The cake is a lie

File:We have cake they have lies.jpg]]

The original context of "The cake is a lie" was to convey the message that a reward is being used to motivate Chell, the player character of Portal, without any intent of delivering. Early use of the phrase among Portal fans indicated a wry state of knowing; it represented a shared experience, and a way to flag down false sources of motivation.

The phrase eventually became far removed from its original context and purchase through repeated use in Internet culture. For example, the phrase has been used as an idiom to refer to the pursuit of an empty, unattainable goal,{{Cite web|url=https://www.mashed.com/227149/why-the-latest-viral-cake-trend-has-the-internet-unglued/|title=Why the latest viral cake trend has the internet unglued|first=Maria|last=Scinto|publisher=Mashed|date=July 16, 2020|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119074857/https://www.mashed.com/227149/why-the-latest-viral-cake-trend-has-the-internet-unglued/|url-status=live}} or as a reference point in discussing protests about the flaws of the British education system's algorithm by a research academic.{{Cite web|url=https://bvlsingler.com/2020/08/17/the-cake-is-still-a-lie/|title=The Cake is Still a Lie|work=Beth Singler|date=July 16, 2020|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126122051/https://bvlsingler.com/2020/08/17/the-cake-is-still-a-lie/|url-status=live}} "The cake is a lie" is also used to refer to actual cakes, whether as fan art which references Portal, or as a literal descriptor of cakes which are designed as lifelike replicas of people and objects.

File:The cake is a lie (4483903749).jpg, the message is drawn in thick, inked letters on bare concrete walls.]]

File:Black forest cake recipe.jpg, the type of cake that features in the game]]

The phrase first appears in the 2007 video game Portal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cake-is-a-liethe-life-and-death-of-portals-best-baked-meme/|title='The cake is a lie'—the life and death of Portal's best baked meme|first=James|last=Davenport|publisher=PC Gamer|date=October 10, 2017|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111205300/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cake-is-a-liethe-life-and-death-of-portals-best-baked-meme/|url-status=live}} It can be found scribbled in an unhinged manner within hidden cubby-holes throughout the test chambers that players must complete, with the phrase written multiple times by the last surviving scientist of Aperture Science neurotoxin incident, Doug Rattmann. It is in reference to the fact that an AI entity that guides Chell through the chambers, GLaDOS, promises cake as a reward if she accomplishes all of the test chambers. However, GLaDOS turns out to be duplicitous, and Rattmann left the message as a warning. The cake is referred to in lyrics of the song featured in the game's closing credits, "Still Alive".

Portal writers Erik Wolpaw and Chet Faliszek developed the phrase as a plot device, "a thematic anchor that offers a chuckle or two in its setup, reveal, and post-credits wink" with no consideration given for its potential to become a viral phenomenon, as Wolpaw and Faliszek had anticipated that an innocuous hoop that falls from the sky after the player character escapes the exploding facility would catch on with fans instead. The idea of using cake as the proposed reward came about at the beginning of the Portal development process, where the writers convened as a group to determine which philosopher or school of philosophy their game would be based on. A consensus was reached when a team member suggested that a lot of people like cake.{{cite web | url = http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=518 | title = RPS Interview: Valve's Erik Wolpaw | website = Rock Paper Shotgun | date = October 31, 2007 | accessdate = October 31, 2007 | first = John | last = Walker | archive-date = November 1, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071101062325/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=518 | url-status = live }}

The cake element, along with additional messages given to the player in the behind-the-scenes areas, were written and drawn by Kim Swift.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/06/26/kim-swift-creator-of-portal-discusses-her-latest-game-quantum-conundrum/ |title=Kim Swift, Creator of 'Portal,' Discusses Her Latest Game, 'Quantum Conundrum' |first=Carol |last=Pinchefsky |date=2012-06-26 |access-date=2024-10-12 |magazine=Forbes |archive-date=2012-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629014837/http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/06/26/kim-swift-creator-of-portal-discusses-her-latest-game-quantum-conundrum/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}} The cake is a Black Forest gateau, with its design based on a cake from the Redmond location of the Regent Bakery and Cafe near Valve's offices.

"The cake is a lie" became frequently quoted on numerous message board forums and blogs across the Internet.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/04/for-those-who-were-expecting-or-fearing-a-cake-joke-in-portal-2/|title=For Those Who Were Expecting Or Fearing A Cake Joke In Portal 2...|date=April 19, 2011|website=Kotaku Australia|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821072253/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/04/for-those-who-were-expecting-or-fearing-a-cake-joke-in-portal-2/|url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine | url = https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/10/opening-the-portal-exploring-portal-s-creation-and-its-ties-to-half-life-2.aspx | title = Exploring Portal's Creation And Its Ties To Half-Life 2 | first = Ben | last = Reeves | date = March 10, 2010 | access-date = March 10, 2010 | magazine = Game Informer | archive-date = March 14, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100314141455/http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/10/opening-the-portal-exploring-portal-s-creation-and-its-ties-to-half-life-2.aspx | url-status = live }} Don Caldwell, managing editor at the website Know Your Meme, said catchphrase memes like "the cake is a lie" are easily spread across the Internet and have a very low barrier to entry for participation in their proliferation.

Interest in the phrase waned in early 2009 before it experienced a revival in popularity on July 6 of the same year, which Caldwell attributed to an xkcd comic referencing the phrase. Tyler Wilde from GamesRadar noted that "The cake is a lie" became one of the most repeated video game quotes by the year 2009.{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesradar.com/the-40-most-repeated-game-quotes/5/ | title = The 40 most repeated game quotes | publisher = GamesRadar | date = July 16, 2009 | accessdate = November 25, 2020 | first = Tyler | last = Wilde | archive-date = April 19, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190419131312/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-40-most-repeated-game-quotes/5/ | url-status = live }} Stephen Totillo, who was an editor at MTV.com in 2008, attributed part of Portal{{'}}s widespread acclaim to the phrase, along with its theme song, "Still Alive", and the Weighted Companion Cube.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1579622/why-devil-may-cry-and-burnout-paradise-make-me-feel-lonely-in-gamefile/|title=Why 'Devil May Cry' And 'Burnout Paradise' Make Me Feel Lonely, In GameFile|website=MTV News|access-date=2020-11-26|archive-date=2020-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704034448/http://www.mtv.com/news/1579622/why-devil-may-cry-and-burnout-paradise-make-me-feel-lonely-in-gamefile/|url-status=dead}} James Davenport from PC Gamer formed the view that a pivotal contributing factor to the meme's popularity was due to the year it debuted in, 2007, "in which some of the most legendary memes gained notoriety and cemented themselves near the head of the wacky, inexplicable semiotics parade". Amanda Brennan agreed and suggest that 2007 marked a point where internet culture transcended from niche forums such as 4chan and entered into "its own ecosystem", attaining mainstream appeal in the process.{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/in-2007-video-game-memes-took-a-dark-turn-1846654309|title=In 2007, Video Game Memes Took A Dark Turn|date=April 10, 2021|author=Nathan Grayson|website=Kotaku|access-date=April 10, 2021|archive-date=April 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409230224/https://kotaku.com/in-2007-video-game-memes-took-a-dark-turn-1846654309|url-status=live}}

Usage of the phrase in popular culture experienced a resurgence in the year 2020 in response to the spread on social media of another cake-based meme, where it is used as a literal description of a hyper-realistic cake being made to look like something else.{{Cite web|url=https://www.htxt.co.za/2020/07/13/why-is-everyone-on-the-internet-talking-about-cake/|title=Why is everyone on the internet talking about cake?|first=Clinton|last=Matos|publisher=Hypertext|date=July 13, 2020|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025113440/https://www.htxt.co.za/2020/07/13/why-is-everyone-on-the-internet-talking-about-cake/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/chosen-one-of-the-day-cake|title=Chosen One Of The Day Cake|first=Courtney|last=Enlow|publisher=Syfy|date=July 13, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812045141/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/chosen-one-of-the-day-cake|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.elitedaily.com/p/these-everything-is-cake-memes-will-have-you-scratching-your-head-29203801|title=These "Everything Is Cake" Memes Will Have You Scratching Your Head|first=Lara|last=Walsh|publisher=Elite Daily|date=July 14, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118082319/https://www.elitedaily.com/p/these-everything-is-cake-memes-will-have-you-scratching-your-head-29203801|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/news/everything-is-cake-except-fondant-hate-which-is-very-real-20200720-h1pgtk|title=Everything is cake, except fondant hate, which is very real|first=Emily|last=Heil|publisher=Goodfood.com.au|date=July 20, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419040701/https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/news/everything-is-cake-except-fondant-hate-which-is-very-real-20200720-h1pgtk|url-status=live}}

File:Rally to Restore Sanity- The Cake is a Lie! (And By 'Cake', I Mean What Fox News is Feeding Us) (5131596223).jpg at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear which references the phrase to criticize an American cable news television channel]]

The meme has been referenced in fan films,{{Cite web|url=https://nerdist.com/article/chell-and-gordon-fight-over-cake-in-fabulous-portalhalf-life-fan-film/|title=Chell and Gordon fan-film fight over cake|website=Nerdist|first=Carol|last=Pinchefsky|date=March 11, 2016|accessdate=November 25, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027022105/http://geekandsundry.com/chell-and-gordon-fight-over-cake-in-fabulous-portalhalf-life-fan-film/|url-status=live}} as well as discussions about other video games by video game journalists or as an Easter egg within the game itself. Examples include 'Splosion Man,{{Cite web |last=Croshaw |first=Ben "Yahtzee" |author-link=Yahtzee Croshaw |date=August 28, 2009 |title='Splosion Man | Extra Punctuation |url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/splosion-man/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032928/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/extra-punctuation/6432-Splosion-Man |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |access-date=October 25, 2023 |website=The Escapist}} Dragon Age: Origins,{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ysneGWPN4&ab_channel=FluffyNinjaLlama|title=Endgame ceremony comments: "The cake is a lie." [Dragon Age: Origins]|author=FluffyNinjaLlama|website=YouTube|date=June 24, 2011|accessdate=November 25, 2020|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419040841/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ysneGWPN4&ab_channel=FluffyNinjaLlama|url-status=live}} World of Warcraft,{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2010-11-09-around-azeroth-the-cake-is-a-lie.html|title=Around Azeroth: The cake is a lie|first=Elizabeth|last=Wachowski|date=November 9, 2010|accessdate=November 25, 2020|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419040721/https://www.engadget.com/2010-11-09-around-azeroth-the-cake-is-a-lie.html|url-status=live}}Assassin's Creed: Valhalla,{{Cite web|url=https://www.svg.com/283828/the-assassins-creed-valhalla-easter-egg-portal-fans-shouldnt-miss/|title=Assassin's Creed: Valhalla has a secret for Portal fans|first=Sam|last=Skopp|date=November 23, 2020|publisher=SVG.com|accessdate=November 25, 2020|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120092827/https://www.svg.com/283828/the-assassins-creed-valhalla-easter-egg-portal-fans-shouldnt-miss/|url-status=live}} and Minecraft.{{Cite web |date=9 May 2012 |title=The Lie Achievement in Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition |url=https://www.xboxachievements.com/game/minecraft/achievement/66291-the-lie.html |access-date=15 January 2025 |website=XboxAchievements.com |language=en}}

The phrase has also been encountered in other contexts. It was featured on a sticker posted at an anti-Scientology demonstration in front of the London Scientology Office in March 2008.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/19/dont-mind-them-theyre-from-the-internet/|title=Don't mind them. They're from the Internet|first=Kieron|last=Gillen|date=March 19, 2008|website=Rock Paper Shotgun|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=November 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129144310/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/19/dont-mind-them-theyre-from-the-internet/|url-status=live}} A KJRH-TV story which focused on Sooner Paranormal of Oklahoma, a group dedicated to "paranormal investigations and research", depicted a group member walking through a supposedly haunted building and discovering the phrase scrawled on a chalkboard, with the implication that the scrawling had paranormal or unusual origins.{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/news-station-thinks-the-cake-is-a-lie-joke-is-proof-o-1457526920|title=News Station Thinks "The Cake Is A Lie" Joke Is Proof of the Paranormal|date=November 3, 2013|website=Kotaku|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111181921/https://kotaku.com/news-station-thinks-the-cake-is-a-lie-joke-is-proof-o-1457526920|url-status=live}}

References to the Portal cake have been used in various forms of merchandising, both official and unofficial.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/11/portal_tshirt_the_cake_is_a_li/|title=Portal T-Shirt: The Cake is a Lie|date=November 11, 2007|author=Flynn De Marco|website=Kotaku Australia|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703060914/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/11/portal_tshirt_the_cake_is_a_li/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/portal-cake-not-lie-almost-flna6C9567907|title=The 'Portal' cake is not a lie ... almost|first=Yannick|last=LeJacq|date=April 25, 2013|website=NBC News|accessdate=November 25, 2020|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419040727/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/portal-cake-not-lie-almost-flna6C9567907|url-status=live}} The phrase has also been used frequently as a reference in Internet culture about actual cakes since the release of Portal.{{cite web | url = http://kotaku.com/gaming/cake/the-weighted-companion-cube-cake-313286.php | title = The Weighted Companion Cube Cake | publisher = Kotaku | date = October 21, 2007 | accessdate = January 31, 2008 | first = Flynn | last = de Marco | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080202110918/http://kotaku.com/gaming/cake/the-weighted-companion-cube-cake-313286.php | archive-date = February 2, 2008 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2008/06/the-cake-is-a-lie-ie-team-bakes-a-treat-for-mozilla/|title=The cake is a lie: IE team bakes a treat for Mozilla|first=Ryan|last=Paul|date=June 18, 2008|website=Ars Technica|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109042415/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2008/06/the-cake-is-a-lie-ie-team-bakes-a-treat-for-mozilla/|url-status=live}}

Video game journalists have praised the presentation of "The cake is a lie" in Portal as a well-executed example of environmental storytelling.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134844/defining_resistance_3.php?page=3|title=Defining Resistance 3|date=September 5, 2011|first=Brandon|last=Sheffield|website=Gamasutra|accessdate=November 25, 2020|archive-date=September 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921145542/http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/134844/defining_resistance_3.php?page=3|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/24/gdc-2008-producing-portal|title=GDC 2008: Producing Portal|first=Jimmy|last=Thang|date=February 24, 2008|publisher=IGN|accessdate=November 25, 2020|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305091711/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/24/gdc-2008-producing-portal|url-status=live}} Ars Technica editor Johnathan Neuis said that "the cake is a lie" was one of the strongest inside jokes in gaming since "All your base are belong to us".{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/11/in-the-event-that-the-weighted-companion-cube-does-speak-please-give-it-a-hug/|title=Valve to sell official Weighted Companion Cube plushies|first=Johnathan|last=Neuls|date=November 12, 2007|website=Ars Technica|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=August 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829163408/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/11/in-the-event-that-the-weighted-companion-cube-does-speak-please-give-it-a-hug/|url-status=live}} Mashable ranked "The cake is a lie" as the most unforgettable gaming meme of the 2000s.{{Cite web|url=https://sea.mashable.com/entertainment/12155/the-unforgettable-gaming-memes-of-the-2000s|title=The unforgettable gaming memes of the 2000s|first=Kellen|last=Beck|publisher=Mashable|date=July 13, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020|archive-date=October 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029033426/https://sea.mashable.com/entertainment/12155/the-unforgettable-gaming-memes-of-the-2000s|url-status=live}} The Regent Bakery noted that since the release of the game, its Black Forest cake had become one of its more popular items.{{cite magazine | url = https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/31/let-there-be-cake.aspx | title = Let There Be Cake | first = Meagan | last = VanBurkleo | magazine = Game Informer | date = March 31, 2010 | access-date = March 31, 2010 | archive-date = April 2, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100402191959/http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/31/Let-There-Be-Cake.aspx | url-status = live }}

Conversely, The Escapist editor Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw criticized the overuse of Internet memes, specifically mentioning the usage of the phrase as an easter egg reference in {{'}}Splosion Man. He criticized people who use Internet memes to give themselves a personality, and argued that "The cake is a lie" was hardly the funniest thing in Portal.

In a 2010 interview with Gamasutra about Portal 2, Wolpaw indicated that no jokes or references to cake would be made for the then-upcoming game as he was "sick of the memes".{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29015/|title=Portal 2 's Wolpaw: 'I Do Not Want To Resurrect A Three-Year-Old Meme'|first=Chris|last=Remo|date=June 18, 2010|website=Gamasutra|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310051327/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29015/|url-status=live}} Valve said that they intended to cease promotion of the catchphrase as humor that same year,{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/XanderMarkham/20100620/87535/The_Standout_Games_of_E3_2010.php|title=The Standout Games of E3 2010|date=June 20, 2010|first=Xander|last=Markham|website=Gamasutra|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703130636/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/XanderMarkham/20100620/87535/The_Standout_Games_of_E3_2010.php|url-status=live}} though an officially licensed cake mix for the Portal brand was created by German licensee Gaya Entertainment and released in 2013. Wolpaw said in interviews about Portal 2 that the joke had been "retired", but that "some geeky artist might have buried a cake reference in there somewhere".{{Cite web |title=Pre-Launch Portal 2 Interview {{!}} GameZone.com |url=http://www.gamezone.com/index.php/editorials/item/pre-launch_portal_2_interview/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110410213012/http://www.gamezone.com:80/index.php/editorials/item/pre-launch_portal_2_interview/ |archive-date=2011-04-10 |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=www.gamezone.com}}{{Cite web |date=2011-04-14 |title=Portal 2: Pretty Much Every PS3 Question Answered (And That Cake Thing, Too) |url=https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2011/04/14/portal-2-pretty-much-every-ps3-question-answered-and-that-cake-thing-too/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=PlayStation.Blog |language=en-US}} Portal 2 features two overt references to cake. The first is in a mural depicting the events of Portal and the Portal: Lab Rat comic, a section of which shows GlaDOS offering Chell cake.Portal 2. Valve. Level/area: "Chapter 1: Courtesy Call".{{Primary source inline|date=January 2025}} The second occurs when GlaDOS tricks the player with a fake door labelled "GlaDOS Emergency Shutdown and Cake Dispensary".Portal 2. Valve. Level/area: "Chapter 5: The Escape".{{Primary source inline|date=January 2025}} The recipe for cake is also among the gibberish that may be featured on computer monitors scattered throughout the game.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

• {{annotated link|Jam tomorrow}}
• {{annotated link|The Preacher and the Slave|"The Preacher and the Slave"}}

{{reflist}}

{{Portal series}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cake is a lie}}

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