The activity noun planking was coined in Australia in 2011, though the concept underlying the fad dates back to the late nineties, and was previously known as the lying down game in Britain where it was invented by then-teenagers Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon. The game went global in late 2007 when Clarkson and Langdon created a Facebook group dedicated to the activity.

The activity noun planking was coined in Australia in 2011, though the concept underlying the fad dates back to the late nineties, and was previously known as the lying down game in Britain where it was invented by then-teenagers Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon. The game went global in late 2007 when Clarkson and Langdon created a Facebook group dedicated to the activity.