Countryballs facts for kids
Countryballs, also known as Polandball, are popular online comics. In these comics, countries are shown as round balls with eyes. Each ball has its country's flag on it. The comics make jokes about different countries, how they get along, and things that happened in history. The balls move by walking or jumping.
Often, countries that don't speak English will talk in "broken English" in the comics. The drawings are usually simple, sometimes looking like they were made quickly. Countryballs started in August 2009. Polish internet users drew the Polish flag as a ball on a website called drawball.com. The person who created the modern Countryballs style is often said to be Falco, a British user from a German website called Krautchan.net. He made the first comics in September 2009 to make fun of a Polish user.
The comics became very popular, especially after the death of Poland's president, Lech Kaczyński, in April 2010. Today, Countryballs are still popular on many social media sites like Facebook, Reddit, and YouTube. People even study them to understand how they teach about history and cultures. Some video games and stories about "what if" history also use Countryballs.
Contents
How Countryballs Started
The Drawball.com Incident in 2009
The idea for Countryballs began on a website called drawball.com. On this site, anyone could draw on a big circle called a "drawball." In August 2009, thousands of Polish internet users worked together. They drew the entire Polish flag on the drawball. They even wrote "POLSKA" in the middle. Because the drawing area was a circle, the flag looked like a "Poland ball."
Other users tried to mess up the drawing. Some changed the colors to look like a Pokémon. Others drew a big swastika over it. Later, hackers attacked some Polish websites, but they managed to stay online.
First Comics and How They Spread
The person often given credit for the modern Countryballs style is Falco. He was a British user on a German website called Krautchan.net. Falco drew the first comics using a simple drawing program like Microsoft Paint. He posted them in September 2009. In his comics, Poland was drawn with an upside-down flag. This made it look like the flag of Indonesia or Monaco. People still wonder if he did this on purpose or by mistake.
A British magazine, The Shortlisted, said these comics might have been inspired by an Italian animator named Bruno Bozzetto. Bozzetto made a cartoon called Europe VS Italy in 1999. It was a funny look at differences between Italy and the European Union. His characters were also round balls. But unlike Bozzetto's work, Falco's first comics were not about politics. They were made to tease a Polish user named Wojak, who often used broken English online.
After Falco's first comics, other users, especially Russians, started making their own Countryballs cartoons. They added many new characters. Because of this growing popularity, a special Countryballs community was created on October 15, 2009. The comics became even more well-known after the Smolensk air disaster on April 10, 2010. In that accident, the president of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, died.
Why Countryballs Are Popular
Countryballs became very popular as an internet meme. They now have dedicated groups on websites like Reddit and Facebook. One reason they are so liked is that they can tell short, funny stories about different cultures. They do this in a simple way that is easy to understand. Also, the characters are perfect for short comic strips. Many Countryballs also appear in "alternate history" videos. These videos show how the world map might change based on different historical events.
Common Themes in Countryballs
Countryballs often show a country's history, how it gets along with other countries, and common stereotypes about it.
Poland in Comics
Poland in Countryballs often cries by the end of a comic. The way Poland is shown often uses stereotypes. For example, Poles might be shown as not speaking English well. They might also blame others for past problems, or talk a lot about their glorious history. Sometimes, they are shown as not very smart or as being overly religious.
One famous joke in Countryballs is that some countries can go to space, but Poland cannot. An early comic shows Earth about to be hit by something. All countries with space technology leave Earth and go into orbit. At the end, Poland is still on Earth, crying, and says, "Poland cannot into space." This funny phrase is used to end arguments about which country is better.
Other Countries in Comics
Countryballs comics often feature other countries too. These comics are sometimes still called Polandball comics, but "Countryballs" is more common. States, regions, international groups like the European Union, and even old countries like the Roman Empire are also used. Other countries are often shown remembering their past successes. For example, Russia might be shown pushing back against invaders.
There are many other common rules in Countryball comics:
- The United Kingdom usually wears a monocle and a top hat. It often holds a cup of tea.
- The United States wears big black sunglasses. It is often shown as being self-centered.
- Israel is usually drawn as a cube. This is a funny reference to "Jewish physics."
- Countries with a special symbol (coat of arms) on their flag might have it drawn as an eyepatch.
- Austria-Hungary is shown with two coats of arms, making it look blind or wearing tinted glasses.
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A common character is the Reichtangle. This is a tall rectangle with the flag of the German Empire on it. It has simple white dots for eyes. It often scares other countries (especially Poland) by standing behind them and saying "guten tag" (German for "hello"). It sometimes threatens to "eat" them. The Reichtangle can represent the German military or German power.
Nepal and Ohio are drawn as monsters with sharp teeth. This is because their real flags have unusual shapes. Montenegro is often shown as very sleepy and lazy. This refers to real-world jokes about "Lazy Olympics" in Montenegro. If a country doesn't have much influence in the world, it might be drawn as a billiard ball.
Countryballs are simple, but they often talk about world history and current events. This makes them good for commenting on international news. For example, Countryballs have covered events like the Senkaku Islands dispute and the election of Pope Francis. They also showed the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine and Russia's actions in Crimea. Before and during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, comics about Ukraine and Russia became very common.
What People Think of Countryballs
Wojciech Oleksiak, writing for culture.pl (a Polish government project), said that anyone can make a Polandball comic. This means people can share their own ideas about different cultures and history. He called Polandball a great internet meme. He also said that the comics can be "rude, impolite, racist, abusive, or just plain dumb." But he noted that their "politically incorrect" nature makes them more interesting.
Oleksiak also pointed out that Polandball comics often use exaggerated Polish stereotypes. For example, Poles might be shown as not speaking English well. Or Poland might be seen as a country full of very religious people. However, he admitted that some stereotypes, like Poles talking about their glorious history, are somewhat true. He also said that while Poles might blame others for their problems, this can sometimes be understood.
Oleksiak believes that Countryballs can help Poles learn to laugh at their own long-held feelings and ideas.
See also
- Social commentary
- Editorial cartoon
- Political humour
- List of Internet memes
- Hetalia: Axis Powers - a Japanese webcomic where countries are shown as humans
- Year Hare Affair - a Chinese webcomic where countries are shown as animals
