The day has finally come and it is time for Peanut to be laid to rest.
Everybody knows what SCP-173 looks like, even people who aren’t actual SCP fans or maybe
haven’t even heard of SCP have most probably seen the statue on various forums and on servers
and in spooky YouTube videos.
The image is symbolic almost in its association with SCP, almost as much as the logo.
SCP-173 is the original and the oldest SCP and the image has been part of the file since
the start.
Some of you may not know though that the image is not Creative Commons compliant, which is
at odds with how the entire SCP universe works.
The SCP Foundation uses a specific Creative Commons license.
It allows anyone to post and use and interpret anything associated with the wiki as long
as you attribute your work to the original source, you claim no soul ownership to the
material and you release your work under the very same terms.
So, people can take your work, do their thing and then release it under the same terms as
before and so on and so on.
Now the actual image of SCP-173, is called Untitled 2004.
It’s actually an art piece made by a Japanese artist called Izumi Kato, my apologies if
I am butchering the pronunciation.
He’s made lots of other artworks that as you can see, relate to SCP-173’s likeness.
The artwork was posted on 4chan in association with SCP-173 without the artist’s permission.
Now in the very early days, the wiki wasn’t like it was today.
Not everything was super strict in the licensing department and so Izumi’s work was used
despite it not complying with the CC.
Not to worry though because Izumi very graciously allowed the SCP wiki to use it but with certain
rules.
The image was not be used in any commercial way.
Meaning no one is legally allowed to sell any interpretation of Peanut’s likeness
because Izumi holds the copyright to his image.
There are also some additional rules that currently exist on the wiki.
We fast forward to the modern day and the wiki is now very strict with their creative
common’s rules, especially now that we have slimy wankers like Andre Duksin filing false
trademarks and blackmailing both the creators and the wiki.
The wiki has to keep itself safe.
Even just a few days ago they changed the image for SCP-1370 because the original wasn’t
CC compliant.
With all I have said in mind, the wiki has decided it is time to discuss the removal
of Peanut from the wiki.
For a few reasons, one being that it doesn’t comply with the wiki’s CC rules and another
being it harms the original artwork.
Speaking as an artist, if a piece I made that had it’s own story and meaning was taken
an used as something else with a whole new story and meaning tied to it, then it undermines
the purpose of and taints the original artwork.
So for both legal and moral concerns, the discussion for the removal of Untitled 2004
is being held.
Now Yossi, a speaker for the wiki, has made it clear that Izumi is NOT forcing the wiki
to do this.
The wiki are doing it themselves quote “due to the damage it has done to Izumi Kato, and
the necessity of making the entire website CC-BY-SA 3.0 compliant.”
Moto42 has asked the wiki to not replace the image, the wiki is going to adhere to his
request and not replace the image with a new one.
But they have suggested they might create a gallery for people to share fan interpretations
of SCP-173.
Now the important thing for everyone to do here is STAY CALM.
Do not panic.
Don’t flip your lids and calm your tits.
No justice for peanut or anything like that.
This is the right thing to do.
It’s better for the artist and it’s better for the community as a whole and I fully support
this.
Peanut will always hold a place in our hearts.
We have countless artworks and memes and games and videos about him but 173 is more than
just an image.
He is the beginning of the wiki, he is the original.
And such an accolade should not depend entirely on a likeness but rather on what it, a character
represents.
The history tied to it, not to the image.
We as a community pride ourselves on our imagination for the fantastical and scary and downright
bizarre and even more so, our ability to share ideas and works with each other so even more
people can be inspired to create their own and get involved in our community.
Just think of all the amazing new artworks we are going to see depicting a possible look
for SCP-173.
It’ll be a creative explosion.
It really is a case of, Don't be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened.
And so I hope you will join me in thanking Izumi for letting us use his artwork.
I hope he understands that creating that sculpture had one of the biggest butterfly effects in
online writing and he should feel the upmost pride in seeing what his creation has in turn
created from that.
To that end, we say farewell to Untitled 2004.