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'{{short description|User-generated internet meme}} {{pp|small=yes|action=edit|expiry=indef}} {{use dmy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Multiple issues|{{Third-party|date=March 2022}} {{Unreliable sources|date=March 2022}}}}[[File:Polandballsvg.svg|thumb|The character of [[Poland]], represented as a ball coloured like an upside-down [[Flag of Poland|Polish flag]]]] '''Countryballs''', also known as '''Polandball''',{{efn|The style may be referred to both as ''Polandball'' by convention, even in cases where Poland is not present, or ''countryball'' (or, collectively, ''countryballs.'')}} is an [[Style (visual arts)|art style]] and [[internet meme]] used in some [[online comics]] in which [[country|countries]] are typically [[National personification|personified]] as imperfect spherical [[Character (arts)|characters]] (there are some exceptions, such as [[Nepal]], [[Israel]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Singapore]] and [[Bermuda]]) decorated with their country's flag. The characters often interact in [[broken English]], and the dialog typically uses regional and/or national variations, depending on the region the character represents (e.g., [[France]]'s broken English is interspersed with French words). The comics poke fun at [[national stereotypes]], [[international relations]] and historical conflicts. == Background == [[File:Opera Mundi 2.png|thumb|upright=1.35|A group of Countryballs characters]] Countryballs have their roots on drawball.com, a website that allowed Internet users to draw whatever they want on a circular canvas called a "drawball." In August 2008, thousands of [[Internet in Poland|Polish netizens]] took over the entire drawball with an illustration of [[Flag of Poland|the Polish flag]]. The circular canvas constrained the flag in such a way that it became a literal "Poland ball."<ref name="gazeta">{{Cite web |last=Orliński |first=Wojciech |author-link=Wojciech Orliński |date=16 January 2010 |title=Wyniosłe lol zaborców, czyli Polandball |url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,86116,7462232,Wyniosle_lol_zaborcow__czyli_Polandball.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101071958/http://wyborcza.pl/1,86116,7462232,Wyniosle_lol_zaborcow__czyli_Polandball.html |archive-date=1 January 2012 |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=Komentarze |publisher=gazeta |language=pl}}</ref><ref name="cooltura">{{cite news|url=http://www.elondyn.co.uk/newsy,wpis,7731|title=Znowu lecą z nami w... kulki|last=Zapałowski|first=Radosław|date=15 February 2010|publisher=[[Cooltura]]|language=pl|access-date=6 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011195643/http://elondyn.co.uk/newsy,wpis,7731|archive-date=11 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The beginning of the countryballs format proper is credited to Falco, a [[British people|British]] user on the German imageboard [[Krautchan.net]] who used [[Microsoft Paint]] to create a meme of [[Wojak#History|Wojak]] – a [[Poland|Polish]] [[Internet troll]] on the same board who contributed in [[broken English]]. After this, creating countryballs cartoons became popular among other users on the board, particularly [[Russian people|Russians]].<ref name="gazeta" /><ref name="przeglad">{{cite news|url=http://www.przeglad-tygodnik.pl/pl/artykul/fenomem|title=Fenomem&nbsp;— Polska nie umieć kosmos|last=Kapiszewski|first=Kuba|date=5 April 2010|publisher=[[Przegląd]]|language=pl|access-date=5 August 2014|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6Rasv9f4k?url=http://www.przeglad-tygodnik.pl/pl/artykul/fenomem|archive-date=5 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=kurzgeek>{{cite book|last1=Plomlompom|first1=Nils Dagsson Moskopp Erlehmann & Christian Heller|title=Internet-Meme : kurz & geek|date=2013|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media|O'Reilly Verlag]]|isbn=978-3-86899-806-1|pages=86–88|edition=1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bRywAgAAQBAJ|access-date=5 August 2014|language=de|chapter=MS-Paint-Comics|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828163808/https://books.google.com/books?id=bRywAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> == Popularity == The style soon grew in popularity on the internet as a whole as a [[internet meme|meme]], having dedicated communities on platforms such as [[Reddit]]<ref name=kurzgeek /><ref name=businesspost>{{cite news|last1=Ryan|first1=Emmet|title=Polandball is Reddit's answer to Crimea crisis|url=http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Polandball+is+Reddit's+answer+to+Crimea+crisis/id/87198161-2385-315c-abda-d92435575507|access-date=8 November 2014|work=[[The Sunday Business Post]]|date=4 March 2014|archive-date=6 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206203753/https://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Polandball+is+Reddit's+answer+to+Crimea+crisis/id/87198161-2385-315c-abda-d92435575507|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=r/polandball |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/polandball/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621122546/https://www.reddit.com/r/polandball/ |archive-date=21 June 2019 |access-date=18 March 2022 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> and [[Facebook]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dokumenty.osu.cz/ff/kaa/ojoep/ostrava-journal-vol1-2016-full.pdf#page=7 |title=Archived copy |access-date=17 September 2020 |archive-date=10 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410120859/https://dokumenty.osu.cz/ff/kaa/ojoep/ostrava-journal-vol1-2016-full.pdf#page=7 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=fd1>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/polandballcomics/photos/a.400372110298043/402985193370068/?type=3|title=Polandball 2.0|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=20 June 2020|archive-date=6 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306194128/https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpolandballcomics%2Fphotos%2Fa.400372110298043%2F402985193370068%2F%3Ftype%3D3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=fd2>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/polandball/photos/a.10150254506310483/10158229035170483/?type=3|title=POLANDBALL|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=20 June 2020|archive-date=6 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906112944/https://www.facebook.com/polandball/photos/a.10150254506310483/10158229035170483/?type=3|url-status=live}}</ref> The popularity of the style has been attributed to the ability of the drawings to tell short stories of nations in a easily understandable fashion, often with a large amount of [[jokes]] and comical undertones, with the characterization of a group lending itself towards a short [[comic]] format.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pure.hva.nl/ws/files/4783722/INC_Longform_Polandball_is_of_Reddit_How_r_polandba...ted_Geopolitical_Satire_INC_Longform.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=17 September 2020 |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814124619/https://pure.hva.nl/ws/files/4783722/INC_Longform_Polandball_is_of_Reddit_How_r_polandba...ted_Geopolitical_Satire_INC_Longform.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://networkcultures.org/longform/2017/11/15/polandball-is-of-reddit-how-rpolandball-transcends-memes-through-carefully-curated-geopolitical-satire/|title=Polandball is of Reddit: How r/polandball Transcends Memes through Carefully Curated Geopolitical Satire « INC Longform|access-date=17 September 2020|archive-date=28 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928093806/https://networkcultures.org/longform/2017/11/15/polandball-is-of-reddit-how-rpolandball-transcends-memes-through-carefully-curated-geopolitical-satire/|url-status=live}}</ref> == Themes == {{Update|part=section|date=September 2021|inaccurate=yes|talk=Less focus on Poland in modern comics}} === Poland === [[File:Poland can into the European Space Agency.png|thumb|A Countryballs comic, which is an extension of the "Poland cannot into space" {{sic}} catchphrase. The comic references Poland joining the [[European Space Agency]] in 2012.|291x291px]] The premise of countryballs is that they represent the country and its history, foreign relations and [[stereotype]]s,<ref name="przeglad" /><ref name="hiro">{{cite news|url=http://hiro.pl/magazyn/magazyn_zjawiska/memy.html|title=MEMY. Legendy Internetu|last=Cegielski|first=Tomek|date=12 April 2011|publisher=Hiro.pl|language=pl|access-date=5 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415014502/http://hiro.pl/magazyn/magazyn_zjawiska/memy.html|archive-date=15 April 2011}}</ref> focusing on [[wikt:megalomania|megalomania]] and [[Complex (psychology)|national complexes]].<ref name="cooltura" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Kralka|first1=Jakub|title=Polski internet to potęga, po co te kompleksy?|url=http://www.spidersweb.pl/2012/05/polski-internet-to-potega-po-co-te-kompleksy.html|access-date=5 August 2014|publisher=Spider's Web|date=11 May 2012|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6RbymTi82?url=http://www.spidersweb.pl/2012/05/polski-internet-to-potega-po-co-te-kompleksy.html|archive-date=5 August 2014|language=pl|url-status=dead}}</ref> With the exception of Anglophone countries, the dialogue of countryballs tends to be written in broken English and [[Internet slang]], reminiscent of the [[lolcat]] meme, and by the end of a cartoon, Poland is typically seen weeping.<ref name="gazeta" /><ref name="cooltura" /> Polandball's depiction of Poland portrays a number of stereotypes. These include bad English use by Poles, blaming others for its failures in particular given the backdrop of repeated invasions by its neighbours (such as the [[Partitions of Poland|18th-century partitions]] and [[World War II in Poland|World War II]]), Polish propensity for telling tales of the glorious past, and the perception of Poles as "dull-witted" and "psycho-[[Roman Catholic church|Catholic]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://culture.pl/en/article/polandball-a-case-study|title=Polandball – A Case Study|website=Culture.pl|access-date=28 November 2019|archive-date=28 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928234426/https://culture.pl/en/article/polandball-a-case-study|url-status=live}}</ref> Some Polandball comics arise from the premise that some countries can fly into space, whilst Poland cannot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://polskieradio.pl/art156_874685|title=Mirosław Hermaszewski – pierwszy Polak w kosmosie|website=PolskieRadio.pl|access-date=2019-06-22|archive-date=6 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306194136/https://www.polskieradio.pl/39/156/Artykul/874685|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhBADwAAQBAJ&q=Polandball&pg=PT183|title=The Language of Jokes in the Digital Age: Viral Humour|first=Delia|last=Chiaro|date=23 November 2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781351379953|via=Google Books|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828163808/https://books.google.com/books?id=MhBADwAAQBAJ&q=Polandball&pg=PT183|url-status=live}}</ref> One of the earliest Polandball comics begins with the premise that Earth is going to be struck by a giant meteor, leading to all countries with [[space technology]] leaving Earth and going into [[orbit]] around the planet. At the end of the cartoon, Poland, still on earth, is crying, and in broken English pronounces the canonical Polandball catchphrase "'''Poland cannot into space'''".<ref name="przeglad" /><ref name="infokam" /> In this [[Polish joke|humorous way]], other countryballs put a halt to all discussion with Poles on which country is superior.<ref name="gazeta" /><ref name="przeglad" /><ref name="hiro" /> === Other countries === Countryballs can also include comics on other countries: these comics are sometimes still referred to as Polandball comics,<ref name="gazeta" /> although they are more commonly also referred to as countryballs.<ref name=kurzgeek /> States, provinces, and other such divisions can also be used; multinational organisations such as the [[European Union]], [[NATO]] and the [[United Nations]].<ref name=vox /> There are various other established conventions. For example, the [[United Kingdom]] most frequently wears a [[monocle]] and a [[top hat]], often holds a cup of [[tea]], and often talks about when it was a superpower.<ref name="krakow-post-explainer">{{Cite web|url=http://www.krakowpost.com/9279/2015/05/how-polandball-can-of-taking-over-internets|title=How Polandball can of taking over internets|last=Hoffman|first=Steven|website=[[Krakow Post]]|access-date=2016-04-02|date=2015-05-02|archive-date=1 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401080611/http://www.krakowpost.com/9279/2015/05/how-polandball-can-of-taking-over-internets|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Chiaro |first=Delia |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781315146348/language-jokes-digital-age-delia-chiaro |title=The Language of Jokes in the Digital Age: #Like #share #lol |date=2017-12-05 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-14634-8 |location=London |page=150 |doi=10.4324/9781315146348}}</ref> The [[United States]] is frequently depicted wearing big black [[sunglasses]], and having an egocentric personality.<ref name=":0" /> Coats of arms in the upper hoist side are most often [[eyepatch]]es, which often depict [[Austria-Hungary]], which had two coats of arms on its flag, blind or otherwise wearing tinted glasses. [[Montenegro]] is frequently depicted as very sleepy and lazy, referring to real-world "Lazy Olympics".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euronews.com/2018/08/21/sleepy-montenegrins-win-lazy-olympics- |title=Sleepy Montenegrins win 'Lazy Olympics' |date=2018-08-22 |access-date=2021-12-06 |website=[[Euronews]] |first1=Emma |last1=Beswick |first2=Stephanie |last2=Burnett |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206153047/https://www.euronews.com/2018/08/21/sleepy-montenegrins-win-lazy-olympics- |url-status=live }}</ref> The simplicity of countryballs, together with its recognition of world history and a focus on current affairs, makes the meme suited to commenting on international events.<ref name=vox>{{cite web|last=Fisher|first=Max|title=Everything you need to know about the Ukraine crisis|url=https://www.vox.com/2014/9/3/18088560/ukraine-everything-you-need-to-know|access-date=6 August 2014|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=25 July 2014|archive-date=22 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122003807/https://www.vox.com/2014/9/3/18088560/ukraine-everything-you-need-to-know|url-status=live}}</ref> Amongst events which have been covered by countryballs and have been noted in the media, are the [[Senkaku Islands dispute]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Japon, Chine, vers une nouvelle guerre froide|url=http://www.franceculture.fr/emission-affaires-etrangeres-japon-chine-vers-une-nouvelle-guerre-froide-2013-03-09|access-date=8 November 2014|work=[[France Culture]]|date=9 March 2013|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6Tve15wmz?url=http://www.franceculture.fr/emission-affaires-etrangeres-japon-chine-vers-une-nouvelle-guerre-froide-2013-03-09|archive-date=8 November 2014|language=fr|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[Papal conclave, 2013|2013 papal conclave]] which saw Jorge Mario Bergoglio being elected as the [[Pope Francis|new Pope]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Wybór Franciszka okiem internautów|url=http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/swiat/wybor-franciszka-okiem-internautow/e1j5e|access-date=6 August 2014|publisher=[[Onet.pl]]|date=14 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917234741/http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/swiat/wybor-franciszka-okiem-internautow/e1j5e|archive-date=17 September 2014|language=pl}} [http://www.peeep.us/037878fc Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218211043/http://www.peeep.us/037878fc |date=18 December 2014 }}</ref> the [[Revolution of Dignity]],<ref name=vox /><ref name=infokam>{{cite news|script-title=ru:Камышин «может в кантриболз»|url=http://infokam.su/n16994.html|access-date=8 November 2014|work=Infokam|date=7 August 2014|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6TvdlsKwi?url=http://infokam.su/n16994.html|archive-date=8 November 2014|language=ru|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|script-title=ru:Аниматор из Камышина нарисовал мультфильм о «заболевшей» Украине|url=http://www.vlg.aif.ru/society/details/1311029|access-date=8 November 2014|work=[[Argumenty i Fakty]]|date=6 August 2014|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6TvdP3cDW?url=http://www.vlg.aif.ru/society/details/1311029|archive-date=8 November 2014|location=[[Volgograd]]|language=ru|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[2014 Crimean crisis]]<ref name=businesspost /> and issues relating to [[Filipinos in Taiwan|Filipino workers in Taiwan]].<ref>{{cite news|title=台灣最美麗的風景是人 真的嗎？ (Taiwan is one of the most beautiful landscapes, really?)|url=https://tw.appledaily.com/life/20140731/M7WDEVTDKNELGLEWYSLLX7ZMJE/|access-date=6 August 2014|publisher=[[Apple Daily]] (Taiwanese edition)|date=31 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404213155/http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/life/20140731/443613/台灣最美麗的風景是人%E3%80%80真的嗎？|archive-date=4 April 2015|language=zh|url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[2021-2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis]] and the following [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], [[Ukraine]] and [[Russia]] saw an increase in comic appearances. == Assessment == [[File:Sweden-Finland.png|thumb|A countryballs comic which satirises [[Sweden–Finland]]|346x346px]] A report on the Russian radio station [[Vesti FM]] noted a post on [[Livejournal]] which asked readers to list five images that come to mind when thinking of Poland or [[Poles]]. The five pages of responses, illustrating the complex and often difficult historical ties between Russia and Poland, recalled subjects including [[False Dmitriy I]], ''Tomek in the Land of the Kangaroos'' by Polish author [[Alfred Szklarski]], ''[[Czterej pancerni i pies]]'' ("Four tank-men and a dog"), [[Russophobia]] and Polandball.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Klava|first1=P.|script-title=ru:Польша у россиян ассоциируется с Лжедмитрием и Польшаром|url=http://radiovesti.ru/episode/show/episode_id/22667|access-date=8 November 2014|work=[[Vesti FM]]|date=25 August 2013|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6Tvc8mT6B?url=http://radiovesti.ru/episode/show/episode_id/22667|archive-date=8 November 2014|language=ru|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Unreliable source|date=October 2021|reason=LiveJournal is user-generated content.}} Wojciech Oleksiak, writing on culture.pl, a project of the Polish government-funded [[Adam Mickiewicz Institute]] which has the aim of promoting Polish language and culture abroad, noted that due to anyone being able to create a Polandball comic, the existence of the meme has created new opportunities for people to express their personal views on race, religion and history. In describing Polandball as the Internet meme ''par excellence'', he further stated that comic plots can be "rude, impolite, [[racist]], [[abusive]], or just plain dumb", whilst also noting that the [[political incorrectness|politically incorrect]] nature of the comics add to the attractiveness of the meme.<ref name="casestudy">{{cite news|last1=Oleksiak|first1=Wojciech|title=Polandball&nbsp;— A Case Study|url=http://culture.pl/en/article/polandball-a-case-study|access-date=6 August 2014|work=Culture.pl|publisher=[[Adam Mickiewicz Institute]]|date=9 June 2014|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6RcFd8k2j?url=http://culture.pl/en/article/polandball-a-case-study|archive-date=6 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the same time, Oleksiak notes that Polandball comics often employ exaggerated Polish stereotypes, such as Poles not being as proficient in English as other nationalities, and Poland itself being a country full of dull-witted hyper-Catholics. On the other hand, he admits that some stereotypes employed in Polandball comics, such as Poles telling stories about the nation's glorious history and dwelling on a deep rooted martyrdom, are mostly true; whilst the stereotype that Poles hold many national complexes and blame external forces for their own failures, is true, but somewhat justified.<ref name="casestudy" /> Oleksiak further notes that from Polandball, Poles can learn to have "a sense of humour about our long-time grudges".<ref name=casestudy /> ==In popular culture== A game called ''Polandball: Can into Space'' was released in 2016 on PC and on 18 June 2020 for the [[Nintendo Switch]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/polandball-can-into-space-switch/|title=Polandball: Can Into Space for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details|publisher=Nintendo|access-date=20 June 2020|archive-date=21 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621202756/https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/polandball-can-into-space-switch/|url-status=live}}</ref> An online multiplayer [[third-person shooter]] called ''Countryballs: Modern Ballfare'' released on [[Steam (service)|Steam]] in June 2021 for [[Microsoft Windows]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gamesmojo.com/games/action/countryballs-modern-ballfare|title=Countryballs: Modern Ballfare Review|website=GamesMojo|date=2021-11-25|access-date=25 November 2021|archive-date=25 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125014431/https://gamesmojo.com/games/action/countryballs-modern-ballfare|url-status=live}}</ref> A 3D [[Role-playing game|RPG]] game called ''Bang-On Balls: Chronicles'' was released on March 3, 2020 for [[Computer|PC]]. == See also == * [[International relations]] * [[Pearls Before Swine (comic)]] * [[Social commentary]] * [[Editorial cartoon]] * [[Political humour]] * [[Flags]] * [[Broken English]] * [[Culture of Poland]] * [[National personification]] * [[Hetalia]] == Notes == {{notelist}} == References == {{reflist}} == External links == {{Commons category|Polandball}} * [https://www.reddit.com/r/polandball Polandball] [[Reddit|subreddit]] {{National personifications|state=collapsed}} {{Portalbar|Comedy|Countries|Internet|Poland}} [[Category:2000s webcomics]] [[Category:2009 comics debuts]] [[Category:2010s webcomics]] [[Category:2020s webcomics]] [[Category:American political satire]] [[Category:American webcomics]] [[Category:Ethnic and racial stereotypes]] [[Category:Fictional balls]] [[Category:Internet memes introduced in 2009]] [[Category:National personifications in comic books]] [[Category:Poland in fiction]] [[Category:Political comic strips]] [[Category:Political Internet memes]] [[Category:Political webcomics]] [[Category:Satirical comics]] [[Category:Works about Poland]]'