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The SCP Foundation is a fictional organization featured in stories created by contributors on the SCP Wiki, a wiki-based collaborative writing project, launched in 2008. Within the project's shared universe, the SCP (Special Containment Procedures) Foundation[c] is a secret organization that is responsible for capturing, containing, and studying various paranormal, supernatural, and other mysterious phenomena (known as "anomalies" or "SCPs"), while also keeping their existence hidden from the rest of society.

Key Information

The collaborative writing project includes elements of many genres such as horror, science fiction, and urban fantasy. The majority of works on the SCP Wiki consist of thousands of SCP files: mock confidential scientific reports that document various SCPs and associated containment procedures. The website also contains "Foundation Tales", short stories featuring various characters and settings in the SCP universe. The wiki's literary works have been praised for their ability to convey horror through a quasi-scientific and academic writing style, as well as for their high standards of quality.

The SCP universe has inspired numerous fan-made adaptations in varying forms of media, including literature, music, short films, and video games.

Overview

[edit]

The fictional setting of the SCP universe revolves around the findings and activities of the SCP Foundation, an international non-governmental secret society consisting of a scientific research institution with a paramilitary intelligence agency to support their goals. The Foundation operates independently of any national government, answering only to their own mysterious 13-member leadership body called the O5 Council, also known as the Overseers. This organization is dedicated to protecting the world by capturing and containing various unexplained paranormal phenomena (referred to as "anomalies", "SCP objects", "SCPs", or informally as "skips"[5]) which display supernatural abilities or other extremely unusual properties that defy conventional scientific laws. They include living beings, objects, places, abstract concepts, and incomprehensible entities. If left uncontained, many of the more dangerous anomalies would pose a serious threat to human beings or even all life on Earth. All information regarding the existence of the Foundation and SCPs are strictly classified and withheld from the general public in order to prevent mass hysteria that would supposedly occur if they were leaked, and allow human civilization to continue functioning under a masquerade of "normalcy".[6][7]

Whenever an anomaly is discovered, teams of Foundation agents (either undercover field agents, regular containment teams, or if necessary, the elite Mobile Task Forces - MTF) are deployed to either collect and transport the object or entity to one of the organization's many secret facilities, or to contain it at its location of discovery if transportation is not possible. Civilian eyewitnesses are frequently interrogated and then dosed with amnestic drugs to erase their memories of anomalous events.[7][5] At the Foundation's secret containment and research facilities, SCPs are locked in captivity by armed security guards, and studied by scientists to develop better containment methods for them. The Foundation's laboratory research projects frequently exploit disposable human test subjects (usually unwitting convict prisoners) acquired from around the world known as "D-class personnel", forcing them into performing slave labor and participating in experiments with potentially dangerous SCPs in order to avoid risking the safety of the Foundation's employees.[6][7]

Apart from the Foundation itself, there are numerous rival organizations (collectively known as Groups of Interest, or GOIs) actively involved with the paranormal world. Examples include the Chaos Insurgency, a terrorist splinter group of ex-Foundation defectors who capture and weaponize SCPs; the Global Occult Coalition (GOC), a secret paramilitary agency of the United Nations which specializes in destroying supernatural threats instead of containing them; and the Serpent's Hand, a militant group which advocates for the rights of anomalous beings, resisting both the Foundation's and GOC's efforts to suppress paranormal activity worldwide. Other GOIs seek to exploit anomalies by producing or selling them for profit, or using them to serve their own religious, political, or ideological goals.[8]

Examples of SCPs

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A very dark staircase in which the bottom is not visible with a floating, deformed human face faintly visible in the distance
SCP-087, with SCP-087-1 in the background
  • SCP-055 is a mysterious, memory-erasing "anti-meme" anomaly that causes anyone who examines it to forget its existence, thus making its true nature unknown; its characteristics are indescribable except in terms of what it is not.[9]
  • SCP-087 is a staircase that appears to descend infinitely and inhibits any light within its space. It is inhabited by SCP-087-1, a disembodied floating face without a mouth, nostrils, or pupils, which chases after anyone walking down the stairs.[10]
  • SCP-096 is a tall thin humanoid creature with intense scopophobia, which causes it great psychological distress. The creature will hunt down and kill anyone who has seen its face, whether directly in person, or even by seeing images of its face from photos or video footage.[11]
  • SCP-173 is a humanoid statue composed of rebar, concrete, and spray paint. It is immobile when directly observed, but it attacks people and breaks their neck when the line of sight with it is broken. It is extremely fast, to the point where it can move multiple meters when the observer blinks. SCP-173 is the first SCP ever written, and it inspired the rest of the SCP Wiki and its fictional universe.[9][10] The entry was originally illustrated with a picture of an artwork by Izumi Katō, but this was removed due to copyright reasons.[12]
  • SCP-294 is a coffee vending machine that can dispense anything that can exist in liquid form—including certain abstract concepts. Regardless of the physical or chemical properties of the substance chosen, the machine's polystyrene cups appear to suffer no damage from the substances dispensed into them.[9][10]
  • SCP-426 is a toaster that can only be referred to in the first person.[10]
  • SCP-999 is a gelatinous slime mold–like creature that smells similar to whatever is the most comforting smell to the person it makes contact with. It has a friendly personality and is known to induce positive emotions on contact with humans and other organisms; as such, it is employed as a tool by the SCP Foundation.[13]
  • SCP-1171 is a home that has windows covered in condensation; by writing in the condensation on the glass, it is possible to communicate with an extra-dimensional entity whose windows are likewise covered in condensation. This entity bears xenophobic enmity against humans, but does not know that the Foundation members are humans.[9]
  • SCP-1247 is a man who perceives all animals he sees as the actor Shia LaBeouf.[14]
  • SCP-1609 is a sentient pile of wood chip mulch, fabric scraps, and nails. It teleports into the lungs of individuals displaying aggressive behavior towards it, wearing formal attire (primarily military) or who are otherwise identified by it to be a threat. It was previously a benevolent chair that teleported to nearby individuals who needed to sit down, and was transformed into its current state after being destroyed in a woodchipper by the Global Occult Coalition.[9]
  • SCP-3008 is an abandoned IKEA store, with an interior containing a seemingly infinite, labyrinthine pocket dimension designated as SCP-3008-1. Prospective customers who have become trapped within the endless building make rudimentary fortifications to defend against the store's monstrous inhabitants: tall faceless humanoid creatures wearing IKEA employee uniforms named SCP-3008-2, which become violently aggressive towards humans when the lights are turned off at "night".[15][16]

History

[edit]
Logo of the SCP Wiki used from 2008 to 2010, representing SCP-529, the front half of a cat, which behaves as a normal cat in all ways except in that it lacks a back half[17]

The SCP Foundation originated in the "paranormal" /x/ forum of 4chan in June 2007, where the very first SCP file, SCP-173, was posted by an anonymous user (later identified as Wesley "Moto42" Williams),[18] accompanied by an image of the sculpture "Untitled 2004" by Japanese artist Izumi Katō. Although displeased with the unlicensed use of his art, Katō allowed the use of the photo explicitly for the noncommercial purposes of the community.[19] Though SCP-173 was initially a stand-alone short story, many additional SCP files were created shortly after; those new SCPs copied SCP-173's style and were set within the same fictional universe.[9]

In July 2008, the SCP Wiki was transferred to its current Wikidot website after the wiki hosting service EditThis switched to a paid model.[9][2] New Wikidot wikis, by default, made use of the CC BY-SA 3.0 license at the time. The SCP staff therefore "accidentally" adopted this license for SCP media.[20][21] By 2009, a large number of articles had been written but the quality of those posts was often poor. A mass edit conducted from September to December of that year saw every article reviewed and a large number "decommissioned". A repository of the removed articles is preserved at SCP Classic. The development of evaluation processes, including the sharing of ideas and constructive criticism, has since allowed the community to maintain a high quality level for new articles.[22]

The community continued to grow and opened branches in additional languages from the early 2010s.[23] In particular, a surge of new members arrived in 2012 after the launch of SCP – Containment Breach.[24] The original SCP-173 text was released into the creative commons by its author explicitly in 2013, in an effort to address the uncertain license status of some earlier material. This debate over licensing led to a dispute between the English and Russian language branches in 2017, which briefly shut down the Russian version.[20]

In 2022, an article in American Journalism suggested that the SCP Foundation may have become the largest collaborative writing project in history.[22]

Writing style

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On the SCP Wiki, the majority of works are stand-alone articles detailing the "Special Containment Procedures" of a given SCP object.[9] In a typical article, an SCP object is assigned a unique identification number (e.g. "SCP-173")[25] and a "containment class" (e.g. Euclid)[d] based on the difficulty of containing it.[26][27][28] The documentation then outlines proper containment procedures and safety measures, and a description of the SCP object in question.[9] Addenda (such as images, research data, interviews, history, or status updates) may also be attached to the document. The reports are written in a scientific tone and often censor words with black redaction bars and "data expunged" markings, to give the in-universe impression of sensitive information not to be disclosed to lesser-privileged Foundation staff.[29] As of November 2025, articles exist for over 9,800 SCP objects;[30][e] new articles are written and published frequently by contributors.[9]

The SCP Wiki also contains over 6,300 short stories referred to as "Foundation Tales".[9][31] The stories are set within the larger SCP universe, and often focus on the exploits of various Foundation staff members, SCP entities, and objects, among other recurring characters and settings.[32] Gregory Burkart, writing for Blumhouse Productions, noted that some of the Foundation Tales had a dark and bleak tone, while others were "surprisingly light-hearted".[26]

The SCP universe has neither a central canon nor the ability to establish one due to its community-oriented nature,[9] but stories on the wiki are often linked together to create larger narratives.[33] Contributors have the ability to create "canons", which are clusters of SCPs and Foundation Tales with similar locations, characters, or central plots; many of these canons have hub pages that explain their basic concept and provide information such as timelines and character lists.[34]

The genres of the SCP Wiki have variously been described as science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, and creepypasta.[6][35][36]

Community

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The current Wikidot website contains numerous standard wiki features such as keyword searches and article lists. The wiki also contains a news hub, guides for writers and a central discussion forum.[33] The wiki is moderated by staff teams; each team is responsible for a different function such as community outreach and discipline.[37] Wikidot users are required to submit an application before they are allowed to post content.[9] Every article on the wiki is assigned a discussion page, where members can evaluate and provide constructive criticism on submitted stories. The discussion pages are frequently used by authors to improve their stories.[33] Members also have the ability to "upvote" articles they like and to "downvote" articles they dislike; articles that receive too many net downvotes are deleted.[38][39] Writers from the Daily Dot and Bustle have noted that the website maintains strict quality control standards, and that sub-par content tends to be quickly removed.[9][40] Authors who have written for the site include Max Landis,[41] qntm,[42][13] and Adrian Hon.[43]

The Wikidot website routinely holds creative writing contests to encourage submissions. The first of these was held in 2011 to decide which article would be assigned the "SCP-1000" label. There have since been additional competitions;[44] for example, in 2014, the SCP Wiki held a "Dystopia Contest" in which its members were encouraged to submit writings about the Foundation set in a bleak or degraded world.[45]

Apart from the original English wiki, 15 other official language branches exist, and some of their articles have been translated into English.[1][26][a] The Wanderer's Library is a sister site and spin-off of the SCP Wiki. It uses the same setting as the SCP universe, but is made up of fantastical stories rather than scientific reports.[46] The SCP community also maintains a role-playing site, a forum on Reddit, and accounts on, Facebook, Twitter, and Bluesky.[47][9][48][49]

[edit]

Trademark dispute

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An episode of Game Theory covering the trademark dispute with Duksin

The SCP Foundation website and its contents are under a Creative Commons license, and none of the characters or assets associated with it are trademarked by the Foundation itself. In 2019, a Russian resident named Andrey Duksin filed a trademark for the name and logo of the SCP Foundation. Although the Creative Commons license grants the right to sell merchandise based on the SCP intellectual property, Duksin used his trademark in Russia to suppress competition by stopping others from selling merchandise within Russia.[50] In addition, Duksin threatened to shut down the official Russian website of the SCP Foundation.[51] The SCP Foundation launched a fundraiser to raise funds to combat Duksin legally, with an initial goal of $50,000. In 2020, because of contributions by fans and members of the community, including the YouTuber Markiplier, $140,000 was raised.[52]

In November 2021, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service ruled against Duksin. It found that he did not commission or create the SCP name or logo, had not been transferred the rights to it, and that his actions may constitute an act of unfair competition. However, his trademark continued to stand in Russia. An article in Case Western Law Review came to the conclusion that the court's actions were broadly in line with Russian indulgence of trademark and patent trolls, as Russia does not usually deregister illegitimately obtained trademarks.[23] The SCP Wiki successfully appealed in April 2022, and Duksin's trademark was ultimately cancelled that October.[20]

SCP-173 image removal

[edit]

The original SCP-173, posted in 2007, used an image of the sculpture Untitled 2004 by the artist Izumi Katō, which was photographed by Keisuke Yamamoto. The creator of the post, Wesley "Moto42" Williams, did not have the rights to either the sculpture or the photograph that depicted it. Beginning in 2013 both the Japanese and English branches attempted to make contact with Katō to ask permission, but they received no reply. The English staff were eventually able to contact him in September 2014, and he "reluctantly" allowed the community to use the image for non-commercial purposes. He announced that he would take legal action if someone attempted to use it for a commercial purpose.[53][54][21]

The image remained on the site with a warning attached until February 2022, when staff made the decision to remove it. The SCP Foundation said on Twitter that the artistic vision of Izumi Katō was "forcibly hijacked" by the statue's association with SCP, and that they could not "fully undo the damage done".[55] At the request of Wesley Williams, a new image was not placed in the article, so that readers would have to imagine it themselves. Many original interpretations of SCP-173 were created by the community in the wake of the decision.[53][55]

Reception

[edit]

The SCP Foundation has received largely positive reviews. Michelle Starr of CNET praised the creepy nature of the stories.[10] Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, writing for the Daily Dot, praised the originality of the wiki and described it as the "most uniquely compelling horror writing on the Internet".[9] She noted that the series rarely contained gratuitous gore. Rather, the horror of the series was often established through the reports' "pragmatic" and "deadpan" style, as well as through the inclusion of detail.[9] Lisa Suhay, writing for the Christian Science Monitor, also noted the SCP Wiki's "tongue-in-cheek style".[45]

Alex Eichler, writing for io9, noted that the series had varying levels of quality and that some of the reports were dull or repetitive. However, he praised the SCP stories for not becoming overly dark, and for containing more light-hearted reports. Additionally, he praised the wide variety of concepts covered in the report and said that the wiki contained writings that would appeal to all readers.[56] Leigh Alexander, writing for The Guardian, noted that the wiki's voting system allows readers to easily locate content which "the community thinks are best and most scary."[57]

Winston Cook-Wilson, writing for Inverse, compared the SCP stories to the writings of American author H. P. Lovecraft. Like Lovecraft, SCP casefiles generally lack action sequences and are written in a pseudo-academic tone. Cook-Wilson argued that both Lovecraft's works and those of the SCP Wiki were strengthened by the tensions between their detached scientific tone and the unsettling, horrific nature of the stories being told.[58]

Bryan Alexander, writing in The New Digital Storytelling, stated that the SCP Foundation is possibly "the most advanced achievement of wiki storytelling" due to the large-scale and recurring process through which the wiki's user-base creates literary content.[59]

Media inspired by the SCP Foundation

[edit]

The works present on the SCP Foundation website have been the subject of numerous independent adaptations and inspired some original works:[60]

Adaptations of the SCP universe

[edit]

Literature

  • SCP-5000 WHY - The Graphic Novel (2021) is a 120-page graphic novel adaptation of SCP-5000 - Why? (a contest-winning entry) written by Tanhony and illustrated by Drdobermann. The novel focuses on technician Pietro Wilson surviving in an alternate universe where, for unknown reasons, the SCP Foundation has declared war against humanity and is releasing SCP objects to ensure human extinction.[61] Funded through Kickstarter, the novel was published by Discordia Publishing in August 2021.[62]
  • SCP Comics Series (2023–2025) are a series of one-shot horror graphic novel published by Aloha Comics under their ParaBooks imprint[63] that focus on specific SCPs or Mobile Task Forces. The titles of these oneshots are "We Who Poke With Sticks", "The Plague Doctor", "Red Sea Object", "Old Man", "Expunged Data Released", and "Reluctant Dimension Hopper". These oneshots were released as part of a book set funded through Kickstarter.[64]
  • SCP Foundation: Iris Through the Looking-Glass (2018–2020) is a light novel series written by Akira and illustrated by Sidu. The book focuses on a boy who is kidnapped by the SCP Foundation after he sees a picture of Iris Thompson, a girl designated as SCP-105, in every book he opens; the boy and Iris are forced to cooperate to escape the Foundation. The novel series began publication in Japan in September 2018, and was released by Seven Seas Entertainment in North America in January 2020.[65]
  • There Is No Antimemetics Division (2021) is a SCP sci-fi horror story written and self-published by Sam "qntm" Hughes. The novel focuses on the concept of "antimemes", ideas and entities that censor themselves through memory loss, data corruption, and other anomalous means, and more specifically the invasion of an antimemetic entity that feeds on information.[66][67]

Theater

  • Welcome to the Ethics Committee (2014) is a stage play that was performed in Dublin at the Smock Alley Theatre in October 2014. The play focused on the SCP Foundation's Ethics Committee, a body that tries to limit unethical containment procedures.[68]

Video games

SCP-096 in a screenshot from SCP – Containment Breach

  • SCP-087 (2012) is a short horror game about walking down the stairs of SCP-087.[69]
  • SCP – Containment Breach (2012), one of the most popular games based on the SCP Foundation,[9][29] was released by Finnish developer Joonas Rikkonen in 2012.[70] The game includes a blink function, which makes the player close their eyes and allows SCP-173 to approach.[9]
  • SCP: Secret Laboratory (2017) is a multiplayer game based on Containment Breach. Players have the option of playing different roles.[71]
  • SCP: 5K, formerly named SCP: Pandemic, (2022) is a multiplayer co-op first-person shooter in development by Affray Interactive.[72]
  • SCP: Secret Files (2022) is an episodic horror adventure game in development by GameZoo Studios. The player plays through chapters that each cover different excursions into the SCP Foundation's operations with the bizarre and abnormal.[73]
  • Go Home Annie (2024) is a horror adventure game featuring an original narrative set in the SCP Foundation universe developed by Misfit Village. It was released in 2024.[74]
  • SCP: Fragmented Minds (2025) is a first person action adventure game set on Site-113 set on Mars. Funded by a Kickstarter and developed by HST studios, the game launched Chapter 1 in January 2025 with 3 more chapters planned for release later.[75]
  • The Store is Closed (TBA) is an upcoming multiplayer survival game set in SCP-3008, an infinite IKEA-like store. The project had a successful Kickstarter in 2022, and entered into a closed alpha test that November. The game faced legal threats from IKEA which led to some graphical changes.[76]

Web videos

  • Confinement (2017–2019) is an animated black comedy horror web series on YouTube, created by the animator "Lord Bung". The series focuses on the misadventures of Connor, an immortal human SCP prisoner whose anomalous ability to instantaneously resurrect himself from any cause of death is frequently exploited by the Foundation, who often use him as a D-class test subject to interact with various highly dangerous SCPs.[77][78][79]
  • SCP: Overlord (2020) is a 35-minute action horror thriller short film on YouTube, directed by Stephen Hancock and written by Evan Muir. The plot involves a team of Foundation agents raiding and investigating a house occupied by a local cult, which performed occult rituals that have resulted in anomalous activity.[80][81][82]

  • There Is No Antimemetics Division (2024), based on the sci-fi horror story series of the same name, is a 4-part short series on YouTube, written and directed by Andrea Joshua Asnicar and Jenna Cosgrove.[83]

Podcasts

  • Find Us Alive (2019–present) is an audio drama series following a group of Foundation staff members trapped inside of an extra-dimensional Foundation Site. The series was made by SCP Wiki author Raddagher under her audio production company Hodgepodge. The series has become popular among the SCP wiki community and has received several awards for its production quality.[84]

Other original works

[edit]

Video games

  • Lobotomy Corporation (2018), a management video game by Project Moon, was released in April 2018. Inspired by the SCP Foundation, the titular Lobotomy Corporation contains and harvests energy from supernatural "Abnormalities", and handling containment breaches is a major aspect of the gameplay.[85][86]
  • Control (2019), a video game created by Remedy Entertainment, was first revealed at E3 2018 and released in August 2019.[87] The video game was heavily influenced by the SCP Foundation, and is centered on a fictional Federal Bureau of Control that collects mundane objects imbued with paranormal influence to study and keep secure.[60]
  • Lethal Company (2023), a cooperative survival horror video game created by solo developer Zeekerss, was released in October 2023. The developer drew upon existing mythos and monsters from the SCP universe for use in the horror game.[88]

See also

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Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

SCP Foundation

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The SCP Foundation is a fictional clandestine organization dedicated to securing, containing, and protecting anomalous objects, entities, phenomena, and beings that threaten normalcy, operating worldwide to prevent public awareness and panic through its : "Secure, Contain, Protect." In the project's lore, the Foundation maintains an extensive database of these anomalies, designated as SCPs (Special Containment Procedures), each documented with detailed containment protocols, descriptions, and incident reports, while classifying them into categories such as , , and based on containment difficulty. As a creative writing project, the SCP Foundation originated on June 22, 2007, when an anonymous user known as Moto42 posted SCP-173, a creepypasta story about a hostile statue that moves when unobserved, on 4chan's /x/ (paranormal) board, inspiring a series of similar entries that blended horror, science fiction, and procedural documentation. The project formalized on January 19, 2008, with the launch of the SCP Series wiki on EditThis, where early contributors like DrGears, Kain Pathos Crow, and FritzWillie compiled and expanded 4chan threads into structured articles, leading to hundreds of entries by mid-2008. Facing closure threats on EditThis, the wiki migrated to Wikidot on July 19, 2008, establishing scp-wiki.wikidot.com (now scpwiki.com) as its permanent home, where the "SCP Foundation" name was officially canonized on July 27, 2008. The collaborative effort has since evolved into a vast, international community-driven archive with over 10,000 SCP entries, tales, and canons authored by hundreds of volunteers under a Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license, emphasizing creative freedom over a single unified narrative and incorporating diverse genres from horror to humor. By 2009, stricter quality controls, including deletion proposals for low-effort content, helped professionalize the site, while ongoing developments include multimedia extensions like artwork, audio adaptations, and games, supported by staff teams for moderation and anti-harassment policies. The project's influence extends to broader , inspiring fan works, video games, and adaptations, though it remains a non-commercial, community-focused endeavor without official ties to for-profit media.

Core Concepts and Overview

Fictional Premise

The SCP Foundation is depicted as a fictional clandestine operating worldwide to secure, contain, and protect anomalous objects, entities, locations, and concepts that pose threats to normalcy and public safety. This secret society functions beyond conventional governmental authority, employing extreme measures to isolate these anomalies from civilian awareness and prevent global catastrophe. Its motto, "Secure, Contain, Protect," encapsulates the core mission: identifying deviations from established natural laws, developing containment protocols, and safeguarding both humanity and the anomalies themselves from mutual harm. Within this universe, anomalies—termed SCPs—are phenomena or items that defy scientific understanding, ranging from sentient artifacts to extradimensional entities. Containment classes categorize these based on difficulty: for those easily and reliably secured without ongoing intervention; for unpredictable or variable anomalies requiring vigilant monitoring; for exceptionally hazardous items that demand extensive, often innovative procedures; and Thaumiel for rare anomalies utilized to contain others. Specific SCP entries, such as those detailing containment procedures, illustrate these classifications in practice, though their formats are explored separately. One of the most iconic Keter-class anomalies is SCP-682, a reptile-like creature of unknown origin characterized by extreme intelligence, regenerative abilities that allow it to adapt and survive nearly any form of destruction, and a profound hatred of all life. It has been the subject of numerous termination attempt experiments documented in Foundation logs and connects to other SCPs, such as interactions with SCP-079 and attempts involving SCP-409, as well as appearances in various SCP tales exploring its lore. The narrative tone blends clinical bureaucracy with horror, evoking , urban legends, and existential dread through detached, procedural documentation that underscores the organization's amoral pragmatism. This style highlights the tension between scientific rationalism and the incomprehensible, often portraying the Foundation's efforts as a Sisyphean struggle against inevitable breaches. At its heart, the Foundation's structure revolves around the enigmatic O5 Council, a supreme oversight body issuing directives from anonymity; Mobile Task Forces, elite units for fieldwork and rapid response; secure Sites serving as primary facilities; and the , which evaluates the moral implications of containment actions to balance necessity against humanitarian concerns. In certain canons, such as the Broken Masquerade canon, the Ethics Committee has issued detailed guidelines, including "The Ethics Committee's Guide to Human Anomalies" (published December 2024), which emphasize humane treatment of humanoid anomalies by preferring conversational approaches over physical force during detainment, using an anomaly's preferred name and pronouns, and recognizing shared humanity.

Structure of SCP Entries

The structure of SCP entries follows a standardized template designed to mimic official bureaucratic and scientific documentation, enhancing the immersive quality of the by presenting anomalies as real, contained threats. This format typically begins with Item #:, a unique alphanumeric designation (e.g., SCP-XXXX) assigned sequentially to each anomaly, ensuring organized cataloging within the Foundation's archives. Next is Object Class:, which categorizes the anomaly based on containment difficulty rather than inherent danger: for easily and predictably contained items requiring minimal resources; for unpredictable or autonomous entities needing active monitoring; for those exceedingly difficult to contain due to complexity or evasion tactics; and Thaumiel for anomalies used to contain others, reserved for high-level clearance. Additional classes include for uncontainable existential threats, for containable but intentionally unrestrained items, and non-standard variants like -EX (explained anomalies fully understood and non-anomalous), -JK ( entries for humorous deviations), Neutralized (anomalies rendered inert), and Decommissioned (deliberately destroyed). These classifications guide resource allocation and research priorities, evolving from informal descriptors in early entries to a formalized system by April 2008. An optional extension, the Anomaly Classification System (ACS) introduced around 2023, adds Disruption Class (measuring impact on normalcy, e.g., Dark for minimal, Amida for world-ending) and Risk Class (assessing effects on individuals, e.g., for observable but harmless, Critical for lethal), providing further nuance alongside the primary Object Class. Following the classification, Special Containment Procedures: outlines the precise protocols for securing, containing, and protecting the anomaly, often in paragraph form detailing facilities, personnel requirements, and safeguards to prevent breaches or public exposure. This section emphasizes practicality and to underscore the Foundation's procedural rigor. The Description: then provides a factual overview of the anomaly's properties, discovery, behavior, and effects, written in a detached, clinical tone that avoids or emotional language, thereby building through objective reporting. Addendums append supplementary materials, such as testing logs (tabular summaries of experiments with subjects and outcomes), incident reports (narratives of containment failures), or transcripts ( formatted with forewords and closings), which reveal escalating details and heighten via incremental disclosure. Procedural logs and redacted elements, like blacked-out text represented by [REDACTED] or █ blocks, simulate , fostering intrigue without revealing key facts prematurely. The format originated in the project's nascent phase on 4chan in June 2007 with SCP-173, which featured a basic Item # and containment procedures but lacked object classes, evolving through community contributions on an EditThis wiki launched in January 2008. Early entries incorporated ad hoc class labels in descriptions (e.g., "Class 4 hazardous object"), but standardization accelerated with the introduction of Safe, Euclid, and Keter classes in January–February 2008, culminating in the Item #/Object Class/Containment triad by April 2008 via collaborative edits. This shift from loose tales to rigid entries transformed the project, prioritizing document authenticity over narrative prose and enabling scalable collaboration. Authors are guided to maintain consistency through fixed section headers, Wikidot syntax for formatting (e.g., block quotes for logs), and avoidance of deviations unless justified for specific classes like -JK, ensuring the template's role in sustaining the Foundation's pseudorealistic aesthetic across thousands of entries.

Historical Development

Origins and Early Years

The SCP Foundation originated as a single entry posted anonymously on June 22, 2007, by user Moto42 (also known as S.S. Walrus) to 4chan's /x/ board, a forum dedicated to paranormal topics and early storytelling. This initial post introduced SCP-173, a hostile concrete statue that moves only when unobserved, establishing the clinical, document-based format that would define the project. The entry quickly garnered interest within the /x/ community, leading to user-generated additions and expansions in subsequent threads, though the format remained informal and scattered across anonymous posts. SCP-173 became the most iconic entry in the SCP series, inspiring the creation of thousands of subsequent entries and significantly driving the community's growth from a niche 4chan phenomenon to a collaborative online project. By early 2008, the growing collection of entries prompted a shift to a more structured platform. On January 19, 2008, the first dedicated SCP wiki was created on the EditThis wikifarm, allowing users to compile and edit content collaboratively. However, EditThis's transition to a paid model in mid-2008 necessitated a rapid migration; on July 19, 2008, the site moved to Wikidot, where it launched publicly by July 25 and became the permanent home of the SCP Wiki after EditThis's deletion on September 3. The wiki has been licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 since the migration to Wikidot, aligning with the platform's defaults and facilitating open contributions while ensuring attribution. The foundational concept drew heavily from creepypasta traditions prevalent on 4chan's /x/ board, where users shared short, eerie tales mimicking official documents, as seen in precursors like "The Holders" series. It also incorporated influences from and horror media, blending bureaucratic containment with dread. Early growth was hampered by a small, loosely organized community of around a dozen active contributors, resulting in inconsistent quality and rampant trolling, such as the "HAGGAR attacks" in October 2008 that vandalized pages with nonsensical edits. To address this, moderators like DrGears implemented restrictions on anonymous editing and initiated the first content purges in 2009, deleting low-quality or off-topic entries to enforce standards and preserve the project's clinical tone, which had been set by the original SCP-173. These measures helped stabilize the wiki, though they sparked debates over accessibility versus quality control.

Expansion and Key Milestones

During the , the SCP Foundation project experienced significant expansion, growing from a handful of entries to thousands of SCP articles as contributors proliferated on the Wikidot platform, fostering a boom in . This period saw the establishment of international branches, such as the Chinese branch (SCP-CN) and Japanese branch (SCP-JP), which adapted the format to local languages and cultures while maintaining the core containment narrative. Notable canon hubs emerged, including Broken Masquerade, a storyline depicting the collapse of global secrecy around anomalies, which exemplified the community's shift toward interconnected, large-scale narratives. Key events marked this growth, including the 2012 "Age of Containment Breach," where the release of the indie horror game by developer Regalis drew widespread attention to the project, prompting community discussions and site enhancements to handle increased traffic and contributions. The brought further surges in visibility through virality on platforms like and , where creators produced animations, explanations, and lore videos that introduced the SCP universe to millions, amplifying its reach beyond niche horror enthusiasts. Milestones underscored the project's scale, with over 7,000 mainline SCP entries documented by 2023 and over 9,000 as of November 2025 across multiple series, reflecting sustained creative output. Recent community events include the conclusion of the SCP Anthology 2025 contest in early November 2025. Debates over AI-generated content intensified in 2024-2025, leading to explicit policies prohibiting its use on the wiki to preserve human authorship, with violations resulting in membership revocation or bans. Partnerships with indie developers also proliferated under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, enabling official-inspired games like (a crowdfunded via ) and Go Home Annie (a horror investigation title slated for console release). Demographic shifts evolved from the anonymous, 4chan-rooted contributors of the early days to a diverse global base, as evidenced by 2022-2023 community surveys showing participants from over 100 countries, including increased representation from East Asian, Latin American, and underrepresented linguistic groups like Korean (SCP-KO) and Indonesian (SCP-ID). This broadening tied into the project's collaborative platforms, which facilitated multilingual translations and inclusive governance.

Creative Style and Themes

Writing Conventions

The writing conventions of the SCP Foundation emphasize a clinical, detached tone that mimics bureaucratic and scientific , fostering an atmosphere of institutional normalcy amid anomalous horror. This style, often described as "dry scientific prose," prioritizes objectivity and precision to immerse readers in the Foundation's worldview, where anomalies are treated as empirical phenomena requiring rather than . Authors are encouraged to adopt a neutral voice that underscores the routine professionalism of the organization, drawing from real-world technical reports and avoiding emotional to heighten unease through . Central to this approach is the use of , minimal adjectives, and specialized to convey authority and impersonality. For instance, descriptions avoid embellishments like "terrifying" or "grotesque," opting instead for factual phrasing such as "cease life function" rather than "die," which depersonalizes events and aligns with the Foundation's procedural mindset. Jargon integral to the lore, such as "amnestic drugs" for memory-erasing agents administered to witnesses or "reality benders" for entities capable of altering physical laws, is incorporated naturally to build a cohesive pseudoscientific vocabulary without overwhelming the narrative. , like "the subject is to be monitored" instead of "we must watch the subject," further reinforce this bureaucratic detachment, making the prose feel like an internal memo rather than a story. Official guidelines from the SCP Wiki stress restraint in techniques, prohibiting first-person perspectives in core descriptions to maintain objectivity, though they are permitted in supplementary logs or interviews for character insight. Horror emerges through implication rather than explicit gore—readers infer dread from redacted details or subtle inconsistencies, such as a log entry hinting at without detailing it, which amplifies the "fridge horror" effect. Cross-referencing between entries is actively encouraged to create a interconnected canon, where mentions of other anomalies or procedures reward deeper engagement without disrupting the entry's focus. Beyond standard SCP entries, the conventions extend to varied formats that allow creative flexibility while adhering to the project's core voice. Tales, as short stories outside the main anomaly catalog, permit more narrative prose, dialogue, or experimental elements like , enabling authors to explore Foundation lore in non-documentary styles. Groups of Interest (GOI) formats simulate documents from rival organizations, adapting the clinical tone to faction-specific and perspectives for added depth. Redacted or fragmented files represent another experimental variation, using omissions and to evoke mystery, all while preserving the overarching emphasis on implication and institutional restraint. These conventions enhance recurring motifs, such as bureaucratic inefficiency, by embedding them in the very language of .

Recurring Motifs and Genres

The SCP Foundation's narratives frequently explore motifs of human fallibility in the face of anomalous threats, where containment procedures often fail due to bureaucratic oversights, personnel errors, or the inherent unpredictability of anomalies, underscoring the limits of human control over the inexplicable. This is compounded by the terror of the unknown, drawing on cosmic horror elements where anomalies defy rational explanation, evoking primal fears of incomprehensible forces beyond human comprehension. Moral ambiguity permeates these stories, portraying the Foundation as a dual entity: a necessary guardian preserving normalcy against existential dangers, yet a monstrous organization that employs ruthless tactics, including the sacrifice of lives for the greater good. Genre fusions in SCP works blend horror with , incorporating Lovecraftian cosmic dread—where vast, indifferent entities threaten reality—alongside speculative elements like alternate dimensions and advanced anomalous technologies that challenge physical laws. Humorous undertones appear in comedic anomalies that subvert expectations through absurd, meme-like properties, providing relief amid tension, while metafictional layers introduce self-referential canons that question the boundaries between narrative and reality, often featuring authors or tropes as in-universe elements. Common archetypes include indestructible entities that resist all containment efforts, sentient objects possessing awareness and agency, and apocalyptic scenarios envisioning world-ending events through uncontainable breaches or reality-altering phenomena. SCP-682 serves as a prominent example of the project's horror and science fiction elements, particularly in tales that explore themes of indestructibility and existential threats, depicting a highly regenerative, intelligent reptile-like creature that harbors an intense hatred for all life and has withstood numerous termination attempts. Ethical dilemmas, such as the utilitarian use of expendable D-class personnel in testing, highlight tensions between humanitarian principles and the imperative to secure anomalies, forcing characters—and readers—to confront the costs of secrecy and control. In more recent lore, particularly within the Broken Masquerade canon, the Ethics Committee's "Guide to Human Anomalies" (published December 2024) formalizes ethical standards for humanoid anomalies, emphasizing shared humanity and abuse prevention through preferring conversation and explanation over physical force during detainment, using preferred first names and pronouns for psychological benefit, implementing a privilege classification system (Class I: highly restricted "Contained" to Class V: offsite "Civilian") that determines housing, movement, attire, and possessions, providing special provisions for minors (such as limited detention without parental consent and potential onsite parental residence), and addressing "DSF Syndrome" (Dependency/Subservience/Failure Syndrome), an unhealthy compliance and dependency that risks exploitation. These guidelines reflect evolving motifs of moral ambiguity by balancing containment necessities with protections against dehumanization. Over time, SCP narratives have evolved from standalone tales of isolated horrors in the late to more interconnected lore in the 2020s, with canons like weaving post-apocalyptic reconstructions of the Foundation's central storyline, emphasizing collective survival amid ruined normalcy and expanded multiversal threats; for instance, SCP Series 10 exemplifies modern SCP writing through a mix of horror, humor, meta-fiction, philosophical themes, and creative experimentation, exploring normalcy, identity, technology, and Foundation bureaucracy with tones ranging from terrifying to comedic. This shift reflects growing community emphasis on shared universes, blending digital anxieties with broader to create layered, ongoing mythologies.

Community and Operations

Collaborative Platform

The SCP Foundation's collaborative platform is primarily hosted on the Wikidot content management system, which powers the main SCP Wiki at scp-wiki.wikidot.com and enables through wiki-style . This infrastructure includes dedicated forums for discussions on writing, critiques, and community announcements, accessible via scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum:start, as well as real-time communication channels such as IRC servers for structured chats and an official server with over 47,000 members for broader interactions. Complementing these are translation archives under the SCP International project at scp-int.wikidot.com, which support over 15 languages through official and developing branches, facilitating the adaptation and sharing of SCP entries across global communities. Contributions to the SCP Wiki follow a structured process designed to maintain quality and consensus. New entries are drafted in dedicated sandboxes, such as scp-sandbox-3.wikidot.com, where authors test formatting and receive feedback before posting to the main site. Once published, articles undergo community voting via an upvote/downvote system, where each user can cast a single +1 or -1 based on content quality; entries receiving sustained negative ratings, such as below -10, risk deletion after a 24-hour recovery period. Site staff, including moderators who handle deletions and edits per the site's policy, oversee this process to enforce standards and resolve disputes. The platform incorporates various tools to enhance usability and creativity. Users can apply CSS customizations through browser extensions like S-CSS-P, allowing personalized themes and layouts without altering core site functionality, as outlined in the CSS policy. Interwiki linking integrates content from international branches seamlessly, enabling cross-language references via modules like the SCP Interwiki tool. AI-generated content remains strictly prohibited. To foster a supportive environment, the platform emphasizes inclusivity through clear guidelines and policies. The site rules explicitly prohibit , requiring attribution for borrowed elements and leading to immediate deletion for violations. An official anti-harassment policy addresses , trolling, and discriminatory behavior across wiki, forums, IRC, and , with enforcement extending to offsite conduct in major community spaces. to non-English communities is supported via the International Translation Archive and branch development resources, encouraging participation from diverse linguistic groups while maintaining in translations. This has underpinned the wiki's growth from a niche forum thread to a vast collaborative archive.

Governance and Contributions

The SCP Foundation wiki operates under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License (CC-BY-SA 3.0), which permits users to copy, distribute, adapt, and even commercially use content as long as they provide attribution to the original authors and the SCP , and release any derivatives under the same license. This open licensing model fosters a vibrant of fan works, including adaptations in , animations, and literature, without imposing commercial restrictions, provided compliance with attribution and share-alike requirements. The policy emphasizes protecting original creators' credits while encouraging broad creative reuse, and violations such as improper attribution lead to content removal by the Licensing Team. Governance of the SCP Wiki is managed by a decentralized staff structure comprising specialized teams responsible for maintaining site integrity, community standards, and content quality. Key teams include the Disciplinary Team, which oversees user behavior and enforces bans through a tiered process starting with warnings and escalating to permanent exclusions based on rule violations; the Curation Team, which reviews collaborative edits and ensures adherence to writing guidelines; the Licensing Team, which handles issues; and the Technical Team, which manages tagging and platform functionality. Content review occurs through community voting and staff intervention, with "Rule Zero: Don’t be a dick" serving as the foundational principle for civil interactions. Deletion policies balance creative freedom with quality control, allowing low-rated articles to be removed via community downvotes once thresholds are met, while summary deletions are applied immediately for severe infractions like or AI-generated content, often with a 48-hour for corrections. Authors retain no inherent right to unilaterally delete published works due to the CC-BY-SA , though staff may grant requests on a case-by-case basis to prevent abuse or resolve disputes. For international branches, which operate as independent wikis in languages such as Russian, Chinese, and Japanese, governance mirrors the English site's model but with localized moderation; all branches use the same CC-BY-SA 3.0 , and coordination occurs through archives and shared hubs to facilitate contributions without formal annual licensing renewals. To incentivize participation, the wiki provides merit-based recognition through author pages, where contributors can showcase their portfolios and receive community upvotes for high-impact works, fostering a sense of achievement among writers. Regular contests further motivate engagement, such as the 2024 Visual Archives Contest, which invited artists to submit anomalous-themed illustrations for integration into the site's visual archives, and SCiPTEMBER 2024, a month-long challenge blending writing and prompts to boost creative output. These initiatives, alongside ongoing feedback mechanisms, sustain a pool of hundreds of active contributors as of 2025, evidenced by monthly news updates highlighting new entries from diverse authors.

Intellectual Property Disputes

The SCP Foundation's intellectual property framework, primarily governed by the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) license, has faced several challenges from individuals and entities attempting to assert proprietary control over its shared content. This license, adopted since the project's early days, permits derivative works, commercial use, and distribution provided attribution is given and modifications are shared under the same terms. However, disputes have arisen when parties sought to elements of the Foundation's lore or restrict access to specific assets, highlighting tensions between and traditional IP protections. A prominent conflict emerged in when Russian resident Duksin registered the SCP Foundation name and with the Russian Federal Service for (Rospatent), under registration number 661748. Duksin, a contributor to the Russian SCP branch since 2015, used the to protect his commercial artbook project, ARTSCP, and subsequently issued cease-and-desist notices to other derivative works, including games and merchandise. This action sparked widespread community backlash, as it contradicted the CC BY-SA ethos by attempting to limit non-commercial and commercial uses alike. The SCP Foundation administration launched a campaign to fund legal defense, raising over $50,000 to challenge the registration through the Eurasian Economic Commission and Russian courts. The dispute escalated into broader legal proceedings, with the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service ruling in 2021 that Duksin's actions violated fair competition s by creating public confusion over licensing rights. Courts have ruled against his claims of , but the remains registered, with ongoing litigation as of mid-2024. As of November 2025, the registration remains in place, and the litigation continues without final resolution. The case underscored vulnerabilities in international IP for online collaborative projects, prompting the SCP community to strengthen policies prohibiting proprietary claims on wiki-hosted content. Another significant copyright issue centers on SCP-173, the Foundation's first entry, which originally featured an image of the sculpture "Untitled 2004" by Japanese artist Izumi Kato. Kato granted permission in 2012 for non-commercial use of the image by the SCP community, but the artwork was not released under the CC BY-SA license, creating ongoing restrictions on commercial derivatives. Concerns over potential infringement intensified in the 2020s, particularly as SCP-173-inspired merchandise proliferated; in 2022, the SCP wiki administration removed the image from the article to mitigate ethical and legal risks, replacing it with a textual description and community-generated alternatives compatible with the site's license. This decision reinforced wiki guidelines explicitly barring commercial exploitation of Kato's work while allowing fan recreations under CC terms. These disputes have influenced the Foundation's governance, leading to updated site rules that emphasize compliance with CC BY-SA and prohibit attempts to monetize or trademark core elements without community consensus. Overall, resolutions have upheld the open-licensing model, ensuring the project's continued collaborative nature despite external pressures.

Content and Image Controversies

In 2022, the SCP Wiki removed the original image associated with SCP-173, a sculpture photograph titled "Untitled 2004" by Japanese artist Izumi Kato, due to copyright infringement under the site's Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. The image, used since the entry's 2007 debut, was not licensed for such use, and Kato expressed distress over its alteration in meaning and commercial exploitation by third parties without consent. No official replacement was added, per the original author's request to preserve imaginative interpretation, though a community art event encouraged fan-created visuals, establishing a policy favoring derivative works over unlicensed originals to maintain CC BY-SA compliance. Following the removal, community redesign efforts emerged, including the 2024 SCP-173 Redesign Collab Hub, where artists contributed textual interpretations of the entity, sparking discussions on the fidelity of these designs to the original concept and their acceptance among fans. Content moderation controversies have centered on explicit material, with community discussions highlighting the need for stricter guidelines on sexually explicit depictions to align with tonal standards, leading to recommendations for summarization over direct quotation. In 2023, debates intensified around graphic gore and trauma portrayals, as seen in critiques of entries mishandling emotional distress themes, prompting revisions to the "Sensitive Topics And You" essay to emphasize thorough research and avoidance of endorsement. These issues tie to the site's CC BY-SA share-alike rules, which require derivative works to uphold original ethical intents but have sparked disputes over transformative uses of sensitive content. Common controversies in SCP entries frequently involve depictions of sexual violence, references to sensitive real-world events, and discussions of identity politics. The "Sensitive Topics And You" guide specifically addresses handling topics such as sexual assault, incest, necrophilia, mental and physical abuse, urging authors to conduct thorough research and avoid endorsing harmful behaviors. Historical incidents include the 2019 community split that led to the creation of the RPC Authority, driven by debates over the inclusion of politics and LGBT representation in SCP content. Additional controversies, such as the SCP Pride logo debates in the early 2020s, highlighted tensions around identity politics and queer representation within the community. The 2021 Cerastes Incident further exemplified issues with sensitive content, involving backlash over explicit and politically charged entries that referenced real-world events and identity-related themes. By 2025, the SCP Wiki implemented a comprehensive ban on generative AI models, such as and , for creating or editing user-facing content, including text and images, to prevent ethical and legal risks like unattributed training data. Violations result in content deletion and potential permanent bans, with exceptions only for unknowingly posted, properly cited AI images not user-generated. This policy extends to writing assistance, reinforcing prohibitions in for Writing. Ethical concerns in SCP entries often involve representations of violence, mental health, and inclusivity. Violence depictions prioritize non-lethal containment, favoring dialogue and restraint over force unless necessary, as outlined in the Ethics Committee's guidelines. Mental health themes address risks like DSF Syndrome—excessive compliance in anomalies—through psychiatric evaluations and privilege systems granting freedoms based on behavior since 2023. Inclusivity efforts include using preferred pronouns over designations and humane treatment to avoid dehumanization, though Groups of Interest (GOI) formats have faced scrutiny for potential stereotypes without formalized avoidance policies. In response, the SCP Foundation updated its tagging system and sensitivity guidelines in 2024, introducing standardized warnings for adult content like gore, , and via the Adult Content Warning component, managed by a curation team. The Ethics Committee's Guide, revised that October, formalized protections for human anomalies, while the SCP Tagging Guide ensures comprehensive labeling for object classes and themes to aid reader navigation. These measures, building on 2023 sensitive topics protocols, aim to balance creative freedom with community well-being.

Reception and Cultural Impact

Critical Analysis

Scholars have lauded the SCP Foundation for its innovative subversion of horror tropes, replacing overt supernatural terror with a bureaucratic lens that documents anomalies through clinical, procedural reports, thereby generating unease via the mundane mechanics of . This stylistic choice, rooted in a quasi-scientific format, transforms horror into an exercise in institutional detachment and hidden normalcy, as analyzed in Justin M. Jones's 2022 on the project's digital horror elements. authorship further enhances this innovation, fostering a collaborative where contributors build an interconnected canon, akin to evolving digital folklore that reflects communal anxieties about control and . Krushna Dande's 2021 examination in the SFRA Review highlights how this rhizomatic, non-linear structure empowers readers to construct personal interpretations, critiquing societal power dynamics through motifs like amnestics and D-Class exploitation. Critiques of the SCP Foundation often center on narrative repetitiveness stemming from its adherence to a standardized clinical tone, which can constrain metafictional depth and variety relative to broader creepypasta traditions. In a 2021 study, Anastasio García Roca notes that while the format promotes literacy and creativity, its rigid scientific mimicry risks overemphasizing procedural detail at the expense of diverse storytelling approaches. Community governance issues, such as voting power imbalances favoring established authors, and an occasional reliance on shock value for anomalous reveals, have been raised in internal wiki guides on writing pitfalls, though scholarly analysis remains sparse on these operational critiques. Academic treatments position the SCP Foundation as contemporary , with Megan Erin Pallante's 2017 honors framing it as a digital mythos constructed through collaborative legend-building, where anomaly archetypes evolve via user contributions to embody modern urban legends. Jones's work extends this by linking SCP entries to apocalyptic narratives that probe technological fears, while García Roca underscores its role in . Recent surveys indicate strong fan retention, with 24% of respondents in the 2023 community poll having engaged for 5-10 years, attributed to emotional depth in interconnected tales and a welcoming onsite rated positively by 53%. The wiki's global traffic, ranking approximately 25,000th with millions of monthly visits as of 2025, underscores its enduring appeal. This critical lens on narrative and community dynamics informs the SCP Foundation's broader cultural footprint, influencing discussions on collaborative digital media.

Broader Influence

The SCP Foundation has significantly influenced the evolution of creepypasta and collaborative wiki-fiction, establishing a model for user-generated horror narratives that blend clinical documentation with speculative terror. Originating from 4chan's /x/ board in 2007, the project's format—impersonal reports on anomalous entities—pioneered "containment fiction," a subgenre where readers contribute to a shared universe through structured, pseudoscientific entries. This approach democratized horror storytelling, shifting from individual authorial control to communal world-building, as evidenced by its impact on subsequent online projects that adopt similar wiki-based expansion. A key example of this influence is the 2019 emergence of The Backrooms, a liminal space creepypasta that evolved into a sprawling collaborative lore, mirroring SCP's mechanics of incremental additions and canon debates. While The Backrooms focuses on existential dread in infinite, monotonous environments, its rapid growth into multimedia wikis and games owes much to SCP's proven framework for sustaining fan-driven narratives without centralized oversight. Academic analyses highlight how SCP's success in fostering "network societies" through globalization and community moderation laid the groundwork for such evolutions, enabling horror to proliferate as accessible, participatory digital folklore. The Foundation's motifs have permeated broader , inspiring echoes in and media that explore themes of secrecy, anomaly, and institutional control. A notable example is SCP-173, known as "The Sculpture," which has become one of the most iconic anomalies in the SCP universe, featuring prominently in video games such as SCP: Containment Breach and inspiring fan-made live-action short films. For instance, Jeff VanderMeer's 2014 novel and its adaptations draw parallels to SCP's bureaucratic containment of the incomprehensible, amplifying the horror of the unknown within structured narratives. This penetration extends to educational contexts, where the SCP Wiki serves as an affinity space for developing academic skills, such as critical analysis and , among young users engaging with its complex, interconnected lore. Globally, the SCP Foundation demonstrates extensive reach through its international branches, with over 20 non-English language wikis adapting and localizing content for diverse audiences, from Japanese tales of yokai-inspired anomalies to Russian entries rooted in . These branches, operational since the early , facilitate cultural translation of the core concept, allowing anomalous narratives to resonate with regional mythologies while maintaining the project's universal appeal. This decentralized structure underscores SCP's role in global digital commons, promoting the of by empowering non-English speakers to contribute to a shared, evolving canon. More recently, in December 2025, the "SCP: Wish I Knew" meme emerged on TikTok as a viral parody of SCP entries, featuring an AI-generated anomalous face of a Black man with glowing eyes singing an edited version of a song, garnering millions of views and exemplifying the project's influence on contemporary internet humor and fan creations. In the long term, SCP's legacy lies in its transformation of online creativity, exemplifying how open-source platforms can sustain vast, horror-infused universes through voluntary collaboration. By prioritizing communal input over proprietary control, it has reshaped perceptions of authorship in , influencing discussions on collective narrative production in academic works on apocalyptic and .

Adaptations and Derivative Works

Video Games and Interactive Media

The SCP Foundation universe has inspired numerous video games, primarily developed by independent creators under the project's BY-SA 3.0 license, which permits derivative works with proper attribution. These titles typically simulate containment scenarios within fictional Foundation facilities, emphasizing horror, , and anomaly interactions. Early games emerged from community enthusiasm, evolving from mods and prototypes into polished releases on platforms like and mobile app stores. A seminal entry is , an indie game released in 2012 by Finnish developer Joonas "Regalis" Rikkonen. Players assume the role of a Class-D test subject navigating a breached underground facility, evading anomalous entities such as SCP-173 and SCP-106 while solving environmental puzzles. The game, built using the Blitz3D engine, was initially distributed as a free download via the developer's website and has since amassed widespread popularity, with its multiplayer adaptation alone garnering over 27,000 user reviews on . Its open-source elements facilitated extensive , including expansions like the Resurrected Calamity mod, which adds new SCP objects and map areas. Building on this foundation, SCP: Secret Laboratory debuted in 2017 as a multiplayer developed by Northwood Studios. Set in Site-02 during a containment breach, it supports up to 20 players in asymmetric roles—Foundation personnel, Chaos Insurgency operatives, or SCP entities—focusing on objectives like recontainment or escape. The title diverges from single-player roots by incorporating elements, such as team coordination and procedural events, and has achieved significant traction with over 222,000 reviews, reflecting its enduring appeal in online communities. Community-driven updates continue to refine mechanics, including balance patches for anomaly behaviors. Other notable adaptations include SCP: 5K, a tactical entering on in 2022 by Affray Interactive, where players defend against SCP hordes as Foundation agents in co-op or single-player modes. The game emphasizes resource management and procedural breaches, with ongoing updates through 2025 enhancing weapon systems and lore integration. For immersive experiences, SCP: Labrat (2021) by Bezbro Games reimagines Containment Breach in , allowing physical interactions with anomalies via motion controls, and remains actively supported for VR headsets like . More recent titles include Go Home Annie: An SCP Game, a game released for PC on December 10, 2024, by Misfit Village, where players control a Foundation archivist navigating a collapsed facility haunted by anomalies and unraveling a . It features puzzle-solving, stealth, and narrative-driven exploration, with console versions planned for early 2026. Similarly, SCP: Fragmented Minds entered on January 27, 2025, developed by HST Studios, set on a derelict Mars site involving of extraterrestrial SCPs through action-survival mechanics and co-op elements. Gameplay across these titles centers on exploring labyrinthine Sites, encountering procedurally triggered anomalies, and simulating containment protocols, often blending stealth, puzzle-solving, and . Multiplayer variants like Secret Laboratory introduce , such as mechanics and voice chat for Foundation procedures. Development histories trace back to fan mods in engines like Source (for prototypes) and Unity, transitioning to licensed releases that comply with SCP's attribution requirements—no formal exclusive partnerships have been documented, but the CC license enables revenue generation through platforms like while mandating shared-alike terms for derivatives. Recent advancements include VR optimizations in titles like Labrat, with 2025 community mods expanding accessibility for modern headsets, though no official esports leagues have emerged.

Visual and Literary Extensions

The visual and literary extensions of the SCP Foundation have proliferated through fan-driven animations, novels, short films, and , expanding the collaborative lore into accessible narrative formats while adhering to the project's licensing. These works often reinterpret canonical SCP entries or tales, blending horror, , and existential themes to engage broader audiences beyond the wiki's text-based format. Animations have emerged as a prominent medium, with series like Dr. Bob's ongoing SCP content, which began in 2020 and features animated retellings of entities such as SCP-150 and SCP-3700, amassing over 100 million total views across episodes by 2025 through high-production visuals and narrative compilations. Similarly, channels like SCP Animated - Tales From The Foundation produce weekly illustrated series exploring interconnected SCP stories, such as "The Young Girl's Pet" based on SCP-053, emphasizing emotional depth in anomalous encounters. These animations prioritize fidelity to source material while adding visual flair, such as dynamic containment breach sequences, to heighten tension. Literary expansions include professional novels that delve into specific Foundation divisions, notably There Is No Antimemetics Division by Sam "qntm" Hughes, published in 2021 by W&D Publishing, which compiles and extends the author's wiki serials on memory-erasing anomalies like SCP-055, earning acclaim for its conceptual horror and logical extrapolations of antimemetic threats. Fan-driven anthologies, such as the unofficial SCP Foundation: Horror Stories 2023 Collection, aggregate community tales into print formats, featuring curated entries on containment procedures and ethical dilemmas to introduce newcomers to the lore's breadth. Japanese light novels like SCP Foundation: Iris Through the Looking-Glass (Vol. 1, 2021) by Akira further globalize the universe, narrating a boy's encounters with recurring anomalous imagery across books. In film and television, short adaptations like SCP: Overlord (2020), a 35-minute live-action piece directed by , depict a militaristic NGO raid on a harboring anomalies, released via and praised for its atmospheric tension and practical effects in portraying Foundation-like operations. Unproduced scripts persist as a challenge, with historical pitches—such as rumored Hollywood interests in the late —failing due to the decentralized canon, though indie efforts like SCP: The Corpse (2025 short film) continue to test narrative adaptations of specific entries like SCP-3348. Comic runs by Aloha Comics under the ParaBooks imprint, including the SCP Foundation Comics Series (2023–2025), offer explorations of icons like the (SCP-049), with box sets compiling horror one-shots that visualize containment logs and ethical quandaries. Maintaining canon adherence remains a core challenge in these extensions, as the SCP Wiki's guidelines require works to respect the non-linear, multi-author structure—evident in canon hubs mandating at least ten articles by five contributors for recognition—while artist collaborations must follow attribution and avoid commercial exploitation without community approval. These constraints foster innovative yet respectful expansions, such as joint wiki art exchanges pairing authors with illustrators for visual tales, ensuring extensions amplify the Foundation's cultural reach without diluting its collaborative ethos.

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  27. https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/10024/131245/2/NieminenRiikka.pdf
  28. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/genre-tagging-guide
  29. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-foundation-and-evil
  30. https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1114&context=english_theses
  31. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-series-10
  32. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/resurrection
  33. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/
  34. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum:start
  35. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/chat-guide
  36. https://discord.com/invite/scp
  37. http://scp-int.wikidot.com/other-hub
  38. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/faq
  39. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/site-rules
  40. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/deletions-guide
  41. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/meet-the-staff
  42. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/css-policy
  43. https://github.com/scpwiki/S-CSS-P
  44. https://github.com/scpwiki/interwiki
  45. http://scp-int.wikidot.com/about
  46. https://scp-int.wikidot.com/scp-international
  47. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/authors-pages
  48. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/visual-archives-art-contest
  49. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/sciptember-2024
  50. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/news-11-2025
  51. https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3594375/the-scp-trademark-is-under-attack/
  52. https://boingboing.net/2019/11/16/secure-contain-protect.html
  53. https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/1annyay/how_is_the_copyright_issue_with_scp_going/
  54. https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/1dif2fw/what_happened_with_that_russian_guy_that_tried_to/
  55. https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/sisycs/announcement_regarding_the_removal_of_scp173s/
  56. https://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-14468375/discussion-removing-scp-173-s-image-untitled-2004
  57. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-14469202/announcement-regarding-the-removal-of-scp-173-s-image
  58. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/peanut-gallery
  59. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/173-anniversary-hub
  60. https://www.reddit.com/r/SCP/comments/8qp52e/when_should_explative_be_used/
  61. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/sensitive-topics-and-you
  62. https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/bg1i18
  63. https://lackoflepers.medium.com/the-pride-before-the-fall-9b6144112d45
  64. https://containmentfiction.net/wiki/scp-disc-j
  65. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/groups-of-interest
  66. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/adult-content-warning-guide
  67. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-tagging-guide
  68. https://sfrareview.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sfra-review-51.1-secured-contained.pdf
  69. https://revistaseug.ugr.es/index.php/publicaciones/article/download/16488/21180/70085
  70. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/mackenzie-pitfalls
  71. https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/honors_theses/m613n251q
  72. https://www.similarweb.com/website/scp-wiki.wikidot.com/
  73. https://scpcb.fandom.com/wiki/SCP-173
  74. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_XtLI9zZZc
  75. https://vocal.media/horror/analyzing-the-popularity-of-the-scp-foundation-why-it-captivates-readers
  76. https://www.wired.com/story/control-game-scp-foundation/
  77. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/scp-wish-i-knew
  78. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60nz5PvGl0E
  79. https://www.youtube.com/c/SCPAnimatedTalesFromTheFoundation
  80. https://qntm.org/scp
  81. https://www.amazon.com/SCP-Foundation-Unofficial-Book-Collection/dp/B0BVP5HJ4V
  82. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/701787/scp-foundation-iris-through-the-looking-glass-light-novel-vol-1-by-akira-illustrated-by-sidu/
  83. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13484102/
  84. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUzvD4XjBBo
  85. https://aloha.store/collections/scp-comics
  86. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/canon-hub
  87. https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/art-tagging-guide
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