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In North America, telephone numbers with the prefix 555 are widely used for fictitious phone numbers in television shows, films, computer games, and other media.
Not all numbers that begin with 555 are fictional—for example, 555-1212 is one of the standard numbers for directory assistance throughout the United States and Canada. In fact, only 555-0100 through 555-0199 are now specifically reserved for fictional use, with the other numbers having been released for actual assignment. How, exactly, this will interact with the many uses of 555-2368 (long the "standard" fake number) by AT&T and other telephone companies, is no clearer than the reason for the choice of "2368".
The phone companies started encouraging the producers of television shows and movies to use the 555 prefix for fictional telephone numbers, roughly during the 1970s. One of the earliest uses of a 555 number can be seen in A Patch of Blue (1965), with 555-2368. In older television shows from the 1950s or 1960s, "KLondike 5" or "KLamath 5" was used, as at the time the telephone exchanges used letters.
The Simpsons used a variation of this in some of their earlier seasons by having the phone number start out with KL5 (for example, Homer Simpson's Mr. Plow business used both KL5-3223 as the home number and KL5-3226 as the business number. Barney Gumble's Plow King phone number was KL5-4796 in the commercial sung by Linda Ronstadt). On American telephone dial pads, K and L are found on the number-5 button.
In Simpsons episode "Burns, Baby Burns," character Chief Wiggum traces a phone number from the police station and reads it, saying, "5-5-5... Aw, geez, that's gotta be phony."
On Mad About You, Paul's mother, Sylvia Buchman, leaves her number on her son's answering machine, starting with "KLondike 5." This was the writers' way of showing not just that she still considered her mid-thirties son to be a child, but also that she was a bit behind the times, unwilling to think of her phone number as "555-something."
The use of 555 in cinema stems from an earlier derivation than supposed phone company promotions in the 1970s - having been used in many films from 1930s, or earlier, onwards.
In 1990, rap artists De la Soul released their hit single Ring Ring Ring. One line of the lyrics is "...take my number down, it's 222-2222, I got an answering machine that will talk to you". In the U.S., radio and TV stations usually blank out the part where they actually say this number, both from the song and the video clip. 222-2222 is actually not a fictitious number (For example, a Des Moines-based ambulance company uses it, as does the Chicago Tribune). The number for Yellow Cab in San Antonio, Texas is 210-222-2222.
One of the main reasons the prefix exists is to avoid accidentally using real phone numbers in movies and television programmes - as there are many cases of people trying to call the numbers used. Unfortunately, in cases where the prefix isn't used, people with the same numbers receive many calls from people who have seen the movies or television programmes. A perfect example of this situation is with the 2003 film Bruce Almighty. The makers of the movie opted not to use the prefix, and several people whose phone numbers matched one mentioned in the film were inundated with callers asking for "God", and the number was edited out for television airings of the movie and on most copies of the DVD. Another widespread example was the fiasco caused by Tommy Tutone's hit 1982 song "867-5309/Jenny," which actually is a valid number in many area codes and commonly receives calls asking for "Jenny". [1]
The use of fictional 555 numbers is spoofed in the film Last Action Hero. Danny Madigan, knowing that he is in a movie, tries to convince Jack Slater of this; among other things he asks how the ten thousand numbers of the form 555-xxxx could serve millions of people in the city of Los Angeles. Jack replies, "That's why we have area codes."
Some movie or television producers, such as those of HBO's Sex and the City and The Wire, have acquired actual telephone numbers solely for the purpose of using them in the movie or on TV.For example, in the movie Sneakers, starring Robert Redford, a character is given anything he asks for; he asks for a lady's phone number. The director wanted to have a real phone number so that the two characters would seem actually interested in each other.
Alternatively, a show's producer might choose to use an actual phone number from the place they are portraying. During The West Wing Season 2 episode "In This White House," a character receives a call from phone number 202-456-1414. This is the actual switchboard number for The White House.[2] The phone number was also used in the 1976 film All the President's Men and in the 1994 film The American President.
The producers of the television series 24 began using the real telephone number belonging to a member of the show's production staff. The cell phone the number belongs to is answered by the show's staff whenever anyone actually calls it. This approach was also taken by the producers of the show Scrubs, who used the phone number (916) CALL-TUR(k) as the notional number of the cell phone of Dr. Chris Turk. The number goes to a voicemail box on which the outgoing message is recorded in rotation by various members of the cast. In the CW series, ''Supernatural'', near the end of the fourth episode of the first season ("Phantom Traveler"), the brothers call their father's cell phone and hear a greeting that directs all callers to call Dean at 866-907-3235. When viewers called the number, the voice mail greeting, recorded by Jensen Ackles was: "This is Dean Winchester. If this is an emergency, leave a message. If you are calling about 11-2-83, page me with your coordinates."
In the movie Speed, when Jack commandeers a car to chase after the bus, he instructs the car's owner to dial the number 470-8000 on his cellular phone. In the movie, the number is for the Los Angeles Police Department.
In Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, in the scene that Marion calls Big Tim, there is a shot of his phone number on a piece of paper. It was not a standard 555 number, but they were able to get away with this because only six digits of the phone number are visible. However if you listen carefully, the character of Tyrone does speak all seven digits. But, after the scene where Harry is with the doctor, Marion turns over the photograph of her and Harry, revealing the full telephone number.
In other countries, where different numbering schemes are used, different conventions for fictional numbers are used. In the United Kingdom, the telephone regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) has recommended[3] that the area code 01632 be used (for detail see UK telephone numbering plan); for specific area codes a special range of numbers (usually, but not always beginning 4960) has been reserved. The toll-free range 0808 1570xxx is set aside for fictitious uses in TV and radio.
In Sierra Entertainment's "Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards" the number 555-6969 is used to call to participate in a sex survey and 555-8039 is the number for ordering wine at "Ajax Liquor".
In Sierra Entertainment's "Police Quest" many numbers with the prefix 555 are used.
In Telltale Games' "Sam & Max: Abe Lincoln Must Die!" the number 555-1984 is used to call a pay-phone (which oddly enough only takes Susan B. Anthony dollars) located outside the White House.
Throughout North America, 1-XXX-555-1212 will connect to directory assistance for the specified area code.
In 1994, the North American Numbering Plan Administration began accepting applications for nationwide 555 numbers (outside the fictitious 555-01XX range). This would mean that a consumer from any area code could dial a seven-digit number such as 555-TACO, and the owners of that number could connect the call to the taco vendor nearest to the customer. However, according to a 2003 New York Times article, the desired functionality requires the cooperation of local phone authorities, and most phone vendors have been reluctant to cooperate, perhaps wary of undermining the lucrative business of selling toll-free telephone numbers. Despite the fact that the service is virtually unavailable so far, most of the available 555 numbers have already been reserved. [4]
The service Tellme uses the number 1-800-555-TELL (8355) to provide news, weather, and other free information. TellMe is also the company that handles calls to 800-555-1212 and provides directory assistance for toll-free telephone numbers. Also, financing corporation Lending Tree uses 800-555-TREE. In some areas, Geico insurance uses the number 1-800-555-2753. 1-800-555-7448 is a number for Progressive Insurance.
1-800-555-1111 is the number used across North America to reach a Bell Canada operator.
In Australia, phone numbers starting with 555 belong to telephones around the Gold Coast in Queensland, particularly within Griffith University's Gold Coast campuses, and some in country Victoria, or Geelong. All Australian telephone numbers are, however, eight digits long. Before the introduction of the eight digit at the beginning of the number in the early 1990s, seven-digit numbers beginning 555 were for the area of Balmain in Sydney.
In the Moscow region, Russia, 555 is the beginning of telephone numbers for Lytkarino.
Hungary's most popular independent news site, Index.hu uses phone numbers beginning with 555.