of Monobook on FANDOM |url=https://community.wikia.com/Thread:1456214|access-date=May 21, 2018|date=May 21, 2018|website=Community Central|publisher=Wikia, Inc.}}</ref> and warned that local work-arounds could not be extended to new visitors and editors by default.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:R.I.P._Monobook_-_any_aftermath_plan%3F|title=R.I.P. Monobook – any aftermath plan?|publisher=Uncyclopedia (Wikia)|access-date=June 16, 2018|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327172021/http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:R.I.P._Monobook_-_any_aftermath_plan%3F|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since all Uncyclopedias split off or were removed from Fandom, they mostly switched to using ] instead (with ] on mobile), in order to continue parodying Misplaced Pages.


Uncyclopedia projects are run independently by their own members, though some users have accounts on multiple Uncyclopedias. They contain interlanguage links to each other, but there is no global ] comparable to the ] that oversees Misplaced Pages as well as its sister projects.
Uncyclopedia often mocks and pokes fun at the reader, as well as many other unpopular and frequently ridiculed things. For instance, the category "Things you will never have" contains things such as "life," "fun," and "sex," and the article on the ] is in countless unflattering categories, such as "Stupid" and "Ugly."


==Content==
There are also many references to “Kitten Huffing”, which is apparently a recently introduced alternative to street drugs. These appear in many articles which would normally have no references to drug use, and have become a recurring joke among the Unycyclopedia community. There are other pieces of random nonsense, such as the AAAAAAAAA! page, written entirely of capital "A"s, with matching AAA-themed templates and photoshopped images.
Uncyclopedia's content is ]d under the ] Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license, although some content, notably images, is copyrighted.<ref name="wikia">{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Main_Page|title = Uncyclopedia|access-date = October 23, 2015|format = Wiki}}</ref> Different Uncyclopedias sometimes have different licenses; for example, dÉsencyclopédie (French Uncyclopedia) is dual-licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 and the ]. As of May 2024, the English-language Uncyclopedia contains approximately 37,700 articles.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Special:Statistics|title = Uncyclopedia statistics|access-date = March 6, 2021|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref>


Many articles on Uncyclopedia link to corresponding Misplaced Pages article on the subject, and they often designate Misplaced Pages's content as being written by "so-called experts"; this is most often denoted by Uncyclopedia articles with a corresponding Misplaced Pages article having a graphic located to the side of an article linking the related Misplaced Pages article to be used for "those without comedic tastes".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-15 |title=7 Top Sites Like Misplaced Pages That You Should Check Out in 2023 |url=https://www.nichepursuits.com/sites-like-wikipedia/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Niche Pursuits |language=en-US}}</ref>
To cope with the amount of one-liners Uncyclopedia received, it established an Undictionary,<ref name="undictionary">{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Undictionary:Main_Page | title = Undictionary | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> an "ick!tionary" of one-liners and "daffynitions" covering a wide variety of topics. It was intended to parody ], but the project never took off. Uncyclopedia also accommodates news articles with its UnNews,<ref name="unnews">{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/UnNews:Main_Page | title = UnNews | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> the "source for up-to-the-microsecond ]". Much of UnNews has been recorded in audio format by site users, and is available for download on the site.


== MediaWiki == ===Articles===
] that include dogs.]]
The site uses ] software to mimic Misplaced Pages conventions, which itself is parodied with these following analogies: Uncyclomedia Foundation<ref name="umf">{{cite web | url = http://meta.uncyclomedia.org/index.html | title = Uncyclomedia Foundation | accessdate = 2006-07-18}}</ref> (]), UnNews<ref name="unnews" /> (]), Unquotable<ref name="unquotable">{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Unquotable:Main_Page | title = Unquotable | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> (]), Undictionary<ref name="undictionary" /> (]), UnBooks<ref name="unbooks">{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/UnBooks:Main_Page | title = UnBooks - Uncyclopedia | accessdate = 2006-07-18 | format = Wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> (]), UnMeta<ref name="unmeta">{{cite web | url = http://meta.uncyclomedia.org/Main_Page | title = UnMeta | accessdate = 2006-07-18}}</ref> (]), UnSource<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopaedia.org/UnSource:Main_Page | title = UnSource | accessdate = 2006-07-20}}</ref> (]), UnSpecies<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopaedia.org/UnSpecies:Main_Page | title = UnSpecies | accessdate = 2006-07-20}}</ref> (]), Uncycloversity<ref name="uncycloversity">{{cite web | url = http://uncyclopedia.org/Uncycloversity:Main_Page | title = Uncycloversity | accessdate = 2006-09-25 | format = wiki | work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> (]), and UnCommons / Uncyclomedia Commons<ref>{{cite web | url = http://commons.uncyclomedia.org/Main_Page | title = UnCommons | accessdate = 2006-07-18}}</ref> (]). Image description pages are also branded under , including a logo mirroring the ].


Uncyclopedia encourages satire that is close to or resembles the truth. However, many articles employ ] and little, if any, ]ual accuracy remains. For example, Uncyclopedia's article about Misplaced Pages claims that Misplaced Pages is a parody of Uncyclopedia, not the reverse.<ref name="Uncyclopedia article on Misplaced Pages">{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Wikipedia|title = Uncyclopedia article about Misplaced Pages|access-date = July 31, 2010|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> Many articles on the site contradict each other, even articles on the same subject.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}
Uncyclopedia uses MediaWiki to imitate Misplaced Pages templates, such as its (parodying Misplaced Pages sister project templates), and its ]:
</div>


Like Misplaced Pages's "Five pillars", Uncyclopedia has "Five pliers", including "Satirical point of view".<ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Uncyclopedia:Five_pliers|title = Uncyclopedia:Five pliers|access-date = January 6, 2013|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> Its code of conduct follows from three main rules: "Be funny and not just stupid", "Don't be a dick", and "Dance like you've never danced before!"<ref name="netmag"/><ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Uncyclopedia:Rules|title = Uncyclopedia:Rules|access-date = January 6, 2013|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref>
<div class="boilerplate metadata" id="stub" WIDTH="100%"><table CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="5" style="background-color: #A8A8A8; border: solid 1px #9CAF92"><tr><td></td><td>''Warning: The above text contains '''spoilers'''. It is now safe to turn off your computer.''</td></tr></table></div>


Parodying Misplaced Pages's article review service ], Uncyclopedia has a "Pee Review" where authors seek review by other Uncyclopedians on humor, grammar, spelling, use of images, and overall presentation.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Pee_Review|title = Uncyclopedia:Pee Review|access-date = January 6, 2013|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Template:Pee_Review_Table|title = Template:Pee Review Table|access-date = January 6, 2013|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> Users can post to other wiki pages to solicit coding help and review or request ]s. Like Misplaced Pages, Uncyclopedia features articles and images on its front page. A system of user voting decides which articles and images to feature, usually deciding based on humor and writing quality. The site also welcomes ] contributions such as ] of articles.
== Press coverage ==
Uncyclopedia's articles often begin with quotations, usually misquoted, fictitiously attributed or entirely fabricated.<ref name="injoke">{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Uncyclopedia:In-jokes|title = In-jokes|access-date = January 6, 2013|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> Among the most recurrent themes is the invention of quotes attributed to ],<ref name="Hindu" /> prompted by an article stating that inventing Wilde quotes was the "national sport of ]", and themes such as "kitten huffing" (the inhalation of the souls of cats as a form of ]).<ref name="netmag"/>
Uncyclopedia has been referenced online in the ],<ref>{{cite news |first = Sarah |last = Boxer |url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00611F7345A0C7A8EDDA10894DD404482 |title = But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There? |work = The New York Times |date = 2005-08-25 |accessdate = 2006-07-18}}</ref> The ],<ref>{{cite news |first = Stephanie |last = Schorow |url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/819420901.html?did=819420901&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Apr+8%2C+2005&author=Stephanie+Schorow&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=BOOKMARK+DIVA%3B+This+wiki-cool+Web+site+lets+Net+surfers+define+world |title = This wiki-cool Web site lets Net surfers define world |work = Boston Herald |date = 2005-04-08 |accessdate = 2006-07-18}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news |first = Jack |last = Schofield |url = http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,,1458825,00.html |title = Web Watch |work = Guardian Unlimited |date = 2005-04-14 |accessdate = 2006-07-18}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news |first = Andrew |last = Orlowski |url = http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/12/wikipedia_no_responsibility/ |title = There's no Misplaced Pages entry for 'moral responsibility' |date = 2005-12-12 |accessdate = 2006-06-24}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/08/31/2003269851 |title = 'Pastafarianism' gains prominence and support in intelligent-design drive |work = Taipei Times |date = 2005-08-25 |accessdate = 2006-07-18}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.appledaily.com.tw/AppleNews/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Article&loc=TP&PageType=new&sec_id=5&NewsType=twapple&showdate=20060913&art_id=2885070 |title = 仿維基百科 走惡搞風 |work = Apple Daily |date = 2006-09-12 |accessdate = 2006-09-27}}</ref> and the ].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/142615 |title = Online parody of Tucson not always funny, but interesting |work = Arizona Daily Star |date = 2006-08-18 |accessdate = 2006-08-22}}</ref>


Much like Misplaced Pages, Uncyclopedia has policies concerning vanity articles, which are articles written by an individual associated with the subject of the page. Vanity articles were disallowed after many of them produced ]s.<ref name="netmag"/> Uncyclopedia does not police ] but may delete submissions as non-notable on a case-by-case basis, using an ]-like system called "Votes for deletion" (VfD) and a ]-like system called "QuickVFD".
==Controversy==
Despite its humorous premise, Uncyclopedia has faced some opposition in the ], where it was stated to be a "cyber bullying menace."<ref>{{cite news| first = Catherine | last = Woulfe | url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10383882 | title = Schools face new cyber bullying menace | work = The New Zealand Herald | date = 2006-05-28 | accessdate = 2006-07-20}}</ref><blockquote>'Roy Kelly, principal of King's College, said the Uncyclopedia website was "nasty", putting it on a par with text bullying and playground violence.'</blockquote>Since then, Uncyclopedia has considered a no-vanity policy, whereas vanity has traditionally been allowed for schools and online communities (against the wishes of the community, as most see it as lacking in quality and now troublesome as well). Any pages created for the purposes of personal attack or bullying are removed as soon as they are noticed, as always; however, it is very difficult for administrators to monitor each page. As of July 2006, vanity pages that are questionable are either deleted or put under the care of one or more ].


One of Uncyclopedia's most popular articles,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Top 10 Articles of 2005|url=https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Uncyclopedia:Top_10_Articles_of_2005|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Uncyclopedia|date=March 25, 2006|language=en}}</ref> "AAAAAAAAA!", is a nonsensical page, with its content completely consisting of the upper case letter A with images and some punctuation marks.
As of the end of September, 2006, revised policy allows for the speedy deletion of vanity pages of non-notable entities. Keeping to the tongue-in-cheek style of the website, this policy was dubbed the "Codeine's Mum" policy, stating that if the mother of one of the administrators hadn't heard of the group or individual in question, they were considered non-notable and fit for speedy deletion.


===Site-wide pranks===
==In other languages==
]'s main page (down).]] ]
Uncyclopedia has "sista projects" in over 30 other languages.<!--this count not including en: --> The French-language version, founded in ] as the first in a long series of Uncyclopedia "]" wikis, is known as '''''' — a "disencyclopedia" that purports to have been written by an ]. The site's logo is a ], because "dé" is also French for "die".


Some jokes involve the entire website, sometimes including a ] of the main page, such as with holiday themes. In 2012, as a parody of Misplaced Pages's black-out protest against the ] (SOPA) ''et al.,'' Uncyclopedia blocked all content for a day with a notice claiming to support the bills.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Forum:SOPA-protest_blackout_on_the_18th._Join_it%3F?oldid=5412015|title = Forum:SOPA-protest blackout on the 18th. Join it?|access-date = April 8, 2012|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia|date = January 24, 2012}}</ref> A tradition of ] front page pranks occurs on the wiki, including a "blood donation" plea banner to spoof wiki donation banners on April 1, 2014.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://aprilfoolsdayontheweb.com/joke/20140249 | title=A reskin for April Fool's Day 2014 | access-date = April 21, 2014 | work = April Fool's Day On The Web}}</ref> For one week in 2013, the Wikia fork interrupted viewing with a claim that the site was unavailable, spoofing a notice on the ] website during the ].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:A_reskin_for_the_US_government_shutdown | title=A reskin for the US government shutdown | access-date=January 24, 2014 | format=Wiki | work=Uncyclopedia | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115143743/http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/Forum:A_reskin_for_the_US_government_shutdown | archive-date=November 15, 2017 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Hebrew-language version '''''' (]: איןציקלופדיה) was founded on ], ]. The word Eincyclopedia is a combination of the Hebrew word אין ("Ein", meaning "void" or "non-existent") and ]. Eincyclopedia's version of the ] misquotes seen in Uncyclopedia are the misquotes of the ] ], who is also represented as the founder and main writer (through ]) of the site. The site's logo consists of a bitten ] covered by a slice of ].


===Traditions===
The Spanish-language version, '''''', was founded in ]. It was set up after a sudden increase in the number of incoming articles in Spanish at the central uncyclopedia, following the closure of the Spanish humor wiki Frikipedia due to legal issues with ], a Spanish organization for the rights of authors, angered by Frikipedia's entry on them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://inciclopedia.wikia.com/SGAE|title=Inciclopedia's entry on SGAE|last= Taken from Yahoo's cache after Frikipedia's closure}}</ref>
Each year, Uncyclopedia writers create a list of ''100{{nbs}}worst reflections'' of that year, marking website milestones or simply news. Most years, the creators of the list reveal that they have once again put off the list until the last second, and simply skip a large chunk to get to a hundred in time. Other Uncyclopedia traditions include creating a "top{{nbs}}10" list of articles for each year, chosen by popular vote.{{citation needed|date= March 2024}}


===Subprojects===
The Japanese-language version, founded in ], uses the name '''''' (アンサイクロペディア, the ] transliteration of ''Uncyclopedia'') alongside the alternate name ''Bakajiten'' (バ科事典, a pun on the Japanese word for encyclopedia, ''hyakkajiten'' ) popularized by Japanese blog 's Japanese translations of the ''Japan'', ''Oda Nobunaga'' and ''Konami'' articles in March 2005. In August 2006, the Japanese name was changed to ''Happyakkajiten'' (八百科事典, literally meaning "encyclopedia of eight hundred subjects"), a reference to the Japanese expression "eight hundred lies" (嘘八百; ''uso happyaku''). Its current slogan is "Quack Experimental Wiki 'Uncyclopedia'" (へっぽこ実験ウィキ『八百科事典（アンサイクロペディア）』), a homage to the ] of the '']'' ] series.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em 2em;"
|-
! Uncyclomedia project
! Object of parody
|-
| UnBooks
| ]
|-
| UnNews
| ]
|-
| Undictionary
| ]
|-
| Un-Bestiary
| ]
|-
| Uncycloversity
| ]
|-
| UnQuotable
| ]
|-
| UnScripts
| ]
|-
| UnMeta-Wiki
| ]
|-
| UnCommons<br><small>(Uncyclomedia Commons)</small>
| ]
|-
| UnSignpost
| ]
|-
| UnTunes
| ]
|-
| UnVoyage
| ]
|-
| HowTo
| ]
|-
| Why?
| ]
|-
| Un-Games
| ] books
|-
| UnDebate
| Debatepedia
|-
| UnPoetia
| Poetry (in general)
|-
| Undata
| ]
|-
| UnReviews
| Reviews (in general)
|}


As well as housing many articles designed to satirize Misplaced Pages-style content, Uncyclopedia contains several secondary projects (known as "UnProjects").<ref name="netmag"/><ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Uncyclopedia:UnProject|title = Uncyclopedia:UnProject|access-date = November 19, 2007|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> As of 2017, there were sixteen such subprojects,<ref>{{cite web |url = https://en.uncyclopedia.co/Template:Sisterprojects|title = Template:Sisterprojects|access-date = November 3, 2007|format = Wiki|work = Uncyclopedia}}</ref> each of which specializes in parody of a different information style. Many of these are directly analogous to Misplaced Pages's sister projects, while others such as UnTunes and HowTo parody projects completely unrelated to Misplaced Pages.
Unlike the ], Uncyclopedia has two separate Chinese versions, for ] and ] respectively. The Chinese Uncyclopedias are called ''Wěijī Bǎikē'' (Trad: 偽基百科, Simp: 伪基百科), a play on the Chinese name of Misplaced Pages, "維基百科" ''Wéijī Bǎikē'', where the first character is substituted with the character for "fake".


==Press coverage==
The ten largest Uncyclopedias, all of them having over 1,000 articles, are the English-language Uncyclopedia (over 21,000), the Polish Nonsensopedia (over 6,000), the German Uncyclopedia (over 2,900), the Suomi (Finnish) Hikipedia (over 4,000 articles in its largest fork), the Portuguese language Desciclopédia (over 2,700), the French-language Désencyclopédie (over 2,400), the Spanish-language Inciclopedia (over 1,900), the ] 偽基百科 (over 1,800), the ] (over 1,700) and the ] Absurdopedia (over 1,000).
Uncyclopedia has been referenced in several well-known news publications from around the world, in addition to numerous local and regional newspapers and periodicals. In 2005 the ] entry from Uncyclopedia was mentioned in a '']'' column reporting the spread of "]", the ] that worships the Flying Spaghetti Monster.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |first = Sarah |last = Boxer |url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE0D61F3EF93AA1575BC0A9639C8B63 |title = But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There? |work = The New York Times |date=August 25, 2005 |access-date = July 18, 2006}}</ref> The column was then reprinted in other newspapers, including the '']''.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/08/31/2003269851 |title = 'Pastafarianism' gains prominence and support in intelligent-design drive |work = Taipei Times |date=August 25, 2005 |access-date = July 18, 2006}}</ref> The magazine '']'' featured an interview with Huang about Uncyclopedia in May 2007.<ref name="netmag"/> A number of other articles have been centred on specific entries on Uncyclopedia{{snd}}most notably the article in the '']'', which focused on the ] parody,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/142615 |title=Online parody of Tucson not always funny, but interesting |work=Arizona Daily Star |date=August 18, 2006 |access-date=August 22, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822225644/http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/142615 |archive-date=August 22, 2006 |url-status=live }}<br>{{cite news |url=http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/142615 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214095949/http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/142615 |archive-date=February 14, 2007 |title=Online parody of Tucson not always funny, but interesting |work=Arizona Daily Star via Wayback machine |date=February 14, 2007 |access-date=April 30, 2012 }}</ref> and the article in the '']'', which focused on the ] article.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jean |last=Christou |title=Cyprus that great and peaceful island
|url=http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=35496&cat_id=1 |publisher=Cyprus Mail |year=2007 |access-date=November 6, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071103094028/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=35496&cat_id=1 |archive-date = November 3, 2007}}</ref>


In addition to articles about specific entries on the wiki, several papers speak of the website in general{{snd}}usually in a section devoted to ] or the ]. This was the case when Uncyclopedia was referenced in the '']'' and '']''.<ref>{{cite news |first = Stephanie |last = Schorow |url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/819420901.html?did=819420901&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Apr+8%2C+2005&author=Stephanie+Schorow&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=BOOKMARK+DIVA%3B+This+wiki-cool+Web+site+lets+Net+surfers+define+world |title = This wiki-cool Web site lets Net surfers define world |work = Boston Herald |date = April 8, 2005 |access-date = July 18, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121021062807/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/819420901.html?did=819420901&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Apr+8%2C+2005&author=Stephanie+Schorow&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=BOOKMARK+DIVA%3B+This+wiki-cool+Web+site+lets+Net+surfers+define+world |archive-date = October 21, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |first = Jack |last = Schofield |url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/apr/14/internet.onlinesupplement |title = Web Watch |work = Guardian Unlimited |date=April 14, 2005 |access-date = July 18, 2006 |location=London}}</ref> Although most articles mentioning Uncyclopedia are specific to the site, there are other articles about ] or Misplaced Pages that just mention its name briefly. These include the editorial in '']'' discussing the ], in which Uncyclopedia was named only once.<ref name="Orlowski">{{cite news |first = Andrew |last = Orlowski |url = https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/12/wikipedia_no_responsibility/ |title = There's no Misplaced Pages entry for 'moral responsibility'|work=The Register |date=December 12, 2005 |access-date = June 24, 2006}}</ref> It has also been listed as one of the "Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites" in '']'',<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2174689,00.asp | title = Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites – Info, Reference, and Search | access-date = October 20, 2007 | work = PC Magazine | date=August 27, 2007}}</ref> as well as among the "101 most useful websites" on the internet by '']''.<ref>{{cite news|title=The 101 most useful websites|last=Baker|first=David|date=March 30, 2008|newspaper=] |location=London |page=13}}</ref> '']'' considers Uncyclopedia to be the wiki site equivalent of '']''.<ref>{{cite news|title=What's Online|date=September 18, 2007|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |page=D6}}</ref>
Also, the English version of Uncyclopedia has several articles translated to ] using ].


==Criticism and controversy==
==References==
{{Criticism section|date=October 2022}}
]


At various times, articles on Uncyclopedia have been subject to criticism from ] (School, Auckland)<ref>{{cite news| first = Catherine| last = Woulfe | url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10383882 | title = Schools face new cyber bullying menace | work = The New Zealand Herald |date=May 28, 2006 | access-date = July 20, 2006}}</ref> the '']'',<ref>{{cite news |title=What do they know? |url=http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=509541&imageindex=0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117044426/http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=509541&imageindex=0 |archive-date=November 17, 2007 |publisher=North-West Evening Mail |date=June 11, 2007 |access-date=November 8, 2007 }}</ref> Northern Irish politician James McCarry,<ref>{{cite news| first = Lesley-Anne| last = Henry | url = http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3147665.ece | archive-url = https://archive.today/20080213042345/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3147665.ece | archive-date = February 13, 2008 | title = War of words over Ulster 'Uncyclopedia' | work = Belfast Telegraph |date= November 10, 2007 | access-date = November 17, 2007}}</ref> civic leaders of ], ], ],<ref>{{cite news | first = Tom | last = Johannsen | url = http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/04/14/town-hits-back-at-chav-comments/ | title = Town's fury at 'Chav' slur | work = Shropshire Star | date = April 14, 2008 | access-date = April 16, 2008 | archive-date = April 15, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080415091443/http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/04/14/town-hits-back-at-chav-comments/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> the '']'',<ref>{{cite news | first = Laura | last = Johnson | url = http://my.siouxlandvoice.com/post/Lowesays/blog/offended_why_does_sc_keep_getting_bashed_on_the_internet.html | title = Offended? Why does S.C. keep getting bashed on the Internet? | work = The Weekender | date = July 1, 2010 | access-date = July 27, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110716074506/http://my.siouxlandvoice.com/post/Lowesays/blog/offended_why_does_sc_keep_getting_bashed_on_the_internet.html | archive-date = July 16, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{cite news | first = Alistair | last = Gray | url = http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/flaxmurder-postings-slammed/3916849/ | title = 'Flaxmurder' postings slammed | work = Hawke's Bay Today | date = July 6, 2010 | access-date = July 27, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110724192704/http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/flaxmurder-postings-slammed/3916849/ | archive-date = July 24, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> and ''Lochaber News''.<ref>{{cite news| first = Helen | last = Bushnell | url = http://www.lochaber-news.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/5298/Fort_mocked_in_web_spoof.html | title = Fort mocked in web spoof | work = Lochaber News |date = July 22, 2010 |access-date = July 27, 2010}}</ref>
{{reflist|2}}


In January 2008, the ]n ] issued a directive alerting newspaper editors not to trust Uncyclopedia. It said the article concerning Malaysia contained "untruths, insults and ridicule" and was demeaning to the country.<ref name=alert>{{cite news|first=Jeff |last=Ooi |title=Alert over Uncyclopedia on Malaysia |url=http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/lemaklemang/post.htm?id=63001799&t=tag |publisher=CNET Asia |date=January 15, 2008 |access-date=November 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126055948/http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/lemaklemang/post.htm?id=63001799 |archive-date=January 26, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|script-title=zh:侮辱大马网站 内安部冀关注 |url=http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2008/01/15/6.html |publisher=Kwong Wah Yit Poh |date=January 15, 2008 |access-date=January 16, 2008 |language=zh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517203007/http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2008/01/15/6.html |archive-date=May 17, 2008 }}</ref>
== External links ==
* ''']'''
* ]
*
*
<!-- InterWikis -->


The site uses a layout that looks similar to ]'s,<ref>{{cite news|first=Rich |last=Ray |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-126047958.html |title=Web Watch |work=Florida Times Union |date=June 21, 2008 |access-date=July 11, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=April 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> which may confuse inexperienced users who misinterpret the content as factual.<ref>{{cite news| first = Tobias | last = Schormann | url = http://www.technewsworld.com/story/web20/62193.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071117044426/http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=509541&imageindex=0 | archive-date=November 17, 2007 | title = Misplaced Pages Spoofs: Not So Serious, Pal | work = TechNewsWorld |date= March 19, 2008 | access-date = March 19, 2008}}</ref><!--http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:tkVDj4Xuy14J:www.technewsworld.com/story/tech-stew/62193.html--><!--http://www.bangkokpost.com/gadget/gadget.php?id=441--><ref>{{cite book |title=The Hula Hoop |last=Lanigan |first= Judith |year=2007 |page=146 }}</ref>

{{anchor|Absurdopedia}}In November 2012, the page "HowTo:Commit suicide" on '''Absurdopedia''', the Russian-language Uncyclopedia, was legally prohibited by the Russian ] (Rospotrebnadzor). Absurdopedia administrator Edward Chernenko unsuccessfully sued them under his ] guaranteed by the Russian Constitution. During the proceedings, the Russian government and its experts claimed that Absurdopedia is intentionally trying to increase the number of child suicides in Russia by providing children with instructions for killing themselves.<ref name="absurdopedia-court-habrahabr">{{in lang|ru}} {{snd}}], April 3, 2013.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://telekomza.ru/2013/04/03/kak-pravilno-suditsya-s-rospotrebnadzorom/|title=Как правильно: судиться с Роспотребнадзором|website=telekomza.ru}}</ref> {{asof|2013}}, the case is currently in the ].<ref>{{in lang|ru}}</ref>

In 2014, the page "HowTo:Make a bomb at home" on Absurdopedia was included in the Russian ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tjournal.ru/law/50713-absurdopedia-bomb|title=Кулинарные рецепты с "Абсурдопедии" дважды внесли в список экстремистских материалов – Право на TJ|first=Султан|last=Сулейманов|date=May 5, 2014|website=TJ}}</ref>

In August 2014, the logo displayed for ] on its ] profile was mistakenly temporarily switched to the logo used on Uncyclopedia's article on the subject at the ] site due to a caching issue, causing a PR crisis for the company.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 20, 2014 |title=Greggs Google fail – was the bakery's response to its logo mishap a stroke of marketing genius |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/greggs-google-fail-was-the-bakerys-response-to-its-logo-mishap-a-stroke-of-marketing-genius-9681928.html |access-date=October 29, 2014 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=August 19, 2014 |title=Greggs bakery shows how to handle a social media nightmare after offensive logo appears on Google |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11043644/Greggs-bakery-shows-how-to-handle-a-social-media-nightmare-after-offensive-logo-appears-on-Google.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11043644/Greggs-bakery-shows-how-to-handle-a-social-media-nightmare-after-offensive-logo-appears-on-Google.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |access-date=October 29, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2017, two pages of Absurdopedia were banned in Russia: "HowTo:Bathe a cat" for "calls to violence against animals" and "HowTo:Make a nuclear bomb" for "information on manufacturing weapons".<ref>{{snd}}Roscomsvoboda, February 13, 2018.{{in lang|ru}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Internet}}
*'']''
*'']''
*]

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikinews|Malaysian government warns citizens about Uncyclopedia|Uncyclopedia}}
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Latest revision as of 21:26, 14 December 2024

Satirical website that parodies Misplaced Pages

Uncyclopedia
Screenshot The main page of Uncyclopedia (retrieved May 24, 2019) is similar to Misplaced Pages's.
Type of siteOnline encyclopedia, satire
OwnerWorks are owned by their authors
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 (English-language version)
Created byJonathan "Chronarion" Huang,
"Stillwaters"
RevenueDonations
URLEnglish Uncyclopedia:
en.uncyclopedia.co (2013 fork)
uncyclopedia.com (2019 fork)
uncyclopedia.ca (redirect to the latter)
uncyclopedia.org (“about” page; information about both)
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJanuary 5, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-01-05)
Current statusActive

Uncyclopedia is the name of several forks of satirical online encyclopedias that parody Misplaced Pages. Its logo, a hollow "puzzle potato", parodies Misplaced Pages's globe puzzle logo, and it styles itself as "the content-free encyclopedia", parodying Misplaced Pages's slogan of "the 💕" and likely as a play the fact that Misplaced Pages is described as a "free-content" encyclopedia. Founded in 2005 as an English-language wiki, the project spans more than 75 languages as well as several subprojects parodying other wikis. Uncyclopedia's name is a portmanteau of the prefix un- and the word encyclopedia.

Various styles of humor are used as vehicles for parody, from pointed satire to light sarcasm, along with structured in-jokes and frequent non sequiturs. The site has attracted media attention for its articles on controversial subjects including religion, prominent people, places, politics, and pseudoscience.

Many Uncyclopedia articles contain graphics with a link to the corresponding Misplaced Pages article; Uncyclopedia often denotes the corresponding Misplaced Pages article to its content as being listed "for those without comedic tastes", and Misplaced Pages's article written by "so-called experts".

History

A grab from the "About" page of Uncyclopedia highlighting its comical nature and satirical approach to Misplaced Pages with a link to this page

Uncyclopedia was launched on January 5, 2005, by Jonathan Huang, known online as "Chronarion", and a partner known online as "Stillwaters". It was originally situated at uncyclopedia.org. In July 2006, it was acquired by Fandom, then known as Wikia.

In January 2013, some Uncyclopedia editors and administrators set up a fork of Uncyclopedia at en.uncyclopedia.co, in response to Wikia's censorship, insertion of advertising, and the imposition of content warnings. Fandom ceased hosting its version of Uncyclopedia on May 14, 2019, and the Fandom site (colloquially known as the "spoon", a play on "fork") moved to uncyclopedia.ca, and in September 2021 to uncyclopedia.com. In 2023, each of these English-language versions had approximately 37,000 content pages, second only to the Portuguese. The Fandom version of the site now shows only a "Not a valid community" landing page.

A third site, at mirror.uncyc.org, functions only as a mirror website with backup copies of some Uncyclopedia pages.

Structure

Uncyclopedia is built on the same MediaWiki software that Misplaced Pages uses. However, during Fandom's (Wikia's) hosting of Uncyclopedia, Fandom extensively modified its version of MediaWiki version 1.19, making the Fandom Uncyclopedia site incompatible with later MediaWiki versions. In May 2018, Fandom dropped support for the Monobook skin that its Uncyclopedia site had used to mimic Misplaced Pages, claiming this was necessary to achieve GDPR compliance, and warned that local work-arounds could not be extended to new visitors and editors by default. Since all Uncyclopedias split off or were removed from Fandom, they mostly switched to using Vector instead (with MinervaNeue on mobile), in order to continue parodying Misplaced Pages.

Uncyclopedia projects are run independently by their own members, though some users have accounts on multiple Uncyclopedias. They contain interlanguage links to each other, but there is no global governing organization comparable to the Wikimedia Foundation that oversees Misplaced Pages as well as its sister projects.

Content

Uncyclopedia's content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license, although some content, notably images, is copyrighted. Different Uncyclopedias sometimes have different licenses; for example, dÉsencyclopédie (French Uncyclopedia) is dual-licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 and the GFDL. As of May 2024, the English-language Uncyclopedia contains approximately 37,700 articles.

Many articles on Uncyclopedia link to corresponding Misplaced Pages article on the subject, and they often designate Misplaced Pages's content as being written by "so-called experts"; this is most often denoted by Uncyclopedia articles with a corresponding Misplaced Pages article having a graphic located to the side of an article linking the related Misplaced Pages article to be used for "those without comedic tastes".

Articles

Where available, Uncyclopedia makes use of visual aids as a complement to its text, such as these European hazard symbols that include dogs.

Uncyclopedia encourages satire that is close to or resembles the truth. However, many articles employ absurdist humor and little, if any, factual accuracy remains. For example, Uncyclopedia's article about Misplaced Pages claims that Misplaced Pages is a parody of Uncyclopedia, not the reverse. Many articles on the site contradict each other, even articles on the same subject.

Like Misplaced Pages's "Five pillars", Uncyclopedia has "Five pliers", including "Satirical point of view". Its code of conduct follows from three main rules: "Be funny and not just stupid", "Don't be a dick", and "Dance like you've never danced before!"

Parodying Misplaced Pages's article review service peer review, Uncyclopedia has a "Pee Review" where authors seek review by other Uncyclopedians on humor, grammar, spelling, use of images, and overall presentation. Users can post to other wiki pages to solicit coding help and review or request user-edited images. Like Misplaced Pages, Uncyclopedia features articles and images on its front page. A system of user voting decides which articles and images to feature, usually deciding based on humor and writing quality. The site also welcomes audio contributions such as narration of articles. Uncyclopedia's articles often begin with quotations, usually misquoted, fictitiously attributed or entirely fabricated. Among the most recurrent themes is the invention of quotes attributed to Oscar Wilde, prompted by an article stating that inventing Wilde quotes was the "national sport of England", and themes such as "kitten huffing" (the inhalation of the souls of cats as a form of drug abuse).

Much like Misplaced Pages, Uncyclopedia has policies concerning vanity articles, which are articles written by an individual associated with the subject of the page. Vanity articles were disallowed after many of them produced flame wars. Uncyclopedia does not police conflict of interest but may delete submissions as non-notable on a case-by-case basis, using an AfD-like system called "Votes for deletion" (VfD) and a CSD-like system called "QuickVFD".

One of Uncyclopedia's most popular articles, "AAAAAAAAA!", is a nonsensical page, with its content completely consisting of the upper case letter A with images and some punctuation marks.

Site-wide pranks

Uncyclopedia's logo for Misplaced Pages

Some jokes involve the entire website, sometimes including a re-skin of the main page, such as with holiday themes. In 2012, as a parody of Misplaced Pages's black-out protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) et al., Uncyclopedia blocked all content for a day with a notice claiming to support the bills. A tradition of April Fool's Day front page pranks occurs on the wiki, including a "blood donation" plea banner to spoof wiki donation banners on April 1, 2014. For one week in 2013, the Wikia fork interrupted viewing with a claim that the site was unavailable, spoofing a notice on the NASA website during the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.

Traditions

Each year, Uncyclopedia writers create a list of 100 worst reflections of that year, marking website milestones or simply news. Most years, the creators of the list reveal that they have once again put off the list until the last second, and simply skip a large chunk to get to a hundred in time. Other Uncyclopedia traditions include creating a "top 10" list of articles for each year, chosen by popular vote.

Subprojects

Uncyclomedia project Object of parody
UnBooks Wikibooks
UnNews Wikinews
Undictionary Wiktionary
Un-Bestiary Wikispecies
Uncycloversity Wikiversity
UnQuotable Wikiquote
UnScripts Wikisource
UnMeta-Wiki Wikimedia Meta-Wiki
UnCommons
(Uncyclomedia Commons) 		Wikimedia Commons
UnSignpost Misplaced Pages Signpost
UnTunes iTunes
UnVoyage Wikivoyage
HowTo wikiHow
Why? Answers.com
Un-Games Choose your own adventure books
UnDebate Debatepedia
UnPoetia Poetry (in general)
Undata Wikidata
UnReviews Reviews (in general)

As well as housing many articles designed to satirize Misplaced Pages-style content, Uncyclopedia contains several secondary projects (known as "UnProjects"). As of 2017, there were sixteen such subprojects, each of which specializes in parody of a different information style. Many of these are directly analogous to Misplaced Pages's sister projects, while others such as UnTunes and HowTo parody projects completely unrelated to Misplaced Pages.

Press coverage

Uncyclopedia has been referenced in several well-known news publications from around the world, in addition to numerous local and regional newspapers and periodicals. In 2005 the Flying Spaghetti Monster entry from Uncyclopedia was mentioned in a New York Times column reporting the spread of "Pastafarianism", the religion that worships the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The column was then reprinted in other newspapers, including the Taipei Times. The magazine .net featured an interview with Huang about Uncyclopedia in May 2007. A number of other articles have been centred on specific entries on Uncyclopedia – most notably the article in the Arizona Daily Star, which focused on the Tucson, Arizona parody, and the article in the Cyprus Mail, which focused on the Cyprus article.

In addition to articles about specific entries on the wiki, several papers speak of the website in general – usually in a section devoted to technology or the Internet. This was the case when Uncyclopedia was referenced in the Boston Herald and The Guardian. Although most articles mentioning Uncyclopedia are specific to the site, there are other articles about Wikia or Misplaced Pages that just mention its name briefly. These include the editorial in The Register discussing the Seigenthaler incident, in which Uncyclopedia was named only once. It has also been listed as one of the "Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites" in PC Magazine, as well as among the "101 most useful websites" on the internet by The Sunday Telegraph. Seattle Post-Intelligencer considers Uncyclopedia to be the wiki site equivalent of The Onion.

Criticism and controversy

This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. Please help rewrite or integrate negative information to other sections through discussion on the talk page. (October 2022)
The mobile version of an Uncyclopedia article about itself

At various times, articles on Uncyclopedia have been subject to criticism from King's College (School, Auckland) the North-West Evening Mail, Northern Irish politician James McCarry, civic leaders of Telford, Shropshire, UK, the Sioux City Journal, Hawke's Bay Today, and Lochaber News.

In January 2008, the Malaysian Internal Security Ministry issued a directive alerting newspaper editors not to trust Uncyclopedia. It said the article concerning Malaysia contained "untruths, insults and ridicule" and was demeaning to the country.

The site uses a layout that looks similar to Misplaced Pages's, which may confuse inexperienced users who misinterpret the content as factual.

In November 2012, the page "HowTo:Commit suicide" on Absurdopedia, the Russian-language Uncyclopedia, was legally prohibited by the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor). Absurdopedia administrator Edward Chernenko unsuccessfully sued them under his right to science and culture guaranteed by the Russian Constitution. During the proceedings, the Russian government and its experts claimed that Absurdopedia is intentionally trying to increase the number of child suicides in Russia by providing children with instructions for killing themselves. As of 2013, the case is currently in the ECHR.

In 2014, the page "HowTo:Make a bomb at home" on Absurdopedia was included in the Russian list of extremist materials.

In August 2014, the logo displayed for Greggs on its Google profile was mistakenly temporarily switched to the logo used on Uncyclopedia's article on the subject at the Wikia site due to a caching issue, causing a PR crisis for the company.

In 2017, two pages of Absurdopedia were banned in Russia: "HowTo:Bathe a cat" for "calls to violence against animals" and "HowTo:Make a nuclear bomb" for "information on manufacturing weapons".

See also

References

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  3. ^ "The brains behind Uncyclopedia". .net. May 3, 2007. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
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  26. "'Pastafarianism' gains prominence and support in intelligent-design drive". Taipei Times. August 25, 2005. Retrieved July 18, 2006.
  27. "Online parody of Tucson not always funny, but interesting". Arizona Daily Star. August 18, 2006. Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
    "Online parody of Tucson not always funny, but interesting". Arizona Daily Star via Wayback machine. February 14, 2007. Archived from the original on February 14, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  28. Christou, Jean (2007). "Cyprus that great and peaceful island". Cyprus Mail. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
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  40. Gray, Alistair (July 6, 2010). "'Flaxmurder' postings slammed". Hawke's Bay Today. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  41. Bushnell, Helen (July 22, 2010). "Fort mocked in web spoof". Lochaber News. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
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  47. (in Russian) How we went to court against Rospotrebnadzor – Habrahabr, April 3, 2013.
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  50. Сулейманов, Султан (May 5, 2014). "Кулинарные рецепты с "Абсурдопедии" дважды внесли в список экстремистских материалов – Право на TJ". TJ.
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  52. "Greggs bakery shows how to handle a social media nightmare after offensive logo appears on Google". August 19, 2014. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  53. Absurdopedia of real life – Roscomsvoboda, February 13, 2018.(in Russian)

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