Wikipedia Deletes Lorenzo von Matterhorn



2009 November, 17th
Liliana Dumitru-Steffens
Liliana Dumitru-Steffens
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You cannot mess with Wikipedia, apparently – the popular online encyclopedia has high standards when it comes to what content goes in. Of course, this doesn’t apply to hard core and child pornography, which are still protected by the so-called free speech rights called in by the Wikipedia editors every time anyone expresses concerns related to adult content there. But, this is a different story (and I couldn’t resist mentioning it). Interestingly, although deleting a page created for a fictional character is considered by the bon-ton Wikipedia editors fashionable, deleting web pages describing each and every episode of a sitcom is not an option. One page per sitcom is apparently not enough… can you imagine how many pages per “Days of our Lives” for example?

A certain someone with a healthy sense of humor attempted to create a Wikipedia page for a fictional character, Lorenzo von Matterhorn. In the 96th episode of CBS’s sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” (the eighth episode of the fifth season, titled “The Playbook”), Lorenzo is a fictional businessman created by Barney to cope after his breakup with Robin. His Wikipedia page was soon deleted by the Wikipedia editors, as it did not depict a real-life person, and redirected to “The Playbook” – a page exclusively designated to describing the plot of the episode that made Lorenzo famous. From fictional character in a show, to social media celebrity it was a short journey. Lorenzo von Matterhorn is still one of the most popular Google trends of the moment, a huge PR boost for Craig Thomas and Carter Bays who prove their creative genius and bring How I Met Your Mother in the spotlight. Below the Wikipedia page in discussion, one of the brilliant moves that made Lorenzo von Matterhorn a social media hotshot today. The page was edited a few times before being completely deleted. Some adult language was removed, an alias was added (Daniel Bailey), everything pointing out that there was something fishy about Lorenzo’s character.

Lorenzo von Matterhorn, Wikipedia screenshot.

The media raving about How I Met Your Mother and its most successful plot in a while, convinced (probably) Neil Patrick Harris (actor playing Lorenzo von Matterhorn) to join Twitter. He’s got over 53000 followers in 20 hours, and the numbers still grow. One more social media hocus pocus and the numbers will skyrocket again. A valuable lesson for entertainers on how to engage the web to build momentum.

About the Author

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Liliana Dumitru-Steffens is public relations consultant for Pamil Visions PR. She writes for Everything PR since January 2009. Previously she worked for My-tronic GmbH and Unilever Romania. Email Liliana at lsteffens [at] pamil-visions [dot] net.

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There Are 3 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Lyndah on 19 November 2009:

    Twitter is user submitted site and every character in every sitcom is a bit much. As for their hard core and child pornography, you hit it right. You need to mention zoophilia also. Sick they all are.

  2. Comment by Eskild on 24 November 2009:

    Fine article.
    However, I do not get your comparison of hard core pornography, child porn and fiction. Fiction is as you might know not reality and hence it does not apply to a conventional dictionary.
    If a dictionary with another purpose is created such as of pooling articles on fictional persons etc. I guess an article on Lorenzo von Matterhorn would be suitable in such place.
    As for hard core pornography and child porn it does, regardless of its nature, fit a online dictionary unless of course you live in a dictatorship. In that case they will decide for you what is “suitable” for the dictionary, however, I assume that isn’t the case.
    Hard core porn and child porn is reality whether we accept it or not and thus claims a place in a dictionary.
    Another and far more exciting discussion is exactly the prank Thomas C. and Bays C. pulls by adding a fictional article to a conventional dictionary. How much publicity would it have got if it was added to a fictional dictionary?

  3. Comment by Pete on 14 December 2009:

    What’s funny, is that Wikipedia has pages devoted to other fictional characters from movies/TV shows.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Creed