Faceplant

About

"Faceplant" is a slang term used to describe the act of falling and striking the ground face-first. Online, faceplants are often featured in FAIL video compilations.

Origin

According to Wikitionary^[1], the term originated in skateboarding and snowboarding slang as a variation of "handplant," an intentional trick move in which the rider balances on one hand. On May 20th, 2003. Urban Dictionary^[3] user Klepto submitted an entry for "face plant."

Spread

On November 24th, 2006, YouTuber sjbiars uploaded a video in which a man attempts a parkour back flip and falls directly on his face (shown below). In the next nine years, the video received more than 3.8 million views and 8,000 comments. On April 11th, 2008, YouTuber Tomas Andersen uploaded a video titled "Worst Face Plant in the World," in which a cheerleader is thrown into the air and hits the mat with her face (shown below, right). In seven years, the video garnered upwards of 1.7 million views and 1,100 comments.

On March 3rd, 2009, YouTuber Jim C uploaded a faceplant montage video, accumulating more than 1.5 million views and 2,200 comments in the next six years (shown below, left). On April 4th, 2011, YouTuber xTranssHD uploaded a clip of a man falling off a BMX bike and striking his face with a concrete sidewalk (shown below, right). Within five years, the video received more than 1.5 million views and 2,500 comments.

On November 7th, 2013, YouTuber P.O.R Stunts uploaded a FAIL compilation featuring notable faceplant and headshot clips (shown below, left). On September 30th, 2014, the FailArmy YouTube channel uploaded a video titled Epic Faceplants Compilation, featuring footage of people falling directly on their faces (shown below, right). In the first five months, the video gained over three million views and 2,200 comments.

Search Interest

External References

^[1] Wikitionary – Faceplant

^[2] Uncyclopedia – HowTo Faceplant

^[3] Urban Dictionary – face plant