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KIRKSVILLE -- Why is everyone just laying around?

It's called planking and it's taking the nation by storm, but where did it come from?

The journey supposedly began back in 1994. Tom Green appeared on his Canadian television show practiced the move which he called the "dead man".

However, some say two men from England named Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon invented the game in 1997. The craze took over Europe by 2009.

Now fast forward to 2011 and kids in America have taken the "plank" torch with full force.

So what is planking?

The principles are basic. Lie down, motionless and emotionless and point your fingers and toes straight. Once your set, get a buddy to take a picture and before you know it you have become a planking sensation.

Director of Public Safety at Truman State University Tom Johnson said be careful and be smart when planking.

"Well like anything else use common sense. Don't get yourself in a situation where it's dangerous. It could be fun to get your picture taken doing something outrageous, but ya know it's not worth taking your picture if something dangerous happens to you," Johnson said.