novelty

{{Short description|Quality of being new}}

{{other uses}}

File:Brouette Vespa.jpg created to resemble a Vespa scooter. The decorative fender and headlamp serve little practical purpose.]]

Novelty (derived from Latin word novus for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual.{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novelty |title=Novelty |work=Merriam-Webster.com |access-date=January 27, 2012}} Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an individual.{{Cite book |last=Berlyne |first=D.E. |title=Conflict, arousal, and curiosity |publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company |year=1960}}

From the meaning of being unusual usage is derived the concept of the novelty dance (a type of dance that is popular for being unusual or humorous); the novelty song (a musical item that capitalizes on something new, unusual, or a current fad); the novelty show (a competition or display in which exhibits or specimens are in way some novel); and novelty architecture (a building or other structure that is interesting because it has an amusing design). It is also this sense that applies to a novelty item, a small manufactured adornment, toy or collectible. These, in turn are often used as promotional merchandise in marketing.{{cite web |url=http://themelib.com/2011/04/tips-on-choosing-the-right-novelty-for-your-market/ |title=Tips On Choosing the Right Novelty for your Market |date=April 9, 2011 |work=ThemeLib |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414184308/http://themelib.com/2011/04/tips-on-choosing-the-right-novelty-for-your-market/ |access-date=January 22, 2012|archive-date=2011-04-14 }} The chess term, novelty, is used for a move in chess which has never been played before in a recorded game.{{cite web |url=http://www.chess.com/article/view/endgame-novelty |title=Endgame Novelty |author=Iryna Zenyuk |date=August 12, 2010 |work=chess.com |access-date=January 27, 2012 }}

The term can have pejorative sense and refer to a mere innovation. However, novelty in patent law is part of the legal test to determine whether an invention is patentable.{{cite web |url=http://inventors.about.com/od/patents/a/patent_novelty.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709061241/http://inventors.about.com/od/patents/a/patent_novelty.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |title=Guide To Patenting And USPTO Patent Applications |author=Mary Bellis |work=About.com Inventors |access-date=January 22, 2012}} A novelty effect is the tendency for performance to initially improve when new technology is instituted.{{cite web |url=http://www.thoughtgadgets.com/2011/07/spider-man-renewed-and-novelty-effect.html |title=Spider-man renewed and the novelty effect|work=Thought Gadgets |access-date=January 22, 2012}}