SCP 173, the sculpture.

Being the first of a kind is rarely synonymous with being the best.

The Wright Brothers Plain is not generally considered the best plane,

and Round Hay garden scene doesn't make many best film lists.

But being the original always deserves some form of recognition, and for the SCP universe,

that recognition goes to SCP 173.

While it's unlikely a large percentage of SCP fans consider it their favorite, it retains far and away the highest rating

of any article on the site, and will likely hold that honor for a long time.

173 is a simple article, and it alone wouldn't warrant much of a summary, but I'll also go into

some of the more interesting tales that have sprung up based on the original.

In mid-2007, the paranormal board of the 4chan website was filled with various stories and pictures made to creep people out.

Many of these followed a classic formula of creepy build-up ending with a jump scare or something similar.

The original text of SCP 173 was posted here during this time, along with an image of a sculpture made by artist Izumi Kato.

The original post has been lost to time, but it was posted numerous times afterwards, and

its popularity began to grow. People were intrigued by the unique format, the clinical tone,

and the idea that this strange entity was apparently only one of at least 172 other strange

entities contained by some organization.

Other SCP posts began popping up, and eventually the concept was moved off of 4chan.

The rest is history.

SCP 173 is an anomalous statue constructed from concrete and rebar, with traces of spray paint

on its body and face. While not being observed, 173 is extremely hostile and will quickly

move to the nearest creature, killing it by strangulation or snapping its neck.

...