Wikipedia:Every snowflake is unique

This is an essay on notability. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Shortcut WP:SNOWFLAKE

This page in a nutshell: Many similar items can have encyclopedic articles of their own; articles' content should describe which peculiarities distinguish one item from the others, based on critical commentary found in reliable sources. Focus on quality, not quantity.

A collection of articles about cookie-cutter items, where each article contains a distilled compilation of the elements that distinguish it from the other similar items, would be highly valuable knowledge for the reader interested in comparing them. This situation is typical for commercial products in the same category, geographic places reported at local media, historical records, Hollywood blockbusters and direct-to-video films, fictional characters, obscure branches of popular culture subjects.... An encyclopedic treatment of these items is difficult, but not impossible. Articles should strive to report what is unique and most significant about each instance of the class.

Creating unique snowflakes is done by trimming biographical details and technical or statistical tables to the minimum, and creating a Reception or Commentary section with the most juicy bits of the professional critical reviews; taking both actions would achieve an encyclopedic article.