<s>
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
is	O
a	O
catchphrase	O
from	O
the	O
2007	B-Application
video	O
game	O
Portal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
left	O
behind	O
as	O
graffiti	B-Application
by	O
Doug	O
Rattman	O
to	O
warn	O
that	O
GLaDOS	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
main	O
villain	O
,	O
was	O
deceiving	O
the	O
player	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
minor	O
reference	O
and	O
esoteric	O
joke	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
team	O
that	O
implied	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
never	O
receive	O
their	O
promised	O
reward	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
became	O
unexpectedly	O
popular	O
among	O
Portal	B-Application
players	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
since	O
become	O
a	O
widely	O
distributed	O
Internet	O
meme	O
where	O
the	O
phrase	O
is	O
co-opted	O
and	O
becomes	O
associated	O
with	O
new	O
meanings	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
context	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
context	O
of	O
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
was	O
to	O
convey	O
the	O
message	O
that	O
a	O
reward	O
is	O
being	O
used	O
to	O
motivate	O
Chell	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
,	O
without	O
any	O
intent	O
of	O
delivering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
phrase	O
among	O
Portal	B-Application
fans	O
indicated	O
a	O
wry	O
state	O
of	O
knowing	O
;	O
it	O
represented	O
a	O
shared	O
experience	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
flag	O
down	O
false	O
sources	O
of	O
motivation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
actual	O
cakes	O
,	O
whether	O
as	O
fan	O
art	O
which	O
references	O
Portal	B-Application
,	O
or	O
as	O
a	O
literal	O
descriptor	O
of	O
cakes	O
which	O
are	O
designed	O
as	O
lifelike	O
replicas	O
of	O
people	O
and	O
objects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
phrase	O
first	O
appears	O
in	O
the	O
2007	B-Application
video	O
game	O
Portal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Portal	B-Application
writers	O
Erik	O
Wolpaw	O
and	O
Chet	O
Faliszek	O
developed	O
the	O
phrase	O
as	O
a	O
plot	O
device	O
,	O
"	O
a	O
thematic	O
anchor	O
that	O
offers	O
a	O
chuckle	O
or	O
two	O
in	O
its	O
setup	O
,	O
reveal	O
,	O
and	O
post-credits	O
wink	O
"	O
with	O
no	O
consideration	O
given	O
for	O
its	O
potential	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
viral	O
phenomenon	O
,	O
as	O
Wolpaw	O
and	O
Faliszek	O
had	O
anticipated	O
that	O
an	O
innocuous	O
hoop	O
that	O
falls	O
from	O
the	O
sky	O
after	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
escapes	O
the	O
exploding	O
facility	O
would	O
catch	O
on	O
with	O
fans	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
of	O
using	O
cake	O
as	O
the	O
proposed	O
reward	O
came	O
about	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
Portal	B-Application
development	O
process	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
writers	O
convened	O
as	O
a	O
group	O
to	O
determine	O
which	O
philosopher	O
or	O
school	O
of	O
philosophy	O
their	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Swift	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Black	O
Forest	O
cake	O
offered	O
by	O
the	O
Regent	O
Bakery	O
and	O
Café	O
in	O
Redmond	O
,	O
Washington	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
located	O
near	O
the	O
previous	O
offices	O
of	O
Valve	O
Corporation	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
and	O
publisher	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
became	O
frequently	O
quoted	O
on	O
numerous	O
message	O
board	O
forums	O
and	O
blogs	O
across	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Don	O
Caldwell	O
,	O
managing	O
editor	O
at	O
the	O
website	O
Know	O
Your	O
Meme	O
,	O
said	O
catchphrase	O
memes	O
like	O
"	O
the	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
are	O
easily	O
spread	O
across	O
the	O
Internet	O
and	O
have	O
a	O
very	O
low	O
barrier	O
to	O
entry	O
for	O
participation	O
in	O
their	O
proliferation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tyler	O
Wilde	O
from	O
GamesRadar	O
noted	O
that	O
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
repeated	O
video	O
game	O
quotes	O
by	O
the	O
year	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stephen	O
Totillo	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
an	O
editor	O
at	O
MTV.com	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
attributed	O
part	O
of	O
Portals	B-Application
widespread	O
acclaim	O
to	O
the	O
phrase	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
theme	O
song	O
,	O
"	O
Still	O
Alive	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Weighted	O
Companion	O
Cube	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
James	O
Davenport	O
from	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
formed	O
the	O
view	O
that	O
a	O
pivotal	O
contributing	O
factor	O
to	O
the	O
meme	O
's	O
popularity	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
year	O
it	O
debuted	O
in	O
,	O
2007	B-Application
,	O
"	O
in	O
which	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
legendary	O
memes	O
gained	O
notoriety	O
and	O
cemented	O
themselves	O
near	O
the	O
head	O
of	O
the	O
wacky	O
,	O
inexplicable	O
semiotics	O
parade	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amanda	O
Brennan	O
agreed	O
and	O
suggest	O
that	O
2007	B-Application
marked	O
a	O
point	O
where	O
internet	O
culture	O
transcended	O
from	O
niche	O
forums	O
such	O
as	O
4chan	O
and	O
entered	O
into	O
"	O
its	O
own	O
ecosystem	O
"	O
,	O
attaining	O
mainstream	O
appeal	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
include	O
'	B-Application
Splosion	I-Application
Man	I-Application
,	O
Dragon	B-Application
Age	I-Application
:	I-Application
Origins	I-Application
,	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Assassin	B-Application
's	I-Application
Creed	I-Application
:	I-Application
Valhalla	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
References	O
to	O
the	O
Portal	B-Application
cake	O
has	O
been	O
used	O
in	O
various	O
forms	O
of	O
merchandising	O
,	O
both	O
official	O
and	O
unofficial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
phrase	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
frequently	O
used	O
as	O
references	O
in	O
Internet	O
culture	O
about	O
actual	O
cakes	O
since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
game	O
journalists	O
have	O
praised	O
the	O
presentation	O
of	O
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
in	O
Portal	B-Application
as	O
a	O
well-executed	O
example	O
of	O
environmental	O
storytelling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ars	O
Technica	O
editor	O
Johnathan	O
Neuis	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
the	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
strongest	O
inside	O
jokes	O
in	O
gaming	O
since	O
"	O
All	O
your	O
base	O
are	O
belong	O
to	O
us	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mashable	O
ranked	O
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
as	O
the	O
most	O
unforgettable	O
gaming	O
meme	O
of	O
the	O
2000s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversely	O
,	O
The	O
Escapist	O
editor	O
Ben	O
"	O
Yahtzee	O
"	O
Croshaw	O
criticized	O
the	O
overuse	O
of	O
Internet	O
memes	O
,	O
specifically	O
mentioning	O
the	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
phrase	O
as	O
an	O
easter	O
egg	O
reference	O
in	O
'	B-Application
Splosion	I-Application
Man	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
criticized	O
people	O
who	O
use	O
Internet	O
memes	O
to	O
give	O
themselves	O
a	O
personality	O
,	O
and	O
argued	O
that	O
"	O
The	B-Application
cake	I-Application
is	I-Application
a	I-Application
lie	I-Application
"	O
was	O
hardly	O
the	O
funniest	O
thing	O
in	O
Portal	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2010	O
interview	O
with	O
Gamasutra	O
about	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Wolpaw	O
indicated	O
that	O
no	O
jokes	O
or	O
references	O
to	O
cake	O
would	O
be	O
made	O
for	O
the	O
then-upcoming	O
game	O
as	O
he	O
was	O
"	O
sick	O
of	O
the	O
memes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
indicated	O
that	O
they	O
intended	O
to	O
cease	O
promotion	O
of	O
the	O
catchphrase	O
as	O
humor	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
though	O
an	O
officially	O
licensed	O
cake	O
mix	O
for	O
the	O
Portal	B-Application
brand	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
German	O
licensee	O
Gaya	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
