Plank is the imaginary friend of Jonny 2x4 in the form of a plank of wood. Although he is claimed to be alive, he is never heard or seen moving on screen. However, Jonny seems to be able to understand what he is saying, but this is likely just Jonny's imagination. Ed also thinks that Plank is alive. It is unknown whether Plank is really alive or not due to hints of Plank moving, such as the scene in "Gimme Gimme Never Ed". In the episode, Eddy seems to dislike him for hurting him in various ways. Plank is enrolled in Peach Creek Jr. High and plays on the football team, along with participating in the annual school spelling bee, which he failed for not speaking.
However, Jonny claims Plank did speak and spelled it right, causing Jonny to proclaim Nazz, who hosted the event, a wood hater and seek revenge, but forgave her by the end. Jonny became Captain Melonhead in the episode "Robbin' Ed". Plank became Splinter the Wonderwood, Jonny's sidekick, in the same episode. Plank seems to be the cause of most of his troublesome predicaments. Jonny even created parents and friends for Plank.
About Plank
So who exactly is Plank? What is Plank and perhaps most importantly of all why is Plank?
We've all had - or have known someone who has had - that favorite toy that has been toted around everywhere we go and Plank kind of struck us as being familiar in an amusing if indeed weird kind of way.
What is it Double D says when observing Jonny & Plank in the swing? See how the animals nurture their young well Jonny certainly takes care of Plank, they go everywhere together and Plank gets his share of Jonny's yogurt, Kevin's free Jawbreakers, Chunky Puffs from Ed Mart and anything else going free. Plank also participates in all the latest fads from stilt walking to whizz-wazzing, to winning an impressive array of Urban Rangers badges. As the seasons progress he also proves himself to be an all round hero; in possession of a weary sense of humor; a shameless adrenalin junkie and a slyly reliable source of usually two-edged sword style advice to boot!
But he's just an inert chunk of two by four so how exactly does he do it?
As mentioned in Jonny's bio, Plank's pal Jonny looks like a bit of a lone wolf but in truth he's never really alone because Plank is his constant companion, confidante & sidekick, in fact perhaps it's fairer to say that it's Plank bringing Jonny along for the ride in order to pull his strings. As Edd so correctly observed Jonny may look like a protective mother hen clucking over Plank and trying to save him from Eddy's manipulative grasp, but look closer. Now, look again. Who do you really think is in charge here, maybe Eddy was actually correct in the pilot episode "The Ed-Touchables" after all, Plank really is the brains of the outfit!
Yes, Plank is very much in the driving seat, far more so in fact than your average invisible / imaginary friend who lets himself be used to gain an extra portion of dessert or proclaim a strange liking for staying in bed on schooldays. No, not Plank, Plank is the ultimate power behind the throne. Take a look through the seasons and you'll see his influence again and again as he throws his weight around oh so subtly and manipulates the situation to get what he wants. Ever get the feeling it's Plank using Jonny to get what he wants?
Planks has practically become a personality in his own right and though true, at the end of the day he is just an imaginary friend. He doesn't stay within the cozy boundaries of Jonny's head but ventures out to give everyone the benefit of his wisdom via Jonny who's then reduced to acting as a sort of helpless medium. And Plank is ruthless in his efforts to get what he wants - not only does he go everywhere and take note of what he sees and use in evidence later, but he also has privileges, rights and an opinion that simply can not be argued with by anyone who can not hear him. And since only Jonny is acting as the voice of Plank, that of course makes him pretty untouchable. He's a master manipulator to who despite the smear campaign and embarrassing photo dug up by Eddy who still manages to get himself elected King of the Cul-de-sac. In "Dear Ed]," Plank and Jonny were sitting four seats away from each other but each time when someone past them, Jonny and Plank moved two seats closer. You can see Jonny move one seat each time; but Plank moves a seat closer each time without anyone touching him.Strange huh?, Also, in "All Eds Are Off" Plank moves from outside the Library to the Cafeteria, without being touched.
Every so often of course the veil that covers the seething maelstrom of Plank's psyche does slip a bit. Jonny maintains that Plank sees things and knows things and that certainly seems true when you see him in action, but Plank never seems simply content with this alone and as the Eds in particular have often found out, he has a pretty wicked sense of humor. We see flashes of it everywhere, often in direct retaliation to being condescendingly humored or simply treated as an inert lump of wood.
Perhaps most fascinating of all about Plank is his enduring enigma. Over the shows and seasons while we've seen him emerge as a distinct character and been treated to various aspects of his personality, he - (according to Jonny, Plank is a male) - is still a total dark horse. Take that expression for example, the Mona Lisa has nothing on Plank's enigmatic and sometimes slightly sinister smile!