SCP-173

Fictional description

SCP-173 is a roughly human-sized sculpture made from concrete and rebar, coated in Krylon branded spray paint. It is classified as Euclid, meaning it is unpredictable and may escape containment if procedures are not followed. When unobserved, it moves aimlessly, producing a scraping sound from its concrete body, and secretes a reddish-brown substance composed of blood and feces, though the source of this excretion is unknown. If not directly looked at, it attacks humans by breaking their necks.

Its containment chamber at Site-19 requires at least three personnel to enter: two must maintain eye contact with the anomaly at all times and alert each other when blinking to prevent an attack. The chamber is cleaned bi-weekly due to accumulated blood and feces. The physical appearance of SCP-173 varies across media; before 2022, it was consistently depicted as a tall, bulbous humanoid, but afterward depictions have become more varied, including abstract forms.

History

The original SCP-173 article was posted on June 22, 2007, as an anonymous submission on 4chan's /x/ board, later attributed to Wesley 'Moto42' Williams. This post was the first SCP article and established the SCP Foundation mythos, including its clinical tone and format. The image used was a photograph by Keisuke Yamamoto of the statue Untitled 2004 by Izumi Katō, used without permission. In 2014, after contact between the English and Japanese SCP Wikidot branches and Katō, he reluctantly allowed non-commercial use of the image, with a warning added to the article.

Due to merchandise sellers profiting from the likeness against Katō's wishes and the image violating the wiki's Creative Commons license, both the image and warning were removed in 2022. At Moto42's request, no replacement image was provided, leading to a collaborative effort by artists to create their own interpretations, hosted on a page jokingly called the 'Peanut Gallery'.

Reception

SCP-173 has been mostly positively received and is one of the most well-known and popular SCPs, holding the highest number of upvotes on the SCP Wikidot. It is used by the community for both horror and humor. James Potvin of Screen Rant described its eroded concrete and rebar form and constant secretion of blood and feces as a grotesque take on an animate statue. The bulbous shape of the original image led to the nickname 'Peanut'.

The clinical tone and document format of the original post are seen as positive, setting it apart from typical creepypasta by emphasizing mystery and fear of the unknown rather than a single punchline. Gita Jackson of Kotaku noted that the horror derives from the possibility of escape rather than described events. The unauthorized use of Untitled 2004 has drawn scrutiny; Tosha R. Taylor observed that SCP-173's fame overshadows the original sculpture, making it difficult to view Untitled 2004 as anything other than a dangerous anomaly.

Its movement restriction when observed invites comparison to entities like the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who and the Creaking from Minecraft. Justin Jones's 2022 thesis suggested the observation-based movement may have arisen convergently from an innate connection between human senses and fear. SCP-173 is also compared to SCP-096, which becomes hostile when its face is viewed.

Adaptations

SCP-173 appears as the primary antagonist in the video game SCP - Containment Breach, where it escapes its chamber and pursues the player, with a blink meter mechanic that allows it to move when the player blinks. It is a playable character in SCP: Secret Laboratory, an asymmetrical team-based first-person shooter, where it teams with other SCPs to eliminate human players. A clone designated SCP-173-B appears in SCP: 5K, behaving identically but with a different design. SCP-173 is also featured as an antagonist in the 2026 short film SCP: Containment Breach.