Board Thread:Administrative/@comment-61022-20170610193015/@comment-4651179-20170617213714

You actually are demonstrating why it's a logical leap.

I only mentioned the ridiculous possibility of listing as a cameo the appearance of a random pedestrian because you genuinely suggested that if objects were to be able to make cameos, "we'd have a long list of objects as being in a cameo (forks, knives etc.)"

You said it yourself, what distinguishes a cameo from a minor appearance is the notoriety of the character making the minor appearance.

The extrapolation of these principles to objects is simple. If only pre-established important characters can make cameos, only pre-established important objects can make cameos. Forks and knives are out of the equation. Only things like Spider-Man's web-shooters, Daredevil's Billy-Club and Iron Man's armor can make cameos.

As for your question, "How do you quantify a cameo for an object?" You essentially simply extrapolate the principles you'd use to asnwer the "How do you quantify a cameo for a person?"

For any quirks, we can go back to my very first reply: If you have any doubt a given appearance is a cameo, ask yourself, does the appearance of this object/person make you go "Hey, it's that object/person!"?

Example: In an Amazing Spider-Man comic, Peter Parker is shown putting on his web-shooters. It's the only scene they are actually seen in the entire issue. Does its appearance make you go "Hey, it's Spider-Man's web-shooters!"? Of course not, they're part of his regular equipment and he uses them all the time.

Cameos are unexpected. You expect to see X-Men students walking down the Xavier institute even if it's for one single panel. But you don't expect them to pop up in, say a museum in.

Continuing with the web-shooters appearance. You're now reading a Nick Fury issue. He's walking through a S.H.I.E.L.D. vault, there are countless of gadgets in the foreground and background, indistinguishable one from the other. In a corner, there's Spider-Man's web-shooters. It's a cameo. They are relevant, they're in a minor role, and their appearance is unexpected and a little nod to the readers.