‘Cornplating’ explained as Wicked fan claims to have spotted original Wizard of Oz actor in movie

It seems like every day online, a new quirky buzzword emerges, quickly embedding itself into social media language as though it has always been there.

From dating trend lingo like 'Shrekking' to the now-classic 'LOL' or 'BRB' acronym slang, it's evident that the bizarre and fascinating realm of the internet continuously invents fresh ways to convey ideas and encapsulate abstract concepts in neat little terms.

The latest term causing a stir online is 'cornplating', after a Wicked fan claimed to have seen the original Wizard of Oz actor in the cherished Universal film.

Posting on X, the movie enthusiast shared a side-by-side photo of Margaret Hamilton, who portrayed Miss Gulch, The Wicked Witch of the West, in the 1939 classic, alongside a photo of clouds from the upcoming 2025 Wicked sequel. The clouds seemingly showed the outline of her profile as a tribute to her character.

"Margaret Hamilton’s profile (the original Wicked Witch of the West) seemingly appears in the clouds in Wicked: For Good," they wrote.

One social media user commented: "Now how tf did y'all catch that???"

"THIS IS AN INSANE DETAIL!!!" exclaimed a second, while a third added: "Why did it literally take me all day to see it."

There's a new buzzword we need to add to our social media dictionaries... (Universal)

Others, however, couldn't resist mentioning the peculiar phenomenon known as 'cornplating' after noticing the easily overlooked detail.

"Cornplating final boss," joked a fourth.

Another enthusiastically remarked: "This is insane cornplating but I am here for it!"

And a final X user admitted: "I love corn plates!"

Fans were gushing over the example of 'cornplating' (Universal/MGM)

But, what exactly is 'cornplating'?

In short, it's a slang term that describes the act of analyzing or discussing trivial details in the media when there isn't anything more significant to discuss.

The phenomenon is based on an exaggerated example of fan engagement, where one social media user posted an observation about a character holding a plate of corn in a scene from Disney's Encanto, which was seen as them running out of engaging content to share.

Can you see it? (Universal)

The Encanto fan in question shared a screenshot from the film, showing the character Dolores looking surprised while holding a plate of corn.

"I never realized she was holding a plate with corn in this scene," they captioned the post, a statement which quickly triggered an avalanche of responses from people claiming the fandom was 'running out of things to say about this movie'.

What do you think, is this Wicked observation an example of 'cornplating' or is it genuinely an interesting take?

Wicked: For Good is set to hit cinemas later this year (21 November).

Recommended for you