Archive:Fanboy

2008-02-23T04:32:04Z

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'''Fanboy''' (sometimes spelled '''fanboi''') is a term used to describe an individual who is devoted to a single fannish subject, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. Fanboys remain loyal to their particular obsession.

== Background ==
Nintendo Wii owners often call others fanboys, purely due to the fact that they are jealous of the far more superior consoles. The superior consoles consist of:
Xbox 360
PS3
Dreamcast

==History of fanboys and the term==
The term "fanboy" is most commonly associated with adolescent and teen males but can be applicable to any age or sex. The term originated in [[comic book]] circles to describe someone immersed in the fictional worlds of comics and the culture of comics fandom. Common subjects of reverence by fanboys are specific: [[TV show]]s; [[film|movie]]s; [[music]]; [[anime]]; [[comic book]]s; [[car]]s; [[video game console]]s, [[video games]] and [[MMORPG]]s; and [[computer]] [[operating system]]s, [[computer Hardware|hardware]] and [[software]].

Popular depictions of Fanboy stereotypes include the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and columnist [[Larry Groznic]] from the satirical newspaper ''[[The Onion]]''. In the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys.''

The earliest published uses of the word "fanboy" have been dated to 1982. One reference is to the cover of the "Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide". On this cover page are sketched overweight, overzealous comic book collectors wearing T-shirts that state "Fanboys of America," who are describing the extreme measures they would go to, including moving to San Francisco, to preserve their comics.

Also published in 1982, a comic strip appeared in Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala's "Fandom Confidential" comic. In the strip, Jim and Chuck met comic artist/writer [[John Byrne]] and collapsed into "mindless paroxysms of adoration." The John Byrne character responded that they were "a couple of fanboys in bondage" (a play on words referring to a [[List of Monty Python’s Flying Circus episodes#10. E. Henry Thripshaw.27s Disease|Monty Python sketch]] in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be a new Shakespeare work called "Gay Boys in Bondage". <ref>http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=7&T1=Miscellaneous+Questions#154</ref> Another early use is in a smart-aleck editorial reply by "[[Ambush Bug]]" to a letter in his comic in [[1985]].

==Media==
===Comic Book===
*[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''
*[[Galactic Storm]]'s ''Fanboy''

===Television===
*''[[The Simpsons]]''' [[Comic Book Guy]] refers to himself as a fanboy.
*''[[Freakazoid!|Freakazoid]]'''s [[freakazoid!#Other characters|Fan Boy]]

===Radio/Podcasts===
*[[Fanboy Radio]] - [http://fanboyradio.com]

===Webcomics===
*[[F@NBOY$]] - [http://fanboys-online.com]

==See also==
* [[Addiction]]
* [[Cyberstalking]]
* [[Editor war]]
* [[Anorak (slang)|Anorak]]
* [[Astroturfing]]
* [[Otaku]]
* [[Obsession]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fanboy Urban dictionary: fanboy]
* [http://www.netjak.com/review.php/1013 Dissecting the Fanboy Mind] - A discussion of the fanboy behavior in regard to video games.
* [http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=6463 The trial of the Fanboy] - A criticism of the fanboy concept and overusage of the term.

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Anime and manga terminology]]

[[de:Fan#Konsum]]
[[fr:Fanboy]]

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Archive:Fanboy