The SCP Foundation is a collaborative online project that involves a fictional organization responsible for securing, containing, and protecting anomalous objects, entities, and phenomena from the general public. SCP stands for “Secure, Contain, Protect,” which are the core principles of the Foundation. SCPs are typically written in the form of articles, which describe the properties and behaviors of anomalous objects and entities, as well as the Foundation’s efforts to contain them.
As of my knowledge cutoff in 2021, there were over 6000 SCP articles on the SCP Foundation wiki, with new articles being added regularly. However, the number of SCPs can be difficult to determine precisely because the wiki is an open platform where anyone can contribute new SCPs or modify existing ones. The SCP Foundation has also inspired numerous spin-offs, such as alternate universe SCPs, fan-fiction, and roleplaying games, which further add to the overall number of SCPs.
Furthermore, the SCP Foundation community has a culture of exploring and expanding the SCP universe through collaborative writing and sharing of ideas. This culture has led to the creation of numerous canons, which are groups of SCPs and related content that are considered to be part of a shared continuity or storyline. These canons can also overlap or contradict each other, further complicating the task of determining the total number of SCPs.
Despite these challenges, some estimates can be made based on the available data. As of 2021, there were over 6000 SCP articles on the SCP Foundation wiki, with some articles featuring multiple SCPs. This means that there are likely several thousand unique SCPs on the wiki. However, it is important to note that not all SCPs are created equal in terms of popularity, quality, or canonical status. Some SCPs have become iconic within the community, while others have been forgotten or ignored.
One way to approach the question of how many SCPs there are is to consider the different categories of SCPs that exist. The SCP Foundation categorizes SCPs based on their level of containment difficulty, ranging from Safe (easily contained) to Euclid (moderately difficult) to Keter (extremely difficult or impossible). There are also Thaumiel SCPs, which are anomalous objects or entities that are used by the Foundation to contain other SCPs.
As of 2021, the SCP Foundation wiki had over 2000 Safe-class SCPs, over 2500 Euclid-class SCPs, and over 800 Keter-class SCPs. There were also over 100 Thaumiel-class SCPs. These numbers give a rough idea of the distribution of SCPs across different categories, but they do not provide a comprehensive answer to the question of how many SCPs there are.
Another way to approach the question is to consider the different canons of SCPs that exist. As mentioned earlier, canons are groups of SCPs and related content that are considered to be part of a shared continuity or storyline. Some canons are widely recognized and influential within the SCP community, while others are more obscure or niche.
Some of the most well-known canons of SCPs include:
- The “Classic” SCP Foundation, which features a more serious and clinical tone and is focused on the containment of anomalous objects and entities.
- The “Broken Masquerade” canon, which imagines a world where the existence of anomalous objects and entities is publicly known and the Foundation is forced to adapt to this new reality.
- The “Cool War” canon, which depicts a conflict between the SCP Foundation and an alternate version of the Foundation from a parallel universe.
- The “Antimemetics Division” canon, which explores the concept of antimemetics (anomalies that are difficult or impossible to remember or perceive)