A laminated list, sometimes called a freebie list, is a short list of celebrities so attractive that your significant other must let you sleep with them if the unbelievable opportunity ever arises. This pop culture concept originated on the American tv series Friends, but has since become a cultural meme, showing up on blogs and being discussed in online forums.

The importance of the list being laminated, literally meaning it's been sealed in plastic for protection, is to indicate that the names chosen have been set in stone and will not be changed by the creator, as opposed to an ad-hoc list that the creator can change at will. Also, it is traditionally belived that only celebrities can be put on a laminated list and not friends or acquaintances, in order to make the list - and the concept itself - more palatable to the creator's significant other. For example, it may be perfectly acceptable to your significant other to add a supermodel or well-known actress to a laminated list, while adding her sister or best friend would be unacceptable. This is due to the idea that gaining the opportunity to sleep with a celebrity is highly unlikely, while the theoretical chance of an infidelity with a friend or acquaintance is much higher.

Appearances

The term originated on the Friends episode The One With Frank Jr., which aired on October 17, 1996. ^* In the episode, Ross Geller finally narrowed his list down to five names by eliminating Isabella Rossellini, but soon afterward, he bumped into her and had an unexpected opportunity to flirt with her. His final list included (in order) Uma Thurman, Winona Ryder, Elizabeth Hurley, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Dorothy Hamill.

The concept has also inspired a recurring fund on the Hollywood Stock Exchange. When active, this fund invests primarily in the 10 actors and 10 actresses considered most "hot and nummy" by an unscientific poll of the user community.

Friends