Kayfabe
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | Fourth Wall (glossary term) |
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Kayfabe is a term in the professional wrestling industry and fandom that refers to the portrayal and practice of treating scripted events as genuine. Participants breaking character or acknowledging events as scripted is referred to as breaking kayfabe. Depending on the community, breaking kayfabe may be a social taboo.
Outside of professional wrestling, kayfabe occurs in a similar manner in some fandoms, with fans treating presented events and plot elements as occurring in reality. This is often interpreted as a form of suspension of disbelief and may overlap with roleplay. An example of kayfabe occurring outside of professional wrestling is The Muppets; real-life interviewers talk to and interact with the Muppets as if they were real people.
Kayfabe occurs in a variety of fandoms, but consistently appears in fandoms based upon works that involve blending fiction with reality. This includes analog horror, alternate reality games, theme parks, and V-tubers.
Fandoms with notable instances of kayfabe
Notable instances of broken kayfabe
I Love Bees
During I Love Bees, a promotional alternate reality game for Halo 2, operators called payphones at predetermined locations and times around the United States, with participants seeking out the calls. A fan answered a call at a Florida payphone during Hurricane Ivan. The operator broke character and told the caller to seek shelter.[1]
Dude, it's a hurricane. Put the phone down.
The incident has caused occasional curiosity among Halo fans, and is sometimes cited as a testament of fan dedication to the game.
External links
- Kayfabe article on TV Tropes
- Play-Along Meme article on TV Tropes
- Kayfabe article on Wikipedia